As winter approaches, many golfers (depending on where you live) won’t be able to get in as many rounds as they normally do in the fall and spring. Now is a great time to add some golf-focused exercises into your daily routine, so you can return to the course in the spring stronger, more balance, more powerful, and just plain better than ever!
These exercises are going to focus on improving strength, as well as flexibility in your hips/glutes, shoulders, and core.
To understand why we need both strength and flexibility in these muscle groups, lets look the components which make up a golf swing:
1. Backswing:
The entire golf swing is performed on what is called a “circular plane”. I imagine it like a pendulum swinging. The goal is not to swing the club up then down to the ball. Rather, the goal is to swing the club up then through the ball, allowing the club to carry through to finish the circular motion.
During the backswing, the shoulders and hips rotate away from the target (i.e. where you want the ball to go), the back rotates towards the target, weight shifts to your back leg (i.e. the leg further from the ball), and your front wrist is flat while your back wrist hinges towards your forearm. Your front shoulder (AKA “lead shoulder”) should end up under your tucked chin. If you stopped your motion right here, you would be “wound up”- basically full of energy that’s going to be transferred into the golf ball.1
Muscles involved in the Backswing3,4:
Shoulder rotation: Pectoralis Major (Chest muscle), Rotator Cuff muscles, and Latissimus Dorsi (Back muscle)
Torso rotation: Obliques (Abdominal muscles)
Hip rotation: Gluteus Maximus (Buttocks/hip muscle)
Wrist hinging: Wrist extensors (Forearm muscles)
2. Downswing:
This part of the swing is where you begin to “unwind” your body. The goal for your shoulders, hips, and spine at this stage is to become level upon contacting the ball. After contact, the body continues to rotate so it becomes parallel with the target. The shoulders rotate forward, so the “lead shoulder comes upward as your non-lead shoulder comes down.” Hips rotate forward, spine rotates back. Weight is shifting to lead leg. The goal for the wrists/hands is to drop down towards the ball, allowing the club to lag behind the hands, while trying to keep the wrists in the same position (front wrist flat, back wrist hinged).1,2
Muscles involved in the Downswing3,4:
Shoulder Rotation: Pectoralis Major (Chest muscle)
Torso rotation: Obliques (Abdominal Muscles)
Hip rotation: Gluteus Maximus (Buttocks/hip muscle)
Wrist hinging: Wrist extensors (Forearm muscles)
3. Impact:
The goal is to hit the ball (you may laugh, but I’ve been known to leave out this part of my swing- ask my uncle Dave). Weight is now completely shifted to your lead leg, wrists “snap through” (i.e. straighten out) once they’re at hip height 2, which allows the club to give a good smack to the ball, shoulders, hips, torso are rotating towards the target.
4. Finish (AKA Follow Through):
Momentum continues through impact. Hips, torso, and shoulders face the the target, spine rotates away from the target. Hands end up by the ears.
Muscles involved in Impact and Finish3,4:
Shoulder Rotation: Rotator Cuff muscles, Lattisimus Dorsi (Back muscle)
Torso rotation: Obliques (Abdominal Muscles)
Hip rotation: Gluteus Maximus (Buttocks/hip muscle)
Wrist “snapping”: Wrist flexors (Forearm muscles)
Now that we understand the components of the golf swing, let’s look at what exercises will help us improve our strength, stability, and flexibility of the involved muscles.
**Note: You don’t have to do all 7 of these exercises everyday. If you want to do some exercise every day, I would pick three or four and then alternate which ones you perform, making sure you do each one at some point in the week. If you are only exercising a couple/few days per week, I would do all seven at least three times per week.**
To watch the video of all 7 exercises, click this link: https://youtu.be/hWsxOnvbHr8
1. Lat Pull Downs with Band
As you probably guessed from the name, this exercise is focused on strengthening your “lats” or your latissimus dorsi, which is a muscle in our back (see picture below). Increased strength in the lats will help with backswing, impact, and finish. Additionally, this will help improve overall back strength (you can see how big your lats are).
1. Tie a knot in the middle of your band, so you create “straps” of equal length.
2. Place the knot in the top of a door, and close the door, so the band is secure.
3. Grab the “straps”, one in each hand. Stand up tall with shoulders away from the ears.
4. Take a few steps back from the door, so you can hold your arms in front of you (just below shoulder height) with elbows straight.
5. Keeping your elbows straight, pull your arms down to your sides.
6. Slowly bring your arms back up to just below shoulder height.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 for 10 reps, then take a 30 second rest. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps total.
2. Pushups
Pushups are a great full-body workout. This exercise will help us increase strength in our pectoralis major (chest muscle), abdominals, and deltoid (shoulder muscles). Due to the different muscles involved, this will help all components of our swing.
1. Place your hands on a countertop (or solid surface that will not move) shoulder-distance apart.
2. Step back so you are in a plank position.
3. Bend your elbows as you lower your chest towards the countertop, keeping your abdominals tight/engaged.
4. Push through your hands to bring your chest back up.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for 10 reps, then take a 30 second rest. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
3. Single leg deadlifts
This exercise focuses on working gluteal muscles, abdominals, ankles, and hamstrings. This is not only going to help improve strength for all golf swing components, it’s very similar to the position you take when you pick the ball up from the cup.
1. Place one hand on the countertop or stable surface.
2. Bend the knee on your standing leg slightly.
3. Brace your belly and tip forward (hinging from the hip and keeping your back flat) as you bring your opposite foot off of the floor.
4. Focus on keeping your hips level as you tip until your torso is parallel with the floor.
5. Squeeze the muscles on the backside of your standing leg (hamstrings and glutes) as you bring your torso upright.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for 10 reps. Switch legs in between each set of 10. Perform 3 sets of 10 on each leg.
4. Open book stretch
Improving flexibility is very important in order to be able to achieve greater range of motion during the backswing in order to generate greater momentum during the remainder of the swing. This exercise will focus on increasing flexibility of the middle back and shoulders.
1. Lay on your bed (or on the floor if you prefer) on your side with your knees bent. Knees and ankles should be stacked on top of the other.
2. Keep both arms straight so they are at shoulder height with palms together.
3. With a straight arm, reach your top arm up towards the ceiling and then lower it towards the bed behind you (palm up), opening up your torso to the ceiling while keeping your knees and ankles together. (You’re “opening the book”)
4. The goal is to be able to get both shoulders flat on the mattress while the knees and ankles are together.
**Don’t push it to the point of pain- just stop when you feel a stretch and breathe into it. The more you practice this, the more flexibility you will gain**
5. Hold position for 30 seconds then bring the top arm back to its starting position.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for 3 reps. After 3, 30 second holds, repeat laying on other side.
5. Paloff Press
This exercise will help increase strength in the core/obliques, erector spinae (back muscle), and gluteus Medius (buttock muscle, which helps with hip stability, which is very important with not only our golf swing, but general walking and balance). The really great part of this exercise is due to its work on the rotational muscles of the core, it helps improve rotation, without causing excess stress to the back.
1. Tie a band to something stable or place your knotted band in a doorway, so the band is around chest height.
2. Grab the band with both hands, holding it at your chest.
3. Stand to the side of where your band is tied with feet at least hip-distance apart. Step out until the band is taut.
4. Push the band in front of your chest, so your elbows are straight.
5. Hold position for 5 seconds, not allowing your hips or torso to rotate towards where the band is tied.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for 10 reps. Rest for 30 seconds, the perform 3 sets. Repeat facing the opposite direction.
6. Step Ups
By now you’re probably noticing that almost all of of these exercises include glute work, and this one is no exception! This is the prime glute worker, and if you’re wondering why, then see above for all the work the glutes do during the golf swing. Also, glute work is so vital for our balance, maintaining upright posture, and preventing excessive strain on our low back and knees.
**If you are using stairs at home, use the bottom step**
1. Stand facing your step (if you don’t have stairs, put a stool in front of a counter, so the stool isn’t able to move, if you accidentally push it forward).
2. Hold on to the banister of the counter with one hand if you need extra stability.
3. Place your right foot onto the stair/stool.
4. Push into your right foot to step up, bringing your left foot onto the same step.
5. Step down (backwards) with the left leg first (this forces the right leg to keep working as it has to control lowering the left foot to the floor).
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for 10 reps. Perform 10 reps with the left leg leading. Complete 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
7. Hip flexor stretch
We are going to end our exercise routine with a stretch, and a very important one at that! Our hip flexors (AKA the front of our thigh) tend to get very tight, because we spend a lot of time sitting all day. Even worse, the front of the thigh and the back of the thigh (AKA the glutes) work in opposition. So as the front gets tight, causing the muscle fibers to get short, the fibers in the glutes get longer and they become weaker. To combat this, we need to help prevent the hip flexors from getting so tight. This will help improve mobility and strength in the hip.
Muscles that all flex the hip
This stretch can be done kneeling or lying on your back.
Kneeling:
1. Place a pillow/cushion on the floor, next to a couch or stable chair that you can hold on to.
2. While holding on to the couch/chair, take a split stance with the leg further from the couch in front.
3. Lower the knee closest to the couch to the pillow, so you are in a kneeling position.
4. Keeping your torso and back flat, lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the leg that’s on the pillow.
5. Hold for 1 minute.
6. Repeat on the other side. Perform 3 times for 1 minute each.
On Your Back:
1. Lay on your back on your bed, close to one side of the bed.
2. Move your shoulders towards the middle of the bed so your body is forming a diagonal line.
3. Bring the leg closest to the edge of the bed off of the bed, and bend your knee. (If your bed is low enough, place your foot flat on the floor. If it’s higher, you can place your toe on the floor, or get a strap to help you hold the stretch).
4. If your foot is on the floor, slide it towards the top of the bed until you feel a stretch on the front of your thigh. (If you’re using a strap, pull the strap so your knee bends more until you feel a stretch on the front of your thigh).
5. Hold for 1 minute.
6. Repeat on the other side. Perform 3 times for 1 minute each.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and you perform these exercises regularly (I suggest at least 3x per week) in order to help improve your strength and flexibility to improve your golf game!
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Have the Strength to Live Life to the Fullest!
Sources:
1.https://golftips.golfweek.com/cure-insidetoout-golf-swing-20379.htm
2. https://theleftrough.com/wrist-action-in-the-golf-swing/
3.https://www.mytpi.com/articles/fitness/what_are_the_key_muscles_in_the_golf_swing#:~:text=The%20research%20showed%20that%20the,)%2C%20core%20and%20forearm%20muscles.
4. https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/what-is-happening-in-the-shoulder-complex-during-a-golf-swing
5. https://www.openfit.com/pallof-press-exercise#:~:text=Muscles%20Worked%20by%20the%20Pallof%20Press&text=The%20erector%20spinae%2Cthe%20thick,engages%20to%20stabilize%20your%20torso.)
