Everyone has an opinion about golf fitness. Your playing partner swears by the Tuesday spin class. The guy on the range is convinced his rotator cuff routine changed his life. The internet influencer will sell you a promising 12-week program 30 additional meters if you just comment and buy the right resistance band.
Here’s the truth: Most golfers are untrained, have poor swings, and leave distance, stability, and longevity on the table. This is not for lack of talent, but because no one has given them an honest foundation to build on. The good news is that strength training because golf doesn’t need to be complicated.
Below, you can see five exercises that are great for your golf game. Give it a shot.
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1. Split Squat
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David Sundberg
Take a medium to large step forward so that the back foot ends on the toes, keeping the front foot flat on the floor. Begin the squat motion and lower yourself under control, thinking of driving your back knee straight down toward the floor. Then drop your front foot down to the ground, push off hard and stand straight up. Keep your pelvis neutral. Do not allow the hip lift path or lower back to lengthen to complete the rep.
2. RDL shock stand
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David Sundberg
Move your legs, bend gently at the front knee, hang at the hips until you feel the load in the hips and thighs. Keep your weight close to your leg. Stop when your pelvis starts to rotate – that’s your end range, not the floor.
3. Cable row with a semi-kneeling arm
;)
David Sundberg
Below the knee on the same side as the pulling arm. Cable at chest height. Direct the pull with the scapula; feel it in your upper back, not your armpit. Hips stay square. If they rotate to aid traction, the load is too heavy.
4. Suppression of half-kneeling landmines
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David Sundberg
Below the knee on the same side as the pressing arm. Load the trail hip before starting. Move from hip to shoulder – not just an arm press. Check the bar on the way back down.
5. Half-kneeling cable cutter
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David Sundberg
Cable placed on top. Below the knee on the side you are chopping. Take a rope handle, pull diagonally from top to bottom, ending on the outside of the opposite thigh. Resist the roll as the trunk controls the bow, the arms just hold.
Four week progress
Week 1
Only the quality of position and movement. Keep the loads light enough that each repetition feels like the first. Three sets of eight on each side. 90 seconds rest between sets.
Week 2
If the quality of the movement continues, increase the weight in small increments – 2.5 to 10 pounds depending on the exercise. Three sets of eight on each side. 90 seconds rest between sets.
Week 3
