Golf isn’t an easy game — but it’s even harder when your body isn’t in good “golf shape.”
It doesn’t matter if you’ve played your whole life or if you’re new to the game, making sure your body is in the proper shape will cut more strokes off your game than most lessons will.
That being said, there’s a lot out there to digest when it comes to exercising and “getting shape” means a lot of different things to different people. Lucky for you, the SCGA is here to guide you along the way.
Here are 10 Fitness Tips that will get you in great golf shape:
10. Stop Swaying and Sliding
One of the most common mistakes amateurs make in their golf swing is that instead of rotating their hips, they sway or slide them. The sensations are often tough to separate, but not doing so weakens your swing and makes solid contact quite difficult.
Movement specialist and Titlist Performance Institute-certified golf fitness insturctor Roy Khoury and PGA professional Tim Mitchell from the Pelican Hill Golf Resort are here to help.
9. Be More Balanced
In golf as in life, balance is the key to everything. You can’t have a good golf swing without having great balance. Unfortunately, many of us amateurs don’t have the strength in the necessary muscles to keep our swings on point.
Luckily, Mike Hansen and Jentry Fields from Hansen Fitness for Golf are here to help.
8. Exercises to Strengthen Your Backside and Add Power
If you’re looking for more distance off the tee, I’ve got a little tip for you: You’re not going to find it with a new driver if your body stays the same. Ever hear of “plateauing?” Well, that’s what your game will do if you don’t work out the muscles you need to hit the ball far.
Don’t worry — Mike and Jentry from Hansen Fitness for golf are back with more helpful tips.
7. How to Get More Extension
Bent left elbow, chicken wing on the follow through — you see these faults all the time at your local municipal track. They’re not necessarily mistakes (though they do lead to a lot of them!) in the golf swing, but rather a deficiency in your golf fitness keeping you getting the extension you need to rifle it down the fairway.
Fret not, my chicken-winging friends! Titleist Performance Institute-certified instructor Roger Fredericks is here to help.
6. ‘The Power Chop’
Looking for more stability in your golf swing? How about more accurate tee shots? Or maybe you just want more power? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then the Micah Golden-Grant from Body Dynamix Chiropractic and Performance is here to introduce you to “the power chop” — the next must-do exercise that’s going to make you better, and fast!
5. Increase Club Head Speed
Everybody want to be more powerful. Most amateurs struggle to hit it past the 250 marker — and that’s OK, but if you want to stop being lapped by that one guy in your group, it’s time to get serious about increasing your clubhead speed.
Strength and conditioning specialist Dave Sabo of Momentum Sports Therapy is here with a drill to do just that, just a few times a week.
4. Sumo Squats to Increase Accuracy
While everyone else is out searching for power, some might just be looking to add accuracy to their games. Because, let’s face it — there’s nothing more infuriating that catching one in the center of the face but watching it sail into the woods. Guh…no one wants to see that ProTracer!
Lucky for you, Micah Golden Grant is back with another exercise that will make your golf game better in just a few weeks by improving your accuracy.
3. Keep Back Pain Away
Back pain is the No. 1 killer of golf swings. I don’t have statistics to back up that claim, but c’mon — is there really anything else that could keep you off the course or mess up your swing faster than discomfort in your back? As soon as you feel a twinge, you start compensating and throwing off the whole works.
Lucky for you, Mike Hansen and Jentry Fields are here to show you some great stretches to keep your back from getting sore and keep you in the swing of things — on the course or at home.
2. Daily Routines to Get You Golf Ready
Just because you’re not going to the course to play golf a certain day doesn’t mean your journey to better takes a day off. You can’t complain about not being consistent at the course if you’re not consistent in your training, too. Routine is a word that comes up a lot in the world of golf, and it’s for a good reason: Routines. Are. Important.
Roy Holmes from Exos API is here to help you format a daily that will get you golf ready not just on days you play — but every day — which will get you in great shape for life of the course as well as on it.
1. Increase Range of Motion in Your Golf Swing
The number one thing all amateur golfers can improve in their golf swings is adding range of motion to it. The more flexible your back, hips and shoulder are, the farther they can move and stretch, the more dynamic your swing will be. You’ll add power without changing drivers, accuracy without pounding balls at the range.
Does that all sound good to you? Strength and conditioning specialist Dave Sabo of Momentum Sports Therapy is back with a couple tips on how to add more range of motion to your golf swing.