Playing golf is fun for everyone. It can be a relaxing, therapeutic way to release stress or a competitive space for golf athletes and enthusiasts to compete. If you want to take golf seriously and improve your handling skills, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we cover effective drills and exercises to build your muscles and get used to golf’s physical strain. Check these drills below and improve your performance today!
Pushups
Classic pushups bring benefits in conditioning your body and building strength by exercising many core muscles simultaneously, specifically muscles that can improve your golf swing.
You are probably familiar with doing pushups. Put your hands beneath your shoulders and spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Then pump your muscles and push yourself up to a planking position. Be sure to keep a firm position, keep your spine straight, and do pushups at a consistent and controlled tempo.
If you’re up to the challenge, lower your chest to the ground; the lower your chest, the heavier your pushup will be.
Lunges With Rotation
This exercise helps you with balance and swing rotation, building your muscles to lessen the physical strain when playing actual golf.
Hold a medicine ball or weighted ball close to your chest and stand with your feet together. Lunge your left foot forward with your right knee bent firmly to the ground. Do this in repetition while adding variations like arm rotations, switching the ball from left to right hips, then restarting back to the center or a neutral position.
Lunges have a variety of drills and body rotations that can help you sweat more. View details on different lunge and rotation drills and recommended repetitions and add it to your workout.
Alternate Lateral Jumps
A must-have exercise for your drills. Alternate lateral jumps build up lower body power to put more force on your shots.
To properly exercise alternate lateral jumps, jump back and forth, side to side, in repetition. To get the most out of this drill, avoid jumping in long distances, just enough range based on how far you can comfortably cover in jumping. What’s important is you do it in a consistent, repeated jump to activate your lower body and build strength.
Weighted Sword Draws
Another good routine is to build up the upper regions and limbs and keep your golf swings consistent and fully optimized. To perform this workout, get a dumbbell with your comfortable weight. Stand with your feet apart adequately, just like your golf stance. With your right hand in your left hip and palm facing your body, slowly lift the dumbbell while keeping your arm straight and shoulders rotated.
Not only do you practice your striking form and strengthen the limbs required for the strike, but the repeated motion also builds physical resistance against muscle tears and injuries. It would be best to do multiple sets of 15 while adding more weight to your dumbbell.
Single Leg Deadlifts
This deadlift exercise helps build resistance in your hamstrings and glutes and improves your lower back strength. Performing this exercise with your workout can further enhance your swings.
Start by standing with a dumbbell; let the weights hang low to your thigh. Slowly lean down and forward, letting your one leg kick back and your body narrow and straight. Lower your body and get your dumbbells as close to the ground as possible. Afterward, return to your starting position and repeat ten times in sets of 3 on both legs.
Remember to keep your back and arm straight and your legs in a proper narrow pose to burn your muscles and build up the necessary areas for the deadlift. You can add weights or repetitions over time as you get acquainted with the proper leg deadlift technique.
Swing Rhythms And Repetition
Posture and muscle memory are skills needed to be a good golfer. Most golfers run the mistake of swinging their clubs too fast, too slow, or just out of place. When really the order in which their body moves from lining to striking the ball needs adjustment.
Start by segmenting your body position. Understand what your shoulders, lower, and upper body should look and feel to line up a proper shot. You’d want a smooth transition with your leading hip and leg starting to rotate and your upper body responding accordingly without sudden jerks or turns.
Get used to this position and repeat until it feels natural. Repeated instances of this drill develop good muscle memory and promote a better downswing sequence at every shot. Remember that aside from raw swinging power, your posture and how your body moves from lining to striking dictates how your ball would move.
Lower Body Split-Squats
This split squat exercise further improves balance, movement, and body strength. From a standing neutral position, take a big step forward like you’re taking a lunge; the heel of your other foot should remain raised and your torso straight and narrow.
After that, slowly lower your body as low as you can; as you feel your lower body stretched, slowly rise and do the split again on the other foot. It will take time to improve your flexibility and lower your body further, so do the exercise in three sets of fifteen repetitions per leg, and you’ll improve your splits and lower body in no time.
Glove Drills
This is a simple yet effective way to check your body position and adjust your swings. All you have to do is place an extra glove under your dominant arm’s armpit.
Then try to take shots without dropping the glove. This exercise can help you keep your arms in the same place and keep your swings consistent and accurate. It’s fine when your glove drops after the impact, but if you fail to keep it steady during the shot, keep re-adjusting until you can take shots without dropping the glove in a comfortable manner.
Final Thoughts:
Playing golf takes precise movements and accurate shots to play better. With these exercises, you are sure to improve the core muscles of your body and translate them to better forms and controlled and accurate shots. Remember to stick to your workout diligently, and you’ll see a massive leap in performance in your future games in no time.
Michael is a former professional golfer turned prolific writer who brings his love for the game and a sharp wit to FloridaEliteGolfTour.com. With years spent on the green and behind the desk, He has a knack for turning complex golf strategies into digestible advice, making his articles as entertaining as a hole-in-one on a par five.
