For golf strength training, we take an average gym program and tweak it to help you hit longer drives off the tee, reduce back pain, and enjoy the game we all love.
Golf is a lifelong sport played by kids to retirees and everyone in between. The longer we walk down or golf journey, the more we realize that subtle changes can make a big difference. Changing the flex of your shaft, adjusting your grip, or a new breathing technique can bring great results and amp up your enjoyment of the game.
One thing we don’t take as seriously is our 14th club, our musculoskeletal system. Golf is a sport relying on timing, strength, and power. So why do so few golfers train for the sport to which they have dedicated so much time and money? Why do we not prioritize golf strength training?
Sure some golfers workout, but do they workout with golf in mind? In this article I will give you some key principals of golf strength training, and how to change common workouts into workouts that can get you more distance and less pain.
Lunges
The lunge is a staple of any workout routine, and can be adjusted infinitely. The best way to help with you golf swing is to take a medicine ball in your hand and add a trunk twist while you lunge. This will force your hips to control internal and external rotation, two ranges of motion crucial for longer shots.
Shoulders
Shoulder presses and lateral raises are common exercises, but they don’t do as much in the golf swing as they do for how you look in a t-shirt. Mobility is key at the shoulder because it needs to wrap around your body and control the shaft angle at the top of your backswing. I routinely work on the scapular (shoulder blade) muscles with my golfers. Exercises that bring your shoulder blades behind your spine are generally good for stabilizing your shoulder at the end of the backswing.
Jumping
This may not be too common in the average golfer’s workout, but it is essential for power off the tee. Golf strength training isn’t just standard lifting, but also how you explode through the golf ball. Good entry points are box jumps, single leg jumps, and any jump where rotation is the focus. If you regularly do plyometrics or jumping in your workouts, look to add any rotational component you can to what you are already doing.
Deadlifts
I cannot stress enough the importance of glute strength for the golfer with low back pain. 9 times out of 10 the cause of low back pain is a golfer sitting in his/her office chair for 8 hours/day and then never training the muscle they just sat on all day. Then they go out to the course and repeatedly force a high velocity movement on their spine with no glutes to help deliver the power they so crave. The end result is an overworked back and a trip back to the clubhouse after 14 holes. To fix this, add deadlifts into your workouts. Start very light using a small kettlebell. Then when you have done that pain-free a few times, increase the weight to make it more challenging. The best golfers incorporate balance and do the deadlift on one leg to really amp up their golf strength training.
It’s subtle, but these 4 small tweaks to a normal gym routine will have to hitting the ball further. It takes consistency and hard work, like any program. The results however are staggering. We’ve seen anything from 2mph to 10mph gains in ball speed coming off the tee, even with a small amount of activation exercises. Every golfer will react differently, but by adding these tweaks to your normal gym program, you should see your metrics climb. Golf is more fun when you can crush it off the tee. Visit our Golf Performance page to learn how we can help you!
Owen Campbell, PT, DPT, OCS
