Fitness Activities and Exercise to Improve Your Golf Game
Mar 2nd 2017
How to Go About Improving Your Golf Game
So, you want to improve your golf game, eh? Have you thought of these most common methods to becoming a better golfer?
- I just need some gloves with a better grip, and that fit better.
- These clubs aren’t quite heavy enough for me. I should buy a nicer set …
- Practice makes perfect! I’ll just keep playing more!
- Maybe I should pick up some professional lessons …
While these may be valid solutions to some issues, the most overlooked one is to exercise your golf muscles! The human body was not naturally developed to swing a long metal club while keeping a straight back.
Our human body isn’t naturally suitable to most ubiquitous sports. It is up to the individual to condition their muscles to do an activity. Every sport twists and contorts your body in different ways; therefore, exercises to improve your golf game must target your specific golf muscles!
Condition Your Body into a Golfer’s Body
Here are a few athletic markers of what makes a great golfer’s body unique:
- Being able to isolate movements of the upper body and lower body. Every athlete should be conscious of how their body moves always. This includes everyone from golfers to stunt-doubles.
- Core stability. This will come with the strengthening and conditioning of your abdomen and spine. This will eventually aid you in perfecting your straight-back golf stance.
- Strong abdomen, glutes, and upper arms—including biceps and shoulder muscles. It’s hard to golf 18 holes if your body wears down after an hour, and you are only at Hole 6.
- Flexibility in the shoulders, hips, wrists, and spine. There should be no dislocated shoulders, thrown-out hips, or twisted wrists and spines on the course.
Now, before you run offto begin working out just your golf muscles, you should warm up your entire body. Begin by performing these basic fitness tasks:
- 5-10 pushups with arms bent at 90-degrees. These may be on your toes or on your knees.
- 15-25 squats. Those golf balls will not pick up themselves.
- Aerobic exercise: A 1-mile run, 1.5-mile bike ride, 2-mile elliptical, or 500-meter row.
- 1 minute of jumping rope.
No excuses! Being unable to perform any of these exercises should not bar anyone from golfing. For golfers who are younger and wish to partake in more rigorous exercise, consider adding the following into a warm-up routine.
Exercises
The following exercises are effective for the following: Isolation of Upper and Lower Bodies, Core Stability, Strength, and Flexibility. They are simple, and golfers of any age who participate will experience improvement in their game.
Conditioning your body need not be a full workout. A few exercises at a time will be enough to make a noticeable difference in your physical performance.
Gentle Exercises
In consideration for those who would like to save their backs:
- Seated Rotations will improve rotational mobility and help you learn to move your torso independently of your hips and legs—a crucial skill for any golf swing.
How To: Sit on a stool or coffee table or straddle a bench, with your feet planted evenly on the ground and your weight distributed; your back should be straight. Now, place a club through the crook of your elbows behind your back. Place your palms flat on your stomach. This will maintain your straight posture. Without engaging your lower body, rotate your torso to one side and hold for 2-seconds. Gently return to the start position. Repeat to the other side. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing. Ideally, 10-30.
- A 90-90 Stretch opens up your spine and shoulders.
How To:On the ground, lie on one side of your body. Keep the bottom leg straight as you bring the knee of your top leg toward your chest. (You may hug your knee or let your arms sprawl on your sides.) Let your knee fall to the ground. Rotate your torso back in an attempt to have your top shoulder touch the ground behind you. Twist as far back as is comfortable and hold for three seconds. Untwist your torso. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing. Ideally, 10-20.
- Hip Crossovers open your hips and stretch your lumbar.
How To: On the ground, lie flat on your back with your arms stretched outward to the side, your feet placed moderately far apart, and your knees raised in the air. With a twist in your hips, lower your knees to the ground on either side of you, then up and over to the other side. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing. Ideally 10-20.
Medicine Ball Throws are a fun way to improve core stability and strength.
How To: With a medicine ball, stand facing a wall three to six feet away. Your feet should be firmly planted and moderately apart for balance. Hold the medicine ball at your waist in front of you. You will be throwing this ball at the wall and then catching it. To do so, twist your torso and hips to one side away from the wall. In a single motion, twist your hips, then torso, then arms toward the wall, releasing the ball. Catch the ball as it bounces off the wall and back toward you. This is one repetition.
For an extra stretch, this move can also be performed standing with your hips perpendicular to the wall. This stance will increase the core power being spent and help improve balance. Begin by twisting your torso 90 degrees away from the wall. Thus, twist 180 degrees to throw the ball at the wall.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing. Ideally, 10-15.
- Quad Rocking stretches your hips while strengthening your lower back.
How To:Lower yourself to your hands and knees: hands underneath shoulders and knees underneath hips. Pull your stomach in toward your spine, keeping the natural curve of your lower back. Gently move your hips backward until your calves block any more movement. Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing. Ideally, 10-20.
More Intensive Exercises
- The Standing Y strengthens back shoulder muscles and encourages shoulder flexibility.
How To: Stand with your feet moderately spread apart for balance, then bend over at your waist with your back straight, as if forming a 90-degree corner with your body. Your arms should be extended toward the floor. With your palms facing upward, hold a golf club. Keeping your arms extended, gently raise them so that they are above your head. This position should look as if your torso and arms are forming the letter Y. Return to the starting position. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, ideally, 10-20.
Glute Bridges strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
How To:On the ground, lie face up with your arms outstretched to your sides. With your knees in the air, support your legs with only the balls of your feet planted on the ground (toes being in the air). Tense your glutes and thrust your hips upward so that your body forms straight-line kneecaps to the chest, then gently lower your hips back to the ground. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, ideally, 10-20.
- Pillar Bridges open up your hips, preventing spinal pain.
How To: On the ground, lie on one side of your body propped up on one elbow lined neatly underneath your shoulder. Your feet should be stacked, your hip resting on the ground. The goal of this exercise is to have your body form a straight line ankle to head. To do so, pop your hip up and hold for three seconds, and then let your hip rest again. This is one repetition.
- Handwalks prevent “golfer’s elbow,” or, at least, fortify straight extended arms while strengthening shoulders.
How To: Begin in a standing position, bend over at your waist and set your hands on the ground closely in front of your toes. Now, on all fours, “walk” your hands out toward a push-up position. Your legs should be kept relatively straight in this process (while taking care not to lock your knees inward). Then, walk your feet toward your hands. Stand again. This is one repetition.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, ideally, 5-10.
Fitness Ball Pushups challenge your balance, building shoulder and back strength.
How To: Fitness Ball Pushups are performed the same way as any push-up, except your hands are firmly placed on a fitness ball instead of on the ground. Begin in a full extended push-up position, practicing maintaining your balance. When ready, lower yourself so your chest almost touches the ball. Push yourself back up, keeping control of the ball. This is one repetition.
Mind that, with a fitness ball, the pushups should be done on your toes. With a smaller fitness ball or medicine ball, the pushups can be done on your knees.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, ideally, 5-10.
- Lateral Squats stretch your inner thighs, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, creating elasticity and strength.
How To:Stand with your feet spread wider than your shoulders. To begin, shift your hips to the left, and then bend your left knee while keeping your right leg straight. Your feet should remain flat on the ground and pointed straight ahead. Push through your left leg to return to the start position. Repeat with the right side of your body. This is one repetition. Throughout, your back and torso should remain straight.
Do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, ideally, 5-10.
Common Injuries and Prevention
If you have been spending so much time golfing and exercising, it is likely you have experienced a few golf-related injuries: a sore wrist, a cramp, red blisters. Here are a few remedies to some common issues you may be facing.
- Hand Blister
Too tight a grip on your clubs and, possibly, a lack of gloves can cause blisters on your hands if they aren’t already calloused. To begin healing blisters, wash them with warm soap and water. Do not tear off any loose skin (these are nature’s bandages). Apply antibiotic cream and bandages. At night, remove the bandages to let the blisters air out.
If you play a round with blisters, apply some Vaseline to the sore and cover with fresh bandages or athletic tape. To avoid future blisters, see about correcting your grip and/or purchasing better gloves.
- Hip and Back Pain
Because of the rotational pressure on golfers’ hips and lower backs, back and hip pains are the most common types of injuries among golfers. Monitor these minor strains to prevent them from becoming severe injuries. When you feel the aches coming on while on the course, immediately sit in your comfortable cart. Apply ice and heat to these sore muscles, take your ibuprofen, and do soft exercises and stretches to condition these muscles to prevent against future pains.
- Wrist and Elbow Tendonitis
With golf’s repetitive, strenuous use of your joints, every swing of the club increases the risk of injury. Tendonitis, the swelling of tendons at over-used joints, occurs most commonly in the golfer’s elbows and wrists. This condition can be prevented by conditioning and warming up these joints. However, once developed, it is important you go see a doctor for treatment.
- Sunburn
Sure, sunburns occur everywhere, regardless of what activity you are doing in the sun. Golfers risk sunburn every time they play 18 holes for five to six hours, especially in the middle of the day. Wearing visor hats, sunglasses, protective clothing, and sunscreen will help reduce sun exposure. Store multiples of these things in your golf cart’s cargo box.
The Final Round
When seeking to improve your golf game, yes, practice does make perfect, so always be sure to get yourself on the course! However, do not neglect to exercise off the course and condition your special golf muscles. This goes for everyone, from aspiring collegiate golf athletes to the elders among us.
