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Get Back in (Golf) Shape

Do you ever feel sore after your first few rounds of the season? Check out this article featuring some exercises that will help build muscle in the right areas, prevent injury and improve your game!

By Guest Blogger Josh Doornenbal, owner of EDGE Strength & Conditioning

Golf exercises have been growing in popularity over recent years as the value of fitness to golf performance becomes better understood. Here are three golf exercises related to core stability that can help you:

  • Play better golf
  • Protect your back
  • Feel better

Golf exercises video

The three drills featured in the video teach you to resist torque and create stability while doing rotational movements with the rest of your body. With all golf exercises, we don't want to simply mimic a golf swing. If the exercise looks and feels too close to a golf swing it will do more to negatively impact your mechanics than it will to actually create strength in the right areas.

 

1. Half Kneeling Chop & Lift

What you need: A cable stack or an exercise/resistance band.

Golf exercises - hips facing forward

 

What to do: Fasten the resistance band to something stable and go down on one knee beside it. Keeping your shoulders and hips facing forward,
pull the band across your body and towards your chest. Then extend your arms forward away from your body. Bring the band back to chest position and then back to resting position at your side and repeat. Don't let the band pull your hips or shoulders away from facing forward.

What it does: Teaches you to keep your hips and torso strong and stable while practicing a rotational motion that is beneficial to golfers.

 

2. Side Plank with Reach

What you need: Yourself and a space on the floor.Golf exercises - twisting your torso

What to do: Start in a side plank wth your elbow flat on the ground. Don't forget to try and maintain a straight line all the way from your ears to your toes. With your opposite arm reach all the way up to the ceiling--this is your starting position. From here reach your extended arm all the way infront of you and underneath your body as far as you can go while twisting your torso as demonstrated in the video and then return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

What it does: Teaches you to stabalize your trunck, torso, and hips against the rotational motions you encoutner in a golf swing.

 

3. Quadruped Extensions

What you need: A broomstick handle or similar.Golf exercises - balancing

What to do: Starting on your hands and knees balance the broomstick handle along with your back. Take your opposite arm and leg and extend them all the way out trying to get them nice and straight. From there slowly return back to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side. The broomstick will make you aware of the position of your back and help you keep it flat.

What it does: Challenges your coordination and body control. It also helps you learn to keep your back straight and flat throughout a range of movements which is integral for a good golf swing.

 

Now you have three golf exercises for core stability that help you protect your back, play better and have less soreness during and after your first few rounds of the season! If you want more stretches that go hand-in-hand with the ones you just saw go to LangleyGolfFitness.ca to download a free 4-minute stretching routine. 

 

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