With golf becoming a rapidly growing sport worldwide, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic (1), it is becoming widely appreciated that more than just time spent on the course is needed to help lower handicaps. The term ‘golf fitness’ has been gaining popularity across the sport, whether it be strength, flexibility or cardio training, the awareness of the need to train the body is becoming more prominent.
But why do I need fitness? Surely if I spend time just practising my swing, that will be enough?
While this is true, it is important to understand what your body needs to go through in order to swing a club accurately and safely.
To give some insight, the body has to withstand 750kg of force during a golf swing (2).
750kg!
A number that will only increase with an improvement in handicap and club speed (3), therefore, it comes as no surprise to find that a recent study (4) outlined that balance, flexibility and strength are all required to complete an efficient golf swing. Limitations in any of these areas can put a halt to technical progressions, regardless of time spent practising.
Other than missing a tap in putt, injuries are a golfer's worst nightmare. They take away valuable time either practising or on the course, for something that is very preventable with some consideration towards the body. The most common injuries in golf are in the lower back, neck and wrists (5), which are typically attributed to poor mobility, insufficient strength, overtraining, or a combination of these factors. It is commonly suggested to include full body strength and flexibility training into a golfer's weekly routine, not only to improve golfing ability but also to reduce the risk of an injury occurring (6).
It’s clear that focusing on the body will positively impact the golf swing, but what exactly should you do? Where should you start? In the following blog, we outline a step-by-step process of how you can build up your body to improve your golf game.
Mobility for Golf
Mobility provides a key foundation for any good golf swing. Regardless of how strong you are, if your body struggles to move with ease, then improvements in your swing will be limited.
Having good range in areas such as the hips, upper back, shoulders, wrists and neck helps create a longer backswing, resulting in greater club head speed and a greater variety of shot selection (7). A golfer should aim to rotate their spine through 90° and the hips 45° during the backswing (8), while ensuring their shoulders, wrists and neck have enough mobility to allow the club to move freely.
If mobility is lacking in certain areas, this can cause compensations to be made across the body, leading to injuries. For example, if the torso is unable to rotate properly, a golfer may flex the wrists more to gain length in the backswing. In turn, this will cause an excessive amount of strain going through the wrist and the hand, increasing the likelihood of an injury developing. While it is possible to make quick changes in the short term to get around these problems, to see real long-term changes, the problem of mobility must be tackled (9).
How to implement mobility in my training
Static and dynamic stretching will be essential for any golfer to include in their weekly routine. Static stretching involves holding a joint at its maximum range without any movement, whereas dynamic stretching takes a joint through its full range of motion with constant movement throughout.
The following static and dynamic stretching routine aims to target the key joints in the golf swing. Aim to complete this 2 - 3 times per week to see improvements in your range of motion.
Hips • Lizard Stretch x 20s/side • Hip 90/90 x 10/side • Hamstring Sitback x 20s/side
Upper Back • Childs Pose x 20s • Cat Camel x 10 • Thread the Needle x 10/side
Shoulders • External Rotation Hold x 20s/side
Wrists • Flexion and Extension Hold x 20s/side • Radial and Ulna Deviation Hold x 20s/side
Neck • Lateral Flexion Hold x 20s/side • Assisted Rotation x 20s/side
Balance and Control Training
Golf is completed across both flat and uneven terrains, therefore keeping control of body posture, limbs and balance throughout all types of shots is essential.
As forces in the golf swing are produced from the ground up, control and balance originating from the legs, pelvis and core are the building blocks of the swing, while stability in the upper body helps keep alignment and consistency of ball striking (10). This is true across the vast majority of shots played throughout a round, as even short-game shots around the green and out of a bunker require precise and controlled body movements to guarantee the perfect strike.
As previously mentioned, during a full swing, a golfer aims to reach large amounts of pelvic and torso rotation through the backswing, requiring excellent mobility, but also sufficient control and balance through the full range available. Even if an appropriate level of flexibility is reached, comfort and accuracy during the swing will not be achieved if there is insufficient control or balance throughout the full range available. Therefore, improving not only mobility but also limb control and balance should be an essential part of a golfer's training.
How to implement balance and control training in my training
Limb control and balance training can come in many different forms. A simple gym training routine, using either bodyweight or external weight, can provide a good foundation of muscular control, providing each exercise is completed through a full range of motion and at a controlled speed to ensure posture awareness is maintained. Alternatively, training practices such as pilates are excellent for improving postural awareness, balance and control of the core and muscles around the body. Initially, we suggest incorporating this twice per week alongside your mobility sessions.
It will also be a valuable addition, once a strong foundation of posture awareness and balance has been built, to include exercises that put your body in the same positions as the golf swing, as this helps bridge the gap between the gym work and the golf swing.
Here is an example of a beginner and intermediate session that you can include to enhance your balance and control for your golf swing:
Beginner
Wipers 3 x 5/side
Single Leg Quarter Squat 3 x 5/side
Airplane 3 x 10/side
Wood Chop 3 x 10/side
Glute Bridge Switches 3 x 10
Intermediate
Rip Trainer Pivots 3 x 6/side
Jump to Single Leg Land 3 x 5/side
Single Leg Torso Rotations (with band) 3 x 10/side
Golf Stance Wood Chop 3 x 10/side
Kneeling Gym Ball Balance 3 x 30s
Strength and Speed Training
So, now your golf swing is smooth and controlled, where do you begin for strength and speed training?
To understand how to train for maximising your output, here is an equation that is important to remember:
Power = Force x Velocity
To see improvements in power output, an essential factor in a golf swing (11), a focus must be put on increasing maximum force output, through strength training, while also increasing the velocity of movement, through speed training.
But what is the difference between the two?
Strength relates to how much the brain can activate a certain muscle to contract - if the number or intensity of the signals to the muscle increases, the contraction is stronger. By focusing on lifting gradually heavier weights, the pathway between the brain and muscles becomes stronger and more active, resulting in more strength gain.
Speed training on the other hand is developed slightly differently. While also relying on strong connections from the brain to the muscle, these connections must be trained to turn on quickly, enabling as much force to be produced in as little time as possible. Therefore, the training should be completed with minimal or no weight, but with maximum speed, to reflect the movement speed required in the golf swing.
Regarding which muscles need the most training, you need to consider how the force from the swing is made. As the swing originates from the lower body (12), strength and power work for the legs will be the priority for any golfer, developing the glutes, hamstrings and quads, as this will allow for greater force production in the swing as well as helping protect from injuries (13). To help transfer this force through to the club, training the upper body for both strength and speed is essential (11), as the upper body can rotate more than twice as fast as the lower body through the swing (14). Therefore, it is important to incorporate both strength and power in a golf physical training regime to ensure maximum club head speed is developed (15).
How to implement strength and speed work in my training
Strength and speed training should be completed 1 - 2 times per week, with a focus on increasing the weight lifted in the strength training sets, while speed training should look to keep the weight lifted very low but the speed of movement high.
If you are a beginner to this style of training, refrain from completing the speed exercises until you feel you are confident with the movements. If in doubt, ask a trainer for advice on how to complete power exercises with proper technique. An example session can be found below:
Beginner
Goblet Squat 3 x 12
Glute Bridge 3 x 10
Press Up 3 x 10
Reverse Lunge 3 x 10/side
Supine Pull 3 x 10
Intermediate
(a) Box Jumps 3 x 4
(b) Medicine Ball Rotation Throws 3 x 3/side
Romanian Deadlift 3 x 6
Bench Press 3 x 6
Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 10/side
Pull Up 3 x 8
If a session has an ‘A’ and ‘B’ section, this means you complete the two exercises in immediate succession, followed by a rest period afterwards.
Cardio Training
Many people forget the cardio strain on a golfer. Imagine walking for 4 hours up and down hills carrying a 10kg bag on your back. Sounds tough right?
Improving your cardiovascular fitness will mean that your body is better able to supply oxygen to the muscles when they work, enabling more efficient use of energy and less fatigue when walking or swinging a golf club (16). With a little focus on enhancing this area of your physicality, you will not only feel better at the end of a round, but you will most likely avoid a drop in your performance due to tiredness!
If cardio training is new to you, then following an easy introduction will be best, keeping the intensity low and building up a baseline level of cardiovascular fitness. However, as the golf swing is a high-speed movement, training too frequently at a low intensity may hinder any speed or strength gains made in the gym, therefore it will benefit the more conditioned golfers to train at a higher intensity, using shorter intervals more frequently to train the cardiovascular system.
How to implement cardio in my training
Both beginners and advanced athletes can complete cardiovascular training 1 - 2 times per week. Interval training is an excellent choice for both beginner and advanced individuals, as the intensity can be appropriately adapted for each. If you are a beginner, keep the intensity low while your fitness builds up. Once you feel you are becoming fitter, then you can increase the intensity of your workouts!
Here is an example of a simple bodyweight circuit training routine:
Bodyweight Circuit for Cardiovascular Endurance
20s on 10s off x 5 rounds (1min rest between rounds)
Sit to Jump
Lateral Mini Hops
Incline Press Up
Mountain Climber
Glute Bridge
Medicine Ball Squat Press
Try this progression to build your cardiovascular fitness up:
Week 1 & 2: 20s on 10s off x 5 (15mins + 4mins rest)
Week 3 & 4: 30s on 10s off x 5 (20mins + 4mins rest)
Week 5 & 6: 30s on 10s off x 6 (24mins + 5mins rest)
Week 7 & 8: 30s on 5s off x 7 (24mins 30s + 6mins rest)
In conclusion...
Regardless of where you feel you fit on this step-by-step process, taking the time to consider what area of your physical capabilities you are weakest in will be crucial to making technical changes easier and improving your overall golf game.
If this blog has made you realise that golf physical training can be for you, email us to find out more and get started!
References
The R&A (2023) Golf participation continues to surge worldwide. R&A. Available at: https://www.randa.org/en/articles/golf-participation-continues-to-surge-worldwide
Hosea, TM., Gatt. C.J., Galli. K.M,, Langrana. N.A., & Zawadsky. J.P. (1990). Biomechanical analysis of the golfer’s back. In A.J. Cochran (Ed.), Science and Golf: Proceedings of the World Scientific Congress Of Golf (pp. 43-48). London: E&FN Spon
Kerr-Dineen, L. (2021) Here’s how fast golfers swing their driver based on handicap. Available at: https://golf.com/instruction/how-fast-swing-driver-based-handicap/
Sheehan, W.B., Bower, R.G. and Watsford, M.L., 2022. Physical determinants of golf swing performance: A review. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 36(1), pp.289-297. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2022/01000/physical_determinants_of_golf_swing_performance__a.44.aspx#:~:text=Superior%20balance%20may%20allow%20players,per%20unit%20of%20time%2C%20consequently
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Caroll, M. (2020) Why mobility is the thing holding your golf swing back (and how to fix it). Golf. Available at: https://golf.com/instruction/fitness/why-mobility-essential-your-golf-swing/
Meister, D.W., Ladd, A.L., Butler, E.E., Zhao, B., Rogers, A.P., Ray, C.J. and Rose, J., 2011. Rotational biomechanics of the elite golf swing: Benchmarks for amateurs. Journal of applied biomechanics, 27(3), pp.242-251. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51574307_Rotational_Biomechanics_of_the_Elite_Golf_Swing_Benchmarks_for_Amateurs/figures
Morton, O. (2024) Making technical changes to compensate for limited hip mobility. Titleist Performance Institute. Available at: https://www.mytpi.com/articles/swing/making-technical-changes-to-compensate-for-limited-hip-mobility
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