Golf is not one of the most physically demanding sports, like football or basketball, but it does involve quite a bit of exercise. If you’re not careful about properly warming up and staying flexible, your regular golf game can leave a feeling of tightness all over the body. It can also cause sore muscles for a few days, and even prevent you from playing for some time.
Think about what the game actually entails; a lot of walking, staying active in the sun, stretching your arms again and again, and so on. If the ball falls into a sand trap or gets stuck somewhere, you have to exert even more energy to get it out or play it in the best way possible.
Most golfers are aware of how essential it is to be flexible in order to execute a good golf swing. If you look up some of the biggest names in golf–including Tiger Woods and Adam Scott–you’d find out that they had a proper pre-round stretching routine to ensure that their bodies were in the best playing form possible.
So, how can someone who has a desk job during the week stay in shape for having a great golf game on the weekends? If you’re not naturally super-flexible, there are some stretching routines and workout routines that can help you out with your golf game. Here are a few tips that may help with getting in shape for golf starting today:
1. Look Into Strength Training
There’s a common misconception that when you’re training your body for golf, strength training is not the best idea. The reasoning behind that is that when a body bulks up, it loses out on mobility. However, we have a lot of evidence to dispel this myth, with the example of Bryson DeChambeau being one of the strongest arguments.
We can also take a look at several other professional golfers, including Lexi Thompson, John Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Mel Reid. All of these players have gone through a lot of strength training. Their advice and example should be enough to convince us how good strength training is for one’s golf game.
2. Stabilize the Lower Body Through Squats
When you want to have strong, effective golf strokes, it’s important to make your lower body strong and stable. Squats are among the best exercises for this propose, as they help to build up and tone the right muscles in your legs
If you check out the regular exercises of any PGA or LPGA Tour player, they usually do some sort of squat in their usual routine. Even if they’re lifting heavy weights, they make sure not to miss any leg days. If you want your golf game to be the best it can be, don’t skip this step either.
3. Work On Your Rotational Strength
Golf swings are mostly rotational movements, so it makes sense to focus on rotational exercises in order to get in shape for the golf course.
Rotational exercises can enhance your ability to properly rotate while swinging golf clubs. It also builds up your rotational strength, which leads to a better ball speed, club speed, and increases the distances to which you can hit the ball.
4. Pay Attention to the Core and Obliques
Core exercises and building up strong obliques is important for any golfer who wants to improve their game. It’s not necessary to have washboard abs or bulging muscles, but you have to work on the ‘X Factor’.
This is what many sports coaches call a sort of stretch across the torso. It’s not the physical look that’s so important, but the ability of the golfer to contract or reflex the obliques as required in a golf swing.
Working on your obliques will increase strength in that part of the body. With this strength, you won’t be susceptible to injuries. You will also have a better chance of rotating the swing powerfully.
Of course, you will also be looking and feeling much healthier and active than before. Use these perks to look great on the golf course as well.
5. Aim for Both Mobility and Strength
For a golfer, building up strength won’t improve a swing unless it’s paired with mobility. A person might be able to bench a thousand pounds, but they can’t golf properly unless their body can get in the proper position for swinging a golf club. All that strength will probably go to waste if you don’t work on your mobility as well.
No matter what kind of a workout routine you put together, make sure it has exercises that focus on both aspects of training. You want enough strength to make that golf ball fly very far. At the same time, you want to have enough mobility to get in the right position–both for great shots and protecting your back. Speaking of backs…
6. No Neglecting the Lower Back
Since mobility is so important for a decent golf swing, olfers have to pay attention to the condition of their backs. Many of us may work at desk jobs in an office or even on the couch at home. Sitting down for more than 40 hours per week is not the best thing for our backs, so we have to make up for it in order to stay fit. This is not just about golfing, but also staying mobile and active for a healthy daily life.
A golfer should be especially careful to treat their body with respect and care. Look up some simple yet effective stretching exercises; these can be good ways to loosen up the lower back. With the increased mobility and flexibility, a golfer can swing their clubs without worrying about any pain or stiffness. Have a look at other accessories you should bring on the golf course.
7. Loosen Up and Stretch
The hips are a major power generator when it comes to executing a golf swing. Golfers need to care for this area properly and keep it as mobile as possible. It doesn’t take much to loosen up the hips to get a smoother swing.
You want to keep your golfing game tight, which means that flexibility is needed to make the correct positions possible. However, flexibility won’t help you much if the muscles are tight and rigid. In order to make both mobility and flexibility work for you, the fascia has to be released. This is a thin layer of connective tissue that covers the muscles in the body. A good mobility routine can help you get this process going, so make sure to look one up or have a personal trainer approve of a workout plan.
8. Take Pain as a Warning Signal
When you’re golfing or playing any other sport, having a sore body is part of the process. However, there is a difference between being sore from a good play and having to deal with outright pain from sports injuries. If you ignore the pain and what your body’s trying to tell you through it, you can risk serious injury.
9. Drink Enough Water, Eat Enough Snacks
Whether you’re playing a round of golf or working out in preparation for it, keep a water bottle handy at all times. This will make it easier to re-hydrate whenever you feel the need.
A golf game can drag on for several hours, so you also need to eat to keep that stamina up. Professional golf players advise eating a little snack after every five holes, if not four–at least, when it’s relatively cold on the course. You’re burning a lot of calories per round, so you don’t want to get dizzy from the lack of nutrition or hydration at the end of it. Give your body the fuel it needs, and it will be better able to give you a better performance.
Make sure your snack selection is made up of various food groups. Healthy fats such as peanut butter, jerky, and almonds are a good idea. Along with fat, protein and carbs are also necessary for a serious golfer. Don’t forget your greens either; eating sprouts and other vegetables is necessary for a well-rounded diet.
10. Warm Up Properly
Warming up is an essential step before conducting any form of exercise or sport. Don’t make the mistake of keeping the warm up too short; it’s not just a matter of stretching your body once or cracking your back. This is when you are preparing the body for a long and intense game. Some pro golfers even spend half an hour to a whole hour warming up prior to a game.
11. Consider Yoga or Short Workouts
Yoga helps you work on your core strength and enhance the kind of flexibility you want for a golf swing. Instead of hitting the gym, you can join a yoga class or go through a few sessions online. These moments will hopefully be useful in making your swing better and enhancing your stamina as well.
Along with yoga, you can also look up short workouts that can help you get in shape without having to visit a gym. Here are some more tips for improving your golf game at home.
Conclusion
Improving your golf game encompasses many aspects of playing, but fitness is one of the most major factors to work on. If you fall back in fitness, chances are that you may not even be able to finish one game of golf.
Whether you have a tournament coming up or just want to play golf to get exercise, the tips above will hopefully help you get a healthy start. The trick lies in not worrying about being out of shape, but looking at what you can do about it. Pick up a few of these tips now and apply them to your golf prepping routine!