Golf Exercises and Gym Workout

Golfers need to have unrivalled mobility, flexibility, balance, accuracy and power. To target all these areas, they need to have a comprehensive, targeted workout regime specifically made up of exercises to improve golf. If you’re a keen golfer, or if you’re looking to improve your physical abilities overall, a golf gym workout is ideal. 

Why Choose a Golf Gym Program?

For those who aren’t golfers, you might be asking why you should consider undertaking a golf-centred workout. Well, the answer is clear: golfers have lots of physical attributes that can benefit them elsewhere. For example, good flexibility is an excellent attribute to work on and maintain because it can improve your posture which reduces the chances of aches and pains, not to mention better balance and posture which reduces the likelihood of incurring an injury. Away from this, accuracy can benefit you in several areas of your day-to-day life and can enhance your hand-eye coordination. This is good for a range of other sports, but also menial tasks like driving. 

Those who enjoy golf might think that simply practising a lot will enhance their game and performance, but this isn’t true. Whilst practice certainly does make perfect, it’s not the be-all and end-all. Honing in on key physical aspects is necessary. You can have the perfect swing, but if there’s no power behind it then you won’t get very far. To build up that power you’ll need to target strength training, and the way to do this is through engaging in a specific workout routine. 

Professional Golf Exercises

Some of the golfing greats like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy engage in a range of golf gym exercises, and given their prolific careers, they seem to have paid off. Of course, there’s an element of natural talent, but there’s no reason why you can’t up your game on the green by adding some of the following moves into your workout routine. 

Medicine Ball Perpendicular Throws

When you swing a golf club, you engage a range of muscles including:

• The core
• Upper back muscles
• Triceps and biceps
• Glutes
• Pectoralis major

This is a wide group of muscles and as such, any exercise that works them all in one go is a good option for golfers. Luckily, there is an exercise that engages the majority of these muscles, and it’s a medicine ball perpendicular throw. This involves throwing a medicine ball of a manageable weight against a wall in a similar fashion to a golf swing. With your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent and your back facing away from the wall, turn to one side, keeping your chest up and your back flat. Catch the ball as it bounces off the wall and repeat for 10-15 throws before switching sides. 

Hip Crossovers 

Hips play a big part in the backswing during a golf game, and for this reason, hip crossovers are the perfect exercise to incorporate into your workout, especially for golf exercises at home. They really work the lower back and improve mobility which plays a huge part in golf fitness. To do them, lie on your back on the floor, put your legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees, keeping your heels on the floor and your arms outstretched at your side like a starfish. Twist your legs so that your knees touch the floor and repeat this 10 times in each direction. 

Trap Bar Deadlift 

One of the most involved muscles in a golf swing is the glutes, and trap bar deadlifts work the glutes, back and hamstring excellently, making it one of the best golf exercises. You can do this exercise in the gym using a hexagonal weight bar. After selecting a manageable set of bumper plates, step inside the hexagonal bar. Keeping feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight, bend down and lift the bar to a deadlift position. 

Squats 

With legs and glutes being such a pivotal part of the golf game, it’s only natural that the best professional players in the world incorporate squats into every workout they do. There are several ways you can do squats, including the traditional squat, squat jumps and dumbbell squats which will work more than the lower-body and core. 

Courtesy Lunge

Work both the hips and glutes by incorporating courtesy lunges into your golf workout. Assuming a neutral position with your legs spread shoulder-width apart, engage in a reverse squat and bend your stationary knee, keeping your feet facing forwards and a straight back. A set of 10 on each side will enhance your body rotation and work your lower-body in a beneficial way for the game of golf. 

These are just a handful of the many golf-focused exercises you can do to better your game at the green. 

Golf Gym Equipment

A lot of golf exercises can be done without equipment, but for the select few that do require equipment, UK Gym Equipment can help. We stock a range of professional workout equipment to aid your gym workout – whether it’s golf focused or otherwise.

To find out more about our range of gym equipment for golf workouts, please contact us.