“Golf Exercises”: Movement patterns that address important physical characteristics and qualities related to the golf swing.
The KEY: all of these movements build capacity and can be indefinitely progressed over time. They each have a clear intention and desired adaptation(s) in mind.
Check out the full video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaL_yLWDXm6/?igsi=MWFqNm1wcDlzZGwzZg==
Realistic Warm-up for recreational golfers:
- Physical Prep: engage key muscle groups, swing mobility.
- Range Session / putting
Check out my “6 Minute Course Warm-Up” here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI4MuMppGRC/?igsi=M3VweHlwNDBxanlx
How do the Tour Pro’s warm up for their biggest rounds? Let’s take a look at Rory McIlroy before a Ryder Cup round a few years ago.
Arrive early. Proper nutrition. Gym routine to get mobile and fire up the nervous system. Hit some balls.
Now, as recreational golfers we likely don’t have the time to be this dialed in. But if you do, this is the recipe.
How do the Tour Pros warm up for their biggest rounds?
Arrive early. Proper nutrition. Gym routine to get mobile and fire up the nervous system. Hit some balls.
If you have the time to do it, here are some exercises you can do to fire up your nervous system.
Brandon did not feel comfortable or stable at the top of his backswing, and wasn’t sure why!
He passed every mobility test with flying colors. Where he struggled was controlling his range of motion and owning these positions.
I gave him some suggestions that may point him
in the right direction, but this would only be a piece of a comprehensive plan.
Golf training, more than any other sport, over-complicates gym training with complex, fancy, yet ineffective movements that mimic the golf swing. What we get are “golf exercises” (sometimes branded as “PGA exercises” 😂) that create little to no meaningful adaptation.
Train to build physical qualities (rotational power and mobility, lower body strength, musclar endurance, cardiovascular fitness, etc). These qualities will support your sport-specific practice. When you try to combine the two, you get a watered-down version of both.
Swing and feel drills have a place - but you’d better have a specific reason for doing them - and don’t confuse or substitute them in for real training that will build physical qualities you can use ON and OFF the course.
Become a weapon in the gym, and a golfer on the range.
As Coaches and/or Clinicians, we should first address the “low hanging fruit” rather than trying to impress or be different by providing a complex, roundabout solution.
Often, it’s the most approachable and effective initial strategy for someone to see improvement and start to build some momentum and confidence.
What’s going to benefit Ethan more (as a golfer, and a human)…training to be able powerfully rotate through his hips and trunk…or some complex swing exercise that doesn’t appreciable improve transferable qualities?
Move the big rocks first.
WATERED-DOWN NONSENSE: an exercise that looks fancy, complex, golfy, or special - but in reality falls way short of providing a stimulus for adaptation.
Most often presents in the form of combination exercises - putting two things together and inherently limiting your ability to perform both.
I suggest you look at training this way:
Step 1) What are we trying to accomplish (hip rotational mobility, vertical pull strength and power, leg drive, etc)?
Step 2) What intervention(s) are most effective and appropriate for the individual, to create the desired adaptation.
Too many golfers have abstract goals, perform abstract exercises, and get abstract results.
I am launching a full blown attack on golf training culture, unnecessary complexity, and downright ineffective exercises for both golf and life.
Stevenson was having difficulty feeling comfortable at the top of his backswing, almost as if he was pulling away from the ball.
Check out what we found out!
Fill out our contact form to set-up your own customized golf evaluation!
Do you workout to support your golf game? What does a ‘golf workout’ even look like?
I think for most of us, it should be something that focuses on developing overall strength, power, balance, and conditioning, with considerations for the movement profile of a golf swing, merged with individual needs and goals. To drive adaptations that improve performance and longevity on and off the course.
Is this ideal? No.
Is this realistic? Yes.
Four movements, 30 seconds each, perform twice.
Check out three of my favorite shoulder exercises to improve golf performance!
The video highlights how neck mobility plays a critical role in proper golf swing mechanics. During the backswing, sufficient cervical rotation is needed to allow the club to reach the correct position. When neck mobility is limited, the swing cannot simply stop—so the body compensates, often by over-rotating through the lower back instead of the thoracic and cervical spine. This compensation can lead to low back pain that is mistakenly treated as a back issue, when the root cause is actually restricted neck mobility. The video ends by demonstrating a quick test—turning the head and tucking the chin to the collarbone without shrugging or opening the mouth—to confirm whether cervical mobility is adequate.
