Improve Your Power & Flexibility For Your Golf Swing

The part of golfing that I have the most trouble with is getting more distance with my swing. Sure, I’m flexible and can hit the ball consistently straight (for the most part), but it’s a bummer that I can’t get my ball to hit over 200 yards.

The IDEA Health & Fitness Association explains golf requires “muscular strength, joint flexibility, neuromuscular training and the perfect balance between mobility and stability.”

There are many exercises, some general and some golf-specific, that will help you hit the ball farther and straighter. These exercises also lessen your chances of injuries.

Below is a list of exercises that can help bring power, flexibility, and consistency to your golf swing. These exercises include lunges, pushups, bridges, planks, squats, lying twists, and the superman (or the superwoman.). These exercises can be done as many as five times per week.

The SuperWoman

• Lie face down on your stomach with arms and legs extended. Keep your neck in a neutral position.
• With your arms and legs straight (but not locked) and torso stationary, simultaneously lift your arms and legs up toward the ceiling to form an elongated “u” shape with your body — your back arches and arms and legs lift several inches off the floor.
• Hold for two to five seconds and lower back down to complete one rep.
• Do as many reps as you can for one minute.

Loose and Strong

The exercises in this category allow you to stretch your muscles and loosen up before you play. These include a standing trunk rotation, using a golf club as leverage, which loosens up your back and hips, and a yoga warrior pose to open up your hip flexors.

The second set of exercises focuses on improving your power, strength and range of motion. The strength drills work your legs, hips, core and shoulders together, since those parts of your body need to work in sync when you swing the club.

Some exercises you can try include a standing wood chop, which simulates the motion of the golf swing. The range of motion exercises include cobra poses and supine spinal twists.

Twist and Turn

The energy for your golf swing surprisingly doesn’t come from your arms. Rather, it comes from your torso. So, the best thing to do would be to strengthen your core muscles in order to improve rotational power with these dynamic stretching exercises. Personally, I like to use a cable machine for dynamic twisting exercises that mirror the movements of the golf swing.

Balancing Act

The golf swing is a one-way motion. Pilates exercises that rotate your spine and your core muscles help compensate for imbalances the golf swing tends to produce.