Of course, not all golf exercises are equally good. While no workout is good-for-nothing, some activities can help you more than others. And the best part of it all? You can do them from the comfort of your home!
Many certified coaches started making at-home exercise plans since this is how people function in the past few months. I’ve talked to several of them before making a list of the top five best golf exercises for beginners.
Since I understand most of you don’t have special equipment at home, I’ve also taken this into consideration while researching what needs to be added to the golfer workout routine. All of these exercises demand nothing more but your body – and some space, the size of which depends on your body.
Grab a notebook and a pencil, gym clothes, some willpower, and get prepared to take your golf expertise to a whole new level with these exercises for golfer at home!
Hip Crossovers
Hip muscles are one of the most essential parts of your body for that perfect golf swing. At the same time, this is the area most susceptible to injuries. If you didn’t warm up your hips before the game, they could cause you problems later on.
The hip crossover is a great golf exercise, as it will twist your entire lower body, making the muscles and the tendon stronger while increasing flexibility. This will result in more torque when you backswing, which can, as a result, positively affect your overall score.
How to do it
To do this exercise, first, you should lie on the ground. You’d probably feel more comfortable if you used a yoga mat or something similar. It would be best if you bent your knees with feet kept wider than the width of your shoulders.
While both your feet are kept flat on the floor, rotate your hips to the right until your bent knees touch the floor. Stay like this for around three seconds before slowly returning to the starting position. Then, repeat the exercise but on the left side.
Make six repetitions for every direction and do one to three sets. Still, as you’re getting accustomed to it, you can increase the number of repetitions over time.
Try to maintain your breathing while you exercise. Inhale during the rotation, and exhale while returning to the position you’ve started in.
If this sounds too easy for you, put a mini-band around your knees or ankles. You can even put it around both if you feel like an extra challenge.
The key behind this exercise is to maintain good form while also keeping your heels, hips, arms, and back flat to the ground during rotations. You’ll know you’re doing well if you feel your muscles stretching all the time during the movement.
Inverted Hamstring Stretch
You can never get enough hamstring exercises! This workout is a great way to make your lower back, core glutes, and hips stronger.
If you do the hamstring well, you’ll activate core muscles and enable yourself to rotate correctly. This will, in return, speed up your swing but ensure you don’t lose any accuracy during it.
Not just that, but this exercise is an excellent stretch for a golfer suffering from a particular injury or just chronic back pain.
While this is an easy and straightforward exercise, you have to do it the right way. If you don’t maintain balance and posture, the workout will lose its purpose.
How to do it
To do this exercise, you should only stand on your left leg while extending your arms to the side. This is assuming you’re starting with your left side; you can start with the right one without any issues.
While stretching the right leg behind you, bend over at your waist. Make sure your back is straight all the time! Your back should make a 90-degree angle to your left knee and the floor. Then, return to the starting position, all the while keeping your good posture. Once you’re done, repeat the exercise with your right (or left) leg.
Do six repetitions for each leg in three complete sets.
While this exercise might sound easy, it’s actually very challenging to do it the right way. Just like with the previous activity, you can increase the repetition number as your comfort levels increase.
Split Squat
The split squat is the best compound leg exercise. It helps you work on your glutes, quads, and hamstrings at one simple move. At the same time, it will improve your stability, mobility, and strength.
How to do it
Take a standing position. Then, take one long step forward, just like you’re performing a lunge. Raise the heel of your back foot and keep it that way.
Ensuring your torso is straight, slowly lower yourself until your back leg’s knee almost touches the floor. Then, get back up. Repeat ten to 15 times before switching to the other leg. It doesn’t matter which leg you work out on first, just don’t change them until you’re done with repetitions. Do three to five sets.
Don’t forget to keep your knees in line with your toes. This is essential with your front leg, which keeps you in balance.
The front knee shouldn’t stray past your foot while you’re lowering. This will ruin the quality of your workout.
Also, this is yet another of those exercises where breathing is very important. Make sure your air intake is steady to preserve stamina.
These golf exercises can increase your legs’ strength, giving you stamina and decreasing the chances of a knee injury.
There are many split squat variations in case you feel like this exercise is too simple for you. You can add weights, stand on a step, or similar. No matter how you spice it up, you always have to take good care of the posture.
Push-Ups
Every trainer will tell you that push-ups are a must for everyone’s exercise routine. Even if you don’t care about the green field too much and simply want to lose weight, gain mass, or improve your health, push-ups are the go-to exercises.
While seemingly simple, you have to make sure you’re doing push-ups the right way. Otherwise, you’re not just losing the benefits but also risking injuries of the shoulder or wrists.
If you perform them correctly, push-ups will increase your overall strength, which will, in return, improve your golf swing. They won’t do too much for your balance, though, so make sure you combine them with other exercises from this list.
How to do it
The correct setup for this exercise requires you to place your hands right beneath your shoulders. You should hold the feet shoulder-width apart. Once you’re set, squeeze your core and go up to the plank-like pose.
The spine should be held neutral, and you shouldn’t put any weight on it, as this will decrease the effectiveness.
Essentially, think of push-ups as moving planks. Your back should stay at one pose while moving as a one-piece at a controlled pace. This way, you’ll ensure you’re using the right muscles.
You’ll know you did it at a whole range if your chest and hips touch the floor while at your lowest.
With push-ups, do as many repetitions and sets as you feel comfortable. If you feel like they are too challenging for you, elevate your body by holding your hands onto the table, countertop or sofa’s side. Keep doing push-ups like this for a few weeks before doing the standard ones.
Med-Ball Parallel Throws
While this exercise requires a medicine ball, a med-ball parallel throw is a great way to get pain relief after a tiresome day on the field.
You don’t need to use a too heavy med-ball, as you’re risking injuries and home damages. Instead, take a lighter one you can hold at ease, and you don’t fear making too big of a mess if it falls down.
How to do it
Stand while facing a wall, some three to four feet away from it. You should hold the med-ball at your waist.
Then, rotate your upper body to one side, so the ball stays behind your hip. Then, throw it to the wall while thrusting your legs up. Bent the legs a bit, then catch the ball, and repeat.
Do five to ten repetitions before taking a small break, then repeat the exercise.
While it’s recommended you do this exercise at a fast pace, if this feels uncomfortable, you can slow down a bit.
Another benefit of this exercise is that it helps you recoil from the action of playing golf.
Bottom Line
While golf seems like an easy sport for some, anyone who has played it knows the strain it can have on your body. These golf exercises should help you prepare for the field and get pain relief after the match is finished.
Of course, if you feel any lingering pain, you should contact your doctor or physiatrist, who can rule out any serious injury or strained muscle.
