Golf season is almost here in Chicago. What is the best exercise or exercises I can do to improve my game?
Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 3:08PM There are two things that would be very useful to improve your game – strength and flexibility. One of the world’s best golfers, Tiger Woods, spends a lot of time in the gym working on strength and flexibility. Most golfers could benefit from doing the same.
The exercises you want to do to improve your game are commonly called “sports specific.” For golfers, baseball and tennis players, an exercise called the woodchopper is excellent. This exercise can be done with a weighted ball (medicine ball), a cable/pulley system with weights, or dumbbells. The motion of the exercise mimics the movement of the golf swing.
To do this, start with a weighted medicine ball extended over the right shoulder and swing it down to the outside of the left foot (or behind the left knee if you have flexibility issues). You will need to bend the knees slightly and tighten the core. Do this for at least 12 repetitions. Now reverse the move and start at the outside of the left foot and swing the ball to up high over the right shoulder. Then do the same thing on the other side of the body starting with the ball high over the left shoulder and swinging the ball down to the outside of the right foot (or behind the right knee). You can vary the speed or rate that you do this and also the weight you are using to make it work better for you.
Other exercises that are beneficial for golf would involve the core. Again, use a weighted medicine ball and do a V-sit with the feet off the ground or barely touching the ground. Move the ball side to side and follow the movement with your face and shoulders. After 
doing a number of repetitions flip over and suspend yourself in a plank. You can be on your forearms or you can extend your arms and balance on your hands. The legs should be straight and the body should be suspended on the toes with the bottom down and belly in so there is a nice straight line from the head to the heels. After holding the plank for 30 seconds to a minute, alternate between moving yourself from the hands to the forearms for a number of repetitions. This is just one way to work the core, there are numerous core exercises and I recommend any of them. You can look up any of these types of exercises on Youtube.
To improve flexibility I would strongly recommend getting into a yoga class. I personally have problems with flexibility and yoga has helped immensely.
Good luck and keep it in the fairway!
Reader Comments (1)
Another good golf specific exercise is to use a weighted club (or hold two clubs together) and do a number of slow, controlled swings. It's good for strength, flexibility, and control.