Train for Strength and Endurance to Improve Your Golf Game

I used to play a lot of golf. No really, I mean a lot of golf! I made time in every day for some form of golf. If I couldn’t play then I would hit balls on the driving range or practice my chipping and putting.

Looking back on that period of time, I realize that when I was playing my best I was exercising in an entirely different manner than at other times.

Golf is like any sport. The more fit you are, the better the results. The problem is figuring out what exercises are best suited to improve a golf game.

Let’s take a look:

1.    Flexibility: In order to have an effective golf swing your body must be capable of moving through a certain range of motions. If you aren’t flexible enough then your swings mechanics will be off. Flexibility exercises that work the muscles associated with the golf swing are particularly helpful.

2.    Balance: The ability to control your body through a specific movement pattern. This is a very important aspect of the golf swing. Watch any golf instruction video and the first thing you’ll hear is; “Stay balanced and work on good weight transfer so that you can maintain your balance throughout the swing.” So, how do you train your body to maintain better balance? First you need to know what ‘balance’ really is. Basically it is the relationship between your nerves and muscles. Therefore, balance exercises need to train both the muscular and nervous systems.

3.    Strength training for muscles: In order for your body to make use of flexibility and balance, your muscles need to have certain levels of endurance and strength. Strength is the muscles ability to exert force for a given action, while endurance is the ability of the muscles to maintain that activity over a period of time. Building strength for golf is entirely different from adding muscle mass through squats and bench press repetitions. Sure it helps to be strong, but you need to be ‘golf specific’ strong. Concentrate on exercises that train your body to help in the movements of a golf swing. Also work on endurance by using lighter weights with high repetition counts.

There are numerous books and videos on strength training specific for golf. If you’re more than just a weekend warrior golfer like I am now, it might benefit you to do some research on the subject.