For a golf exercise program to be most helpful, it must be golf-specific. Warming up by throwing a shot put is not going to help your golf game. Fitness programs for other sports aren't designed around the specific muscles, movement patterns, and physical performance factors that support the golf swing.
Of equal importance to golf-specific training is personally customized fitness training. If you start an exercise program that isn't designed around your personal physical weaknesses, isn't tailored to the special demands of golf, and isn't designed to accomplish your personal performance goals, then the chance that the exercise program will help is nil.
 | Go out and find a specialist to work with and then ask what sort of initial physical performance evaluation will be performed. They will design their program from their findings. The elements of the evaluation should include at least the following: |
- Health history of past medical problems, pain problems, injuries related to golf, and so on
- Tests to identify postural, structural, or biomechanical imbalances that may interfere with your ability to swing
- Muscle and joint flexibility testing
- Muscle strength, endurance, and control testing
- Biomechanical video analysis of the golf swing
- Golf skills evaluation (measurement of current swing and scoring performance potential, including elements of the swing such as clubhead speed and swing path, as well as driving distance, greens and fairways in regulation, handicap, and so on)
- Goals assessment (evaluation of performance goals, purpose for playing golf, and deadlines for reaching goals)
Following these steps helps you and your specific golf muscles perform better, and it beats watching Judge Judy during the day. Your physical abilities and conditioning will merge, and you will become a force to be reckoned with out on the links.
Here's some sample "laboratory white mice" tests before the initial performance tests you'll be consulting a specialist for, right? From these exercises, you'll be able to tell how much you need serious conditioning help:
Exercise 1: the recumbent chest and spine stretch
This exercise specifically releases the tightness in your chest, in the front of your shoulders, and in your lower back. After you have mastered this exercise, you will have much better flexibility and posture at address.
Perform this releasing exercise as follows:
1. Lie on a firm, flat surface with your hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Rest your lower legs on a chair, couch, or bed, as shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: The beginning position for the recumbent chest and spine stretch. |
Depending on the degree of tightness in your chest, spine, and shoulders, you may need to begin this exercise on a softer surface (an exercise mat, blankets on the floor, or your bed) and place a small pillow or rolled-up towel under your head and neck to support them in a comfortable, neutral position. You may also need to place a small towel roll under the small of your back to support its arch.
2. As shown in Figure 2, bend your elbows to approximately 90 degrees and position your arms approximately 60 to 80 degrees away from the sides of your body so that you begin to feel a comfortable stretch in the front of your chest and shoulders.
If you feel any pinching pain in your shoulders, try elevating your arms and resting them on a stack of towels or a small pillow so that your elbows are positioned higher above the floor than your shoulders.
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Figure 2: Place your arms like this, so that you feel a comfortable stretch. |
3. Relax into this comfortable stretch position for at least three to five minutes or until you experience a complete release of the tightness in your chest, front of your shoulders, and lower back.
You're trying to get your back, spine, and shoulders completely flat on the floor.
Repeat this exercise daily for five to ten days until you can perform the exercise easily, feeling no lingering tightness in your body.
 | Remember to always keep the degree of stretch comfortable and to support your head, neck, spine, and arms so that you don't put excessive stress on those structures while you perform this exercise. |
Exercise 2: the recumbent abdominal and shoulder blade squeeze
This exercise is designed to help reeducate your golf posture and begin rebuilding two key areas of muscle strength necessary for great posture at address: your lower abdominals and your shoulder blade muscles.
Perform this reeducation and rebuilding exercise as follows:
1. Assume the same starting position as for the recumbent chest and spine stretch (refer to Figure 2).
2. Contract the muscles of your lower abdominals and middle and lower shoulder blade regions so that you can feel the entire length of your spine, neck, and shoulders flattening firmly to the floor. If you are performing this exercise properly, you should feel a comfortable degree of muscle contraction while you maintain a normal, relaxed breathing pattern (see Figure 3).
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Figure 3: Make sure that you feel a comfortable degree of stretch and can breathe normally. |
3. Hold this contraction for three to five breaths, relax, and then repeat the exercise.
Perform this exercise at least once every other day for 2 to 3 weeks, starting with one set of 10 repetitions and building up gradually to one set of 50 repetitions as needed.
Exercise 3: the prone torso lift
You can further challenge your abdominal, spine, and shoulder blade muscles by trying the prone torso lift. This exercise provides the same golf-specific posture and structural reeducation and rebuilding benefits of the preceding exercise but to a more advanced degree.
Perform this exercise as follows:
1. Turn over on your stomach, place several large pillows under your body, and place your arms in the double "tray position" with your forehead resting on a towel roll, as shown in Figure 4.
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Figure 4: Lie on your stomach and rest your forehead on a towel roll for the prone torso lift. |
2. Perform a pelvic tilt by squeezing your lower abdominal muscles, and rotate your pelvis forward.
3. Place your arms in the double "tray position," keeping your neck long and your chin tucked, and lift just your upper torso comfortably up off the pillows until you have achieved a straight spine (see Figure 5). Be sure to keep your neck tucked in and your lower back flat by contracting your lower abdominal muscles.
Also remember to continue to breathe comfortably throughout the exercise. If you perform it properly, you should be able to achieve a lift position such that someone could place a golf club flat along your spine and have virtually no space between your spine and the clubshaft.
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Figure 5: Lift your upper torso to achieve a straight spine. |
4. Hold the lift for three to five breaths, and then slowly relax and repeat.
Do this exercise at least every other day for 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, and for about 2 to 3 weeks or until the exercise becomes very easy.
Exercise 4: the single leg balance drill
Many excellent exercises can improve your standing balance as a golfer. Perform this balance reeducation exercise as follows:
1. Stand on a firm, flat surface in your bare or stocking feet.
If you have been prescribed customized orthotics (arch supports) for your shoes, please repeat this exercise with your orthotics in place and your shoes on.
2. Place a club behind your spine, holding it by the grip directly behind your head.
3. With your eyes open, attempt to stand and balance on your right leg only by lifting your left knee to approximately 90 degrees so that your left thigh is parallel to the floor (see Figure 6). In this position, do your best to maintain your balance for 10 to 15 seconds.
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Figure 6: Attempt to balance in this position for 10 to 15 seconds. |
4. Repeat the exercise with your left leg down, lifting your right knee to 90 degrees.
Do this exercise 10 to 20 times with each leg at least once each day for 2 to 3 weeks or until you can easily perform the exercise without losing your balance on one foot in 15 seconds.
| To increase the difficulty of this exercise and improve your golf balance even more, try the exercise with your eyes closed! You can imagine how much more balanced you'll feel over the ball at address and during your full swing when you can master this exercise with your eyes open and then with your eyes closed. |
Exercise 5: the supine trunk rotation stretch
A good releasing exercise to help improve your ability to complete a stress-free backswing and follow-through, this exercise can help you gain the needed flexibility in the proper region of your spine and enable a better turn.
Perform this releasing exercise as follows:
1. Lie on your back with your hips and knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor and your arms rest comfortably away from your sides in the double "tray position."
2. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades and flatten your neck to the floor while you slowly and gently rotate your legs to the left.
3. Continue to slowly twist your body, keeping your right shoulder blade and forearm flat to the floor until you begin to feel a comfortable stretch in your spine and possibly in your right hip and the front of your right shoulder (see Figure 7).
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Figure 7: Twist your legs to the left until your feel a comfortable stretch. |
4. Hold this position for three to five minutes or until you feel a complete release of the gentle stretch in your body. You can enhance the stretch in this position by bringing your left hand down from the "tray position" and gently pressing down on the top of your right thigh.
5. Slowly return to the neutral starting position and then repeat the stretch, this time rotating your legs to the right.
Practice this releasing exercise at least once a day for two to three weeks until you can stretch equally well in both directions. If you evaluated that your spine was more stiff or limited in rotation when turning to your right during the seated trunk rotation test, you want to spend more time initially rotating your legs to the left.
Likewise, if you evaluated that your trunk rotation flexibility was more limited when turning to your left, then initially rotate your legs to the right in this exercise. Your ultimate goal is balanced rotation in both directions.
Exercise 6: the supine hip rotation stretch
This is a safe and effective exercise to help you reduce your hip rotation tightness and, therefore, improve your ability to make a full turn around your hips during a full golf swing.
Perform this releasing exercise as follows:
1. Lie on your back close to a wall. Place both feet on the wall so that your hips and knees are bent to approximately 90 degrees.
2. Cross your right foot over your left knee and rest both hands on the top of your right knee.
3. Gently apply pressure to your right knee with your hands in a direction that is down and away from your right shoulder (see Figure 8) until you feel a light, comfortable stretch in the outer portion of your right hip and/or in the groin.
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Figure 8: Put gentle pressure on your knee until you feel a light stretch in your hip and/or groin. |
4. Hold this stretch for three to five minutes or until you feel a complete release of the original stretch in your right hip.
5. After the stretch is complete, slowly release the pressure on your right knee and repeat the stretch on your left hip.
Practice this releasing exercise at least once a day for two to three weeks or until you can stretch equally well in both hips. If you evaluated one hip to be tighter than the other during the seated hip rotation test, then initially spend more time stretching the tighter hip. Similar to the trunk rotation stretch, your ultimate goal is balanced rotation for both hips.
Only by achieving complete and balanced hip rotation flexibility can you accomplish a full backswing and follow-through with each and every swing.
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