How to Improve Your Golf Swing

by Lizzie Griffin in Training

Weight training in the gym can help improve your golf swing!

So I’ve just found my love for golf. Yep that’s right, golf.

I started having some lessons in September last year as I signed up on a team for a charity golf day. You know me, I don’t like to turn things down so rather than saying no as I can’t play I said yes and then learned.

Actually signing up to that golf day was the best thing I did. I realised I have a fair bit of natural talent.

This then got me thinking about the movement of my swing and the fact it comes naturally will be down to my gym based training.

 

To complete a great swing each time your body needs to move well. So right from your shoulders to your pelvic girdle, to your feet you need great core strength and stability as well as a great deal of flexibility.

When someone says they play golf, most people think of it as low intensity.

However coming from experience, the golf swing needs a supreme level of physical conditioning.

While the golf swing is over in just a couple of seconds it relies on movement from all muscle groups, literally head to toe. Strengthening these muscles can make all the difference in bringing your handicap down.

Anyone playing regular rounds of golf at any level should be conditioning their back, shoulders, hips and core.

Working on these will help add distance to your drive and improve that overall consistency.

 

Conditioning these muscles in the gym will also help you to avoid or alleviate those common shoulder and lower back injuries associated with golfing.

 

Here is just a couple of exercises that you can do to improve your swing:

  1. Cable rotation

 

This is a great exercise for increasing your flexibility and range of movement through your hips. Your hip stabilisers will be used at the most difficult part of the movement, making this an effective core exercise.

 

  1. Golf Squat

 

The golf squat will develop strength through your lower body as with any squat. The additional advantage of the golf squat is that it realistically mimics the way in which your would hold your club. This means you build strength through your upper back and shoulders, which translates into greater swing stability and strength at the point of impact.