The 5 Best Exercises to Improve Your Golf Swing

The difference between a 150-yard and 250-yard drive can sometimes seem like luck. However, there’s more science behind your swing than you might think. The muscles mainly used in a golf swing are in the back, neck, shoulders, core, and hips. How you use these muscles could be the difference between a birdie and bogey. With that in mind, here are the 5 best exercises to improve your golf swing.

The hip crossover

Your hips are monumentally important in golf. They help generate power, maintain form, and control accuracy in your swing. If you don’t roll your hips all the way through your swing, you can end up pushing or pulling your strokes.

It takes strong hip mobility and control to effectively roll the hips, which is why the hip crossover is so important. The hip crossover will help you separate control between your shoulders and pelvis, and improve your agility and control when driving the ball.

To perform the hip crossover

1. Lie on your back and lift your knees up to a 90-degree angle, keeping your feet and legs together. Keep your shoulders flat on the ground.
2. Holding this posture, twist your legs at the hip until they touch the ground on one side, and then again on the other.
3. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

The slow sit up

The slow sit up is ideal for developing and maintaining the core muscles used to execute a golf swing.

Unlike the traditional sit up, with this exercise you begin upright and slowly lower yourself down. This ensures your core is properly engaged and you aren’t relying on momentum to lower and raise your torso.

To perform the slow sit up

1. Sit on the floor with your back upright and knees bent.
2. Keep your feet flat on the ground and place each arm across your chest in an X shape or straight ahead for balance.
3. In one motion and without resting, slowly lower your torso backwards to meet the ground and sit back up.
4. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

The Superman

Some of the most common injuries to golfers occur in the lower back. All that twisting and bending takes its toll over time, especially if your swinging form is less than ideal and involves some flexing of the lower back during the backswing or downswing.

The Superman minimises the risk of lower back injuries by strengthening your glutes, core, and back, which will elongate your playing life and improve your overall game.

To perform the Superman

1. Lie on your stomach on a flat, solid surface.
2. Place your arms forwards and keep your legs straight.
3. Lift your arms and legs up from the floor at once, and then drop them back down to perform one rep.
4. Repeat 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. To increase the difficulty and effectiveness, try holding the rep mid-air for a second or more, before lowering your limbs back to the ground.

The squat

Your golf swing is as much about your legs as it is about your arms. Your hip flexors, glutes, and quadriceps are all crucial components of a 250-yard drive. In fact, Titleist Performance Institute conducted a study which found that golfers who are unable to perform a deep squat lose posture during their downswing or backswing.

With the downswing, you lose posture due to tightness in the calf muscles or lack of stability in the hips. With the backswing, it’s often due to limited mobility of the lat muscles and thoracic spine. Squats will help correct either.

To perform the squat

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and adjust the outward angle of your feet until you feel balanced.
2. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees and lower yourself until your quads are parallel with the ground.
3. Hold the position for five seconds before slowly returning to a standing position.
4. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

The leg swing

Stiffness in your hips can really impede your swing. If you’re right-handed, you generate power from the right glute during your backswing and downswing. That’s why you need hip mobility if you want to increase your distance.

The leg swing will increase flexibility and mobility in your hips, legs, and lower back. This allows you to increase your swing speed without getting injured by hyperextending your joints.

To perform the leg swing

1. Stand with your right hand holding a wall or door frame for balance, with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Keeping your torso straight, swing your left leg forwards and backwards as far as you’re able to in one fluid motion.
3. Repeat this for about 10 swings and switch legs. Do 3 sets for each leg.

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