The game of golf is ever-evolving and players must adapt to it. A recent trend in the golf world has been incorporating weightlifting with your golf workouts. You may be asking yourself, why does working out matter for golf? You can swing the club, hit a decent shot, and put up a score you’re happy with. As a golfer, you will always want to be better. That’s just the way it is. Ultimately, a significant portion of your performance on the course is attributed to your physical capabilities and fitness.
The correlation between fitness and performance is especially prominent in the professional golf world. When you look at golfers like Rory, Brooks, DJ, DeChambeau, and of course, Tiger Woods, the work they do off the course to get in shape translates big time. Golf workouts can also help your mental game; being in better shape on the golf course will help your confidence in your abilities and help your mental fortitude when the going gets tough.
Injury Prevention Workouts
Injury prevention is another big reason to start adding weightlifting to your workouts. Although it may not seem like it, golf is a very physically demanding sport. You don’t need to look further than the challenges Tiger Woods has faced; back issues, torn ACL, neck issues, Achilles problems, and more. A golf swing puts pressure on the hips, elbows, back, knees, shoulders, and wrists. By being in better physical condition and warming up, you will reduce the possibility of injuring yourself. More specifically core strength is something that will vastly improve with adding workouts to your routine. Simply put, your core is what puts power into the rotation aspect of your swing. This directly contributes to more club head speed, meaning more distance. Beyond power, a strong midsection will give you more stability and balance over the ball. Strengthening your core can make your swing much more effective.
Flexibility Workouts
The next benefit from workouts is flexibility. You don’t need to be able to do a split to be a great golfer- most of us would not make the cut if that was the case. That said, flexibility and stretching allow you to use your full range of motion, adding serious power to your swing. Think of flexibility as both joint mobility and muscular flexibility. You should stretch both in the gym and during your warm-up at the course. Flexibility also contributes to injury prevention.
Muscle-Building Workouts
When you think of sports that will benefit most from exercise and building muscle, it’s likely that golf doesn’t make the top of your list. Yet virtually every Pro golfer including guys like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth has a golf workout program they follow. It has become a trend for golfers to pay attention to maximizing their capabilities on the course by paying more attention to gaining strength and flexibility. You will not see results from doing a couple of days of exercise. For you to see true results from doing these exercises, you will need to have a consistent routine and stick to it. Determining what workouts you choose to do will be up to you and your skill level. But it is important to start some kind of workout off the course to help you become a better golfer.
