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Golf Fitness Training Program

Golf Fitness Training Program

What does the average golfer do when they want to improve their golf game? They try out new golf balls and a new driver or they try out different golf swing aids. The thing that most golfers forget is that golf is a sport and you need a certain level of athleticism to play well; that is why a golf fitness training program is important.

To be able to play golf well and to reduce the risk of injuries, you need to be fit for golf. Golf requires that you are flexible, have strength, balance, and stamina to be able to play consistently well. Even if you just play golf for fun you should develop a golf fitness training program.

Walk the Golf Course

Before golf carts became popular, everyone used to walk the golf course. Walking is a great form of exercise; on an average 18-hole course you will walk about 6km and if the course is hilly you will get a good workout. I would suggest that you don’t carry your golf bag if it is heavy; instead use a push or pull cart.

A Regular Golf Fitness Training Program

Once you have developed a suitable golf fitness program you need to stick with it and make a regular schedule. It should only take about 5 minutes a day and 5 times a week for you to start seeing some positive results. After a few weeks you will notice that you are driving the ball further because you will have increased your club-head speed.

As you probably know, an increase in club-head speed equates to an increase in golf distance. On average, you will also drop at least 4 strokes from your handicap thanks to the extra distance off the tee. Now, just because you see golfers of all ages, overweight golfers, or unfit golfers, it doesn’t mean that those golfers couldn’t improve their game if they were fit for golf.

A Complete Golf Fitness Training Program

For it to be effective and to reduce the risk from injuries, a golf fitness training program needs to be complete. The first area to work on is flexibility as the golf swing requires a very unnatural twisting and turning movement and then a quick uncoiling to release that stored energy. An increase in flexibility will give you more shoulder turn resulting in more explosive drives.

The next area that you have to work on is conditioning and strengthening of your muscles. For a start, we are not interested in bulking up our muscles as this will reduce movement. One thing to take into consideration is that golfers, even the weekend golfer, will develop their golf specific muscles just by playing golf regularly. This is not a good thing as your body needs to be conditioned as a whole; if you have certain muscle groups that are well developed and others that are under developed, you will develop postural changes that will lead to chronic pain.

So, you have to work on your whole body using lighter weights and more repetitions. Once you have conditioned your body as a whole you can move onto strengthening your golf specific muscles. This is to prevent injury through the repetitive movements and twisting that the golf swing entails. The most common golf injuries are the lower back, wrists, shoulders, and elbows; so these are the muscle groups that you will want to concentrate on developing and strengthening.

Expert Advice

It is recommended that you consult your doctor before starting any type of exercise program. Also, for a golf fitness training program to be safe and effective you should consult an expert in the field. Of course, that could be expensive if you hire a personal golf trainer, but you can learn from the fitness expert that the pros use for next to nothing.

Mike Pedersen is world renowned as a golf fitness expert and you can now get his Power Golf Training Program in a downloadable ebook. His guide is a complete golf fitness training program that covers everything that you need to do and know to get fit for golf.