3 exercises every golfer should do to improve their golf swing

Have you ever worked on a swing change with your instructor, felt like you really had it on the course, and then completely lost it the moment you stepped on the first tee?

The point is, it’s not like you’ve forgotten what to do. It’s that your body literally doesn’t know how to do it yet. Not really. Not when it counts. I’ve seen golfers become frustrated because they couldn’t maintain their swing changes. They understand the concept. They know what to do. But the second time they stand over a ball with a bat in their hands, especially when there is a little pressure on it? Back to the old pattern.

When you play golf, you are in performance mode. Your brain thinks about where the ball should go, what the wind is doing, whether you can clear that bunker and about 17 other things. At that moment, your body defaults to what it knows best: the movement pattern that you have built up over thousands of fluctuations. Even if that pattern isn’t great, it’s familiar. It’s comfortable. It’s what your nervous system relies on.

That’s where these three exercises come in handy. They’re going to do two big things for your game. First, they will develop the strength, mobility and stability that make a good golf swing possible in the first place. Secondly (and this is the part most players miss) they are going to help your body learn new movement patterns in an environment where you are ready to receive new information.

If you do these exercises, you don’t have to hit a ball. There is no goal to worry about. There is no scorecard to worry you. You only train movement. You teach your body what the new pattern feels like over and over until it becomes familiar.

These are simple exercises that any golfer can perform in a maximum of five to ten minutes per day. You can do them in your living room, garage or even in your office if you only have a few feet of space. They transform your swing and make your body feel better overall.

“>

3 exercises to help your golf swing

Exercise 1: The backswing to downswing pattern

This one is all about teaching your body the fundamental loading and unloading sequence that powers every good golf swing.

Grab a stretching band (one of those resistance bands you can buy at any sports store) and hold it across your chest. You’re going to stretch it a bit and keep tension on it the whole time. Now step back with your lead leg to create a split stance.

Perform a backswing, keeping the band stretched across your chest and loading it onto your trail leg. You rotate internally at your trail hip and don’t slip away from the target. Your goal is to keep that foot on the ground.

Switch to the downward side, keeping the band across your chest but pulling your trail leg back. As you rotate your shoulder with the band straight, you will feel the vertical pressure pushing through your lead leg.

Perform 10 reps of the backswing load and then 10 reps of the downswing fire-through. Feel the difference between the two positions. Feel your body moving from one to the other. That’s the pattern you’re looking for.

Exercise 2: Early Extension Ender

If your hips push toward the ball during the downswing and you lose your posture, you need this exercise. For this you will need a friend to help you, or an anchor point to which you can attach your stretch band. If you have a buddy, have him hold one end of the band. If you’re alone, loop it around a door handle or sturdy post – something that won’t move.

Stand in a split position with your trail leg back. Hold the other end of the band in your hands and there should be some tension on it. You want to feel like you’re pulling against resistance.

Turn through as if you were making a downswing, and as you do so, feel the side of the path (the right side for a right-handed golfer) pushing through the shot. Your right shoulder should work down, not out and around. Under and through.

The band wants to stop you. You fight that pull, which forces you to push against the ground to maintain your position and twist instead of stretching. Do 15 reps of this.

Exercise 3: The dynamic step drill

Golf is not a static sport. You don’t stand still and just spin around. A dynamic shift is taking place. There is movement. There is rhythm. And if you only train static positions, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.

For this exercise, hold your stretching band out in front of you with both hands and stretch it. You want there to be tension on it, so pull it apart to tighten your upper back and shoulders.

This has a backswing and downswing component. For the backswing version, start with your feet together. Now step back with your back leg away from the target, and when you finish the step, pivot into your backswing. The band remains extended in front of your chest, and you rotate your upper body as you step back and load into that path side.

This allows you to train the dynamic loading pattern of the backswing. You don’t just turn around. You enter the bend. You create width. You charge with movement. This is how the backswing should actually work when you swing a club. Do 10 repetitions of that. Step back, turn, feel the burden. Step back, turn, feel the burden.

For the downswing version, start with your feet together, as before. This time, step toward the target with your lead leg, and when you finish the step, perform a full shoulder turn. The band is still extended in front of you and you rotate your upper body as you step forward and then overshoot. Perform another ten repetitions of the downward movement.

One thing to keep in mind as you do these: make sure you pay as much attention to your backswing as you do to your downswing. They’re equal elements of the same movement, and you want to make sure you’re tackling them both equally. Focusing too much on one versus the other leads to imbalance or even injuries.

View Product