This year I came to a devastating realization: if I wanted to hit the ball further, I was going to have to start working out at the gym.
I know this seems obvious, but it’s a truth I’ve avoided for years. I thought that with the right technique and a little speed training I could pick up some swing speed. And while that is It’s true, there’s no substitute for going to the gym.
Mike Carroll, a strength and conditioning coach and founder of Fit for Golf, put it succinctly when I spoke to him for a story last summer: “Think of it as upgrading your engine.”
For someone who didn’t have much yet looked with a weight loss streak spanning over a decade, this was a tough pill to swallow. Nevertheless, I was desperate for more clubhead speed, so I went to the gym.
Get started
The first four months of working out, I didn’t really have a plan. I would go to the gym and work on the legs one day, the upper body the next. It was certainly useful to get my muscles used to training again, but in terms of gains on the course, the returns were minimal.
Then I met David Sundberg. Sundberg is a strength and conditioning coach who works with several top PGA Tour players, including Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and he explained that training is fundamental to generating clubhead speed.
“Whether you’re a Tour player or a recreational golfer, the principles are the same,” he said. “Move well, become strong, and the speed will come.”
So what exactly should happen I do at the gym? Well, Sundberg had a plan for me. He was kind enough to put together a five-week basic strength training plan, which you can see at the bottom of this story. And if I followed it, Sundberg was confident I would make significant gains in swing speed.
The program
When I first started the basic strength training program, I didn’t think it would make much of a difference. After the first week of exercising, I told my girlfriend that it was ‘easy’.
The exercises may have felt easy, but that didn’t detract from their effectiveness. Thanks to Sundberg, I focused on the corrective muscle groups and built strength in the places I needed to build swing speed.
“Even though our program was only five or six weeks long, it still had a planned progression: certain sets, reps, and weights,” Sundberg told me during our post-program debriefing. “The idea is to start at a level that’s challenging enough to create a new stimulus, let your body recover, and then return to the same movement pattern the following week with slightly more load. That gradual increase forces the body to adapt and get stronger without doing too much.”
There were small adjustments to the program every week. More reps were needed at first, while we added more weight later in the program. I did the same set of exercises all the time and each week I got a little stronger.
Best of all, the program was tailored to build the muscles used in the golf swing, giving me functional strength that I could actually use on the course.
“In the golf swing, you load your glutes in the backswing,” Sundberg said. “At impact, you push through the ground with your lead leg – using the quads – to stand up and transmit force through the body. So these exercises directly support that movement. The same goes for pushing and pulling [with your arms]. They give you the most return for your time compared to isolated exercises because they target virtually the entire front and back of your upper body. For most golfers, especially those newer to structured strength training, that is enough to make improvement.”
The results
As I mentioned before, I have been doing some gym work and speed training since the summer in hopes of increasing my ball speed. But after a few months I felt like I had hit a plateau.
When I started training seriously, I reached a maximum swing speed of about 100 miles per hour and a ball speed of 150 miles per hour. After those few months I was able to achieve a swing speed of about 100 mph and a ball speed of 150 mph, but that seemed to be my limit.
After a few weeks of Sundberg’s basic strength program, I shattered both records. Over the past month I have seen my maximum swing speed increase to 105 mph, while my maximum ball speed reached 150 mph. I know progress is rarely linear, and those aren’t quite Bryson numbers, but adding so much speed over the course of a month was an exciting development.
What’s next
It’s officially the offseason here in New York City. While I’ll be making a few trips to warmer climates throughout the winter, there won’t be any more golf in the Northeast until things thaw in the spring.
Most people hate winter for that reason, but I see it as an opportunity. Last season I practiced the basics as if my life depended on it, and I came out of the winter much better technically. This winter I plan to do everything I can to get my body ready for the upcoming season.
I’ve already spoken to Sundberg and he is putting together an offseason plan that I will stick to throughout the winter. If the results are anything like those after his basic strength program, 2026 should be my best season yet.
If you’d like to give Sundberg’s basic strength program a try, check it out below.
Basic strength routine (3 days/week)
Goal: Build fundamental strength, control and stability with moderate loads, unilateral emphasis and minimal risk of fatigue.
Structure:
- Day 1: Lower body
- Day 2: Upper body
- Day 3: Full body
DAY 1 – LOWER BODY SESSION
About. 50–60 minutes
1. Warm-up
After 5-10 minutes of light cardio, perform the following:
- Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch with reach – 30s/side
- 90/90 hip rotations – 8 reps/side
- Open Book T-Spine Rotation – 6 reps/side
- Glute Bridge with Band Abduction – 10–12 reps
- Side plank — 20-30s/side
- Front shelf – 1930s
- Wall slides – 8-10 reps
Intro Plyos (level 1) — Rest 60 seconds between sets
- Pogo jumps – 2×10
- Lateral line hops – 2×8 in each direction
- Squat Jump to Stick (controlled landing) – 2×5
Purpose: To prepare tendons, joints and the neuromuscular system for strength work.
2. Power block (main work)
Focus: Unilateral control with quad/hamstring balance.
A. Quad dominant with one leg
Elevated rear foot split squat (DB or body weight)
Rest: 120 seconds between sets
Choose a weight with which you can perform 12 repetitions (good technique).
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, maximum reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (unloaded)
B. Hamstring dominant with one leg
Romanian single-leg deadlift (DB)
Rest: 90s between sets
Choose a weight that you can perform 12 reps with.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×12–15
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (unloaded)
3. Hip stability and core
Run as a circuit. Minimal rest between exercises; 90s after each round.
- Miniband lateral walks – 3×10 steps there and back
- Half-kneeling anti-rotation press (Pallof) – 3×10/side
- Dead Bug (slow pace) – 3×10
- Single-leg balance range (3D/Y-Balance style) — 3×5/leg
Objective: Strengthening pelvic stability and trunk stiffness during rotation.
DAY 2 – UPPER BODY SESSION
About. 45–55 minutes
1. Warm-up
After 5-10 minutes of light cardio:
- Wall slides – 10 repeats
- Serratus Wall Slides with Foam Roller – 10 reps
- Light Band External Rotations – 12 reps
- Cat-Cow to T-Spine Rotation – 6 reps/side
- Band Pull-Aparts – 12 reps
2. Power block
A. Push (horizontal focus)
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Rest: 90s between sets
Use a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, maximum reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (unloaded)
B. Pull (horizontal focus)
Two-arm DB row
Rest: 90s between sets
Use a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, maximum reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (unloaded)
Perform A and B in succession, then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat for total sets.
C. Push/Pull Accessory (Scapular Focus)
- Y’s on bench – 2×10
- Facial twitches – 2×12
3. Core and stability
Perform the exercises in succession and then rest for 90 seconds. Repeat for total sets.
- Side plank — 2×20s/side
- Bird dog – 2×8
- Stability Ball Rollout (Knees) or Plank Walkout – 2×10
DAY 3 — FULL BODY SESSION
About. 45–55 minutes
1. Warm-up
After 10 minutes of light cardio:
- Wall slides – 10 repeats
- Serratus Wall Slides with Foam Roller – 10 reps
- 90/90 hip rotations – 8 reps/side
- Cat-Cow to T-Spine Rotation – 6 reps/side
- Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch with reach – 30s/side
- Glute Bridge with Band Abduction – 10–12 reps
- Side plank — 20-30s/side
- Front shelf – 1930s
- Band Pull-Aparts – 8-10 reps
Intro Plyos (level 1):
- Pogo jumps – 2×10
- Lateral line hops – 2×8 each way
- Squat Jump to Stick – 2×5
2. Power block
A. Pushing (scapular focus)
Half-kneeling landmine press
Rest: 90s between sets
- Week 1: Empty bar; 3×8–10
- Weeks 2–4: Add 5-10 pounds each week; 3×8–10
If you miss reps, maintain the same load the next session and try to beat previous reps. - Week 5: Empty bar; 2×6–8
B. Squat pattern
Cup Squat to 18″ Box/Bench
Rest: 90s between sets
Box teaches a good hip sit-back and a neutral spine.
Start with a dumbbell of ≈30% body weight.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: Increase to ~40% body weight; 3×6–8
- Week 5: 2×10 @ 50% weight from week 4
C. Horizontal pulling force
One-arm half-kneeling lat pulldown (high pulley)
Rest: 90s between sets
- Week 1: Light load; 3×8–10
- Weeks 2–4: Add 5-10 lb weekly; 3×8–10
If the number of reps is short, hold the next session and beat the previous numbers. - Week 5: 2×6–8 @ 50% weight from week 4
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