Best Exercises & Stretches for Golfers

While golf can be a relaxing hobby for people of all ages, the golf swing is demanding on the entire body. With any physical activity, injuries can occur, but they’re often preventable with the proper golf exercises and stretches. To keep you healthy during and between your rounds, check out our list of the best ones.

Common Golf Injuries

Golfer’s Elbow

One of the most common golf injuries is elbow tendonitis, which is more commonly known as golfer’s elbow. Occurring in players of all ages, golfer’s elbow is an overuse injury that results in muscle tendons becoming irritated and causing pain. This injury generally happens from repetitive movement like hitting golf balls.

Lower Back Pain

There are a variety of causes of lower back pain when it comes to golf. It could be from the twisting motion of the swing, bending over repeatedly to pick up your ball or replace divots, or even fixing ball marks. Injuries can range in severity from muscle strains to disc problems.

Shoulder Strain

Made up of four muscles, rotator cuff injuries are a primary cause for shoulder pain in golfers. The shoulder has the biggest range of motion of any joint in the body, and the golf swing utilizes that motion to help generate power. Repetitive movement can cause slight tears or strains in the rotator cuff, leading to shoulder discomfort.

Knee Pain

Among the most nagging golf injuries is knee pain. Whether you choose to walk or ride in a golf cart when playing a round of 18, there’s a considerable amount of walking associated with golf. Also, both knees are subjected to significant twisting during the swing. Knee pain can be caused by a number of things, ranging from inflammation to ligament tears.

Best Golf Exercises

Seated Rotations

Both an exercise and stretch combined, seated rotations focus on building core flexibility and strength. While sitting upright on a bench, rest a club behind your back in the crooks of your arms and rotate your torso each direction, holding for two seconds on each side. Repeat ten times.

Handwalks

A great exercise to prevent golfer’s elbow is a walkout. To do this, start in a standing position and then bend at the waist and place your hands on the floor. Gradually “walk” your hands out to a pushup position. Once you feel a stretch, walk your legs toward your hands until you reach your original starting position. Complete ten reps.

Single-Leg Balance

One of the best golf exercises to add knee stability is a simple single-leg balance. Slightly bend the knee of the leg you’ll be balancing on, and lift the other 12 inches off the ground. Do your best to maintain straight posture during this exercise, and avoid leaning to either side. Hold for one minute on each side. Repeat with each leg a few times.

Medicine Ball Pushup

To help strengthen your shoulders and back, try medicine ball pushups. Starting with a larger medicine ball, place both hands on it while keeping your back straight in a standard pushup position. Lower yourself slowly until your chest touches the ball, then push yourself back up to starting position. Start with a single set of ten reps.

Top Golf Stretches

Lower Back Stretch

One of the best golf stretches is a lower back stretch, sometimes called a “windmill.” Start by laying flat on your back with your arms at your sides. Cross one of your legs over so that it’s perpendicular to your body, using the opposite arm for leverage. Complete on each side for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Stretch

Loosen up your shoulders—some of the most important golf muscles—with an easy maneuver called a shoulder stretch. Standing straight up, interlock your fingers behind your back, then slowly raise your arms until you begin to feel pressure. Hold for 30 seconds.

Hamstring Stretch

Get your legs ready to go with a hamstring stretch. Start by sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Then, pull one leg up with your foot facing the opposite leg’s knee. Lean forward and use your arms to pull on the outstretched leg to increase the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side.

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