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Functional exercise for golf can mean different things to different golfers. But the key is to take a look at the golf swing mechanics and devise golf exercises, drills, and golf programs to strengthen weak or limited phases of the swing.

Not every golfer has the same deficiency; and treating golfers this way is like “one-stop” shopping. This will result in failure. No improvement for the golfer. This is a complete waste of time, money and physical effort.

The first step is for the golfer to partake in a golf fitness evaluation to determine the correct functional exercise for golf program.

This evaluation should cover strength, flexibility, stabilization and endurance. These are all key factors in performing at your best. These individual tests cannot be general fitness tests, but tests devised specifically for the golfer in mind.

Functional exercise for golf is dynamic, sequential and incorporates core strength and stabilization. Any functional exercise for golf that does not address this is not for golfers.

First off the golf posture is not common among many sports or athletic movements. Being ‘bent-over’ at the waist with your weight more at the balls of your feet incorporate balance and stabilization immediately.

And remember…this is only at address!

To maintain your posture dynamically throughout the golf swing takes a ‘unique’ blend of all components mentioned above. That is why it is so important to incorporate functional exercise for golf in your routine.
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The Exercise

Golfing is one of the best exercises that you can do. I taught this fellow about ten years ago how to play golf. He had bypass surgery done on his heart, and his doctor told him to walk for exercise. So he asked me to teach him how to golf. He was a retired carpenter. Think about it for a second. There is 1760 yards in a mile. The average golf course is anywhere from 5000 yards to 6500 yards on some of the bigger courses, depending on which tee box you are playing from. They say the shortest distance between two points is in a straight line. Can you imagine the amount of walking you can do on any given course, if you’re not a straight hitter? Some golf courses make you take a golf cart because of the steep terrain. Golfing can keep you’re heart pumping at a good pace depending on the golf terrain. So if you have not walked a country mile. Take up golf and you will have you’re fair share of walking a country mile.

The Challenge

A lot of people would ask the same question over and over again, and probably still do today. Why would anybody want to chase a little golf ball around? I use to think and ask myself the same question until that very first liftoff from a fairway lie. Oh yes! It is a great feeling when you finally lift it off the fairway and watch the ball fly towards the green and watch it land and roll towards the flagstick, especially if you are a long distance from the green and hitting the green in regulation. The feeling of success is amazing and the challenge to do it again brings you back time and time again. Once you catch that feeling, the challenge to come back and repeat the same golf shot makes you a better golfer in the long run. The challenge you have now sticks with you the more you play. The frustration of not being able to do it over and over again, and then finally once again there goes that beautiful golf shot again, makes you come back for more. Golfing has more than one challenge. The challenge within yourself to play better golf, and the challenge to play better than you’re competitor. A lot of times the challenge to beat your own game can be a real uphill battle. Go ahead and try the challenge.

The Scenery

Golf courses truly have some of the best breathtaking scenery, depending on where you reside. A lot of the golf courses have rolling fairways and trees of all colors that stretch out on both sides of the fairway, creeks that split fairways in half. Lot of golf courses have greens that are surrounded by huge trees, rock formations, and rolling mounds, and many other natural beauties. Most golf courses surround their greens with water and sand traps. The tee boxes on some courses are perched up on a hillside overlooking a valley, or body of water. Flowers and plants, and or more trees surround a lot of tee boxes. Sometimes the tee boxes and greens are in the wilderness, and or near cliffs. There is a lot of great scenery on golf courses that will want you to say. This is amazing scenery!
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There is no doubt that flexibility for golf is extremely important to your golf game. Little wonder that one of the biggest fears among many golfers looking to improve their game is that of losing their flexibility specific to golf as a result of weight training that builds muscles and stretching exercises.

This is one of the reasons why many amateur golfers still avoid joining golf-specific exercise and conditioning programs. They mistakenly link every weight-training program with muscle building and bodybuilding.

Although it is true that muscle building and body building will tend to make somebody stiff, the facts are that weight training can either be used for body-building and building of muscles, or it can be used to build strength.

The golf specific weight training programs are aimed at building strength and endurance. Not muscles. A genuine golf exercise program will have nothing in its’ weight training routine to remotely relate it to muscle or bodybuilding. Read the rest of this entry »

Flexibility exercise for golf is a critical component to performing a repeatable, powerful, and mechanically sound golf swing. Senior golfers are the prime target to benefit the most from flexibility exercise for golf. With a declining level of both flexibility and strength, the muscles of the senior golfers are not as pliable and responsive to the physical demands of the golf swing.

The golf swing requires a higher level of flexibility to produce maximum power. Turning your upper body (shoulders) 90 degrees, while maintaining less than half that with your hip turn takes a tremendous amount of dynamic strength and flexibility.

It always surprises me when I speak to a golfer and really spell it out to them. I’ll even go through the swing visually and explain and certain points where physical restrictions can ruin your golf swing. I think the combination of my showing the golfer and explaining it really hits home for them.

It’s tough via an article like this, or any of my websites to get the golfer to understand these physical demands on flexibility (and strength). I can, and will do my best to always explain it in a way that gives you a good visual.

The sooner you realize flexibility exercise for golf is a necessity, the sooner you will see improvement. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience total “golf transformations” with the golfers I’ve worked with.

Testing them before they started, on backswing range; follow through range; initial posture set up and restrictions: I’ve seen miraculous results with golfers. The senior golfers are the ones who see the biggest improvement. That’s mostly based on their initial level of fitness when they started.

That’s why I always tell golfers I come intact with…”it’s NEVER too late!” Never! Everyday that goes by is another day you’ll have wished you would have started. Don’t let one more day go by. Get started right away!

Now…to define flexibility exercise for golf you just need to take a look at the golf swing. Get in your golf posture right now, and bring the swing down into phases. Imagine taking a club back just a couple of feet.

Where do you feel the tension so far?

If you’re really paying attention to your body, you will feel the back of your legs (hamstrings), your left hip, the back of your left arm, and even your lower back. This is if you are a right-handed golfer.

Now take it back further. Where do you feel it now?

You’ll start feeling tension in your right shoulder, your core (from rotating), more in your upper left back muscle and shoulder.

Isn’t it amazing to slow the swing down and realize how restricted you are? It’s a wake-up call to embark in flexibility exercise for golf right now.
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