The 10 Best Exercises for Golfers
Most casual golfers who experience pain, or even just have a few bad games, assume there’s something wrong with their swing. But while poor swing mechanics might be the cause, it’s more likely a sign of weakness and inflexibility.
Golf is ballistic, involving sudden moments of exertion. It’s also one-sided: Players swing 75 to 100 times from one side of the body, which can often create muscle imbalances and overuse injuries. (If only we were all ambidextrous and could play righty on the front nine and lefty on the back nine.)
So before you consult a swing coach, take a close look at your physical fitness. Chances are, the key to a better game on the links is a better off-the-course training program that creates the flexibility and mobility to execute a proper swing. (Remember: If you think you’re injured, or you’re feeling pain during a workout, immediately stop and consult a doctor.)
Here are 10 basic exercises that will help loosen any golfer’s hips, stabilize your shoulders, and help you build power and strength in your golf swing.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.
1. Seated Rotations
- Why you should do it: These will improve your rotational mobility, a key component of the golf swing.
- How to do it: Sit straddling a bench, or squeeze a pad or towel between your knees. Hold a club behind your back with your arms, so it sits in the crook of your elbows. Set your palms flat on your stomach and maintain your posture. Without moving your hips, rotate your torso to the right and hold for two seconds. Return to the starting position, then continue to the left and hold for two seconds. Alternate sides, 10 to a side.
2. Standing Ys
- Why you should do it: Improves shoulder mobility and also counteracts the negative impact of sitting.
- How to do it: Stand bent over at the waist with your back flat and chest up, as if you were about to do a deadlift. Hold a golf club with a supinated grip (palms facing up). Pull your shoulder blades back and down and raise your arms over your head to form a Y. Return to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Pro tip: Make sure to initiate the movement with your shoulder blades, not your arms.
3. Handwalks
- Why you should do it: To prevent “golfer’s elbow” and reduce the risk of shoulder injury.
- How to do it: Start standing up. Bend forward at the waist and set your hands on the ground so you’re on all fours. Slowly walk your hands out into a pushup position. Then, making sure to keep your knees straight, walk your toes toward your hands.
Once you’re starting to feel a stretch, walk your hands back out and repeat for a total of 10 reps.
4. 90/90 Stretch
- Why you should do it: This move opens up your shoulders, helping to build flexibility and mobility.
- How to do it: Lie on one side with the bottom leg straight and the top leg bent with inside of knee on ground. Rotate your trunk back attempting to put the top shoulder blade on the ground. Hold two seconds, return to start position and repeat for 10 reps. Switch sides.
5. Lateral Pillar Bridge
- Why you should do it: This opens up the hips, preventing back pain.
- How to do it: Lie on one side with your body in a straight line and your elbow under your shoulder, feet stacked. Push your hip off the ground, creating a straight line from ankle to shoulder. Hold this pose for three seconds. Do 10 reps on one side and then 10 on the other side. Be sure to keep your head in line with your spine—don’t sag or bend.
6. Medicine Ball Parallel Throw
- Why you should do it: Medicine ball throws will improve your ability to store and release energy and improve your swing speed.
- How to do it: Stand facing a solid wall (so, not glass or sheetrock) about 3 feet away. Hold a medicine ball at waist level. Rotate your trunk away from the wall. Then, in one motion, initiate the throw by thrusting your hips toward the wall, followed by your trunk, arms, and the ball. After the ball bounces off the wall, catch it with one hand under the ball, the other hand behind it, and arms slightly bent. Repeat for 10 reps, then switch sides.
7. Medicine Ball Perpendicular Throw
- Why you should do it: This will build up your core power, which will help your swing speed and muscle balance.
- How to do it: Perform this like the medicine ball parallel throw, except start with your hips perpendicular to the wall. Rotate your torso 90 degrees away from the wall, and then rotate 180 degrees and throw the ball at the wall, catching it on the rebound.
Repeat for 10 reps, then switch sides.
8. Physioball Pushup0
- Why you should do it: Pushups on a physio ball challenge the scapular stabilizers, which are vitally important for shoulder and back movement.
- How to do it: Start in a pushup position, with your hands on a physioball and feet on the floor. Lower yourself so your chest barely touches the ball. Control the ball as you push up, pushing your chest as far away from the ball as possible. Do a set of 10.
9. Dumbbell Bench Press – One Arm
- Why you should do it: This movement not only builds strength but also shoulder stability.
- How to do it: Lie down on a bench, with your left glute and left shoulder blade on the bench and right glute and right shoulder blade off the bench. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and hold on to the bench above your head with your left hand. Slowly lower the weight until your elbow is horizontally level with your shoulder. Return to the starting position. Complete 10 reps and switch sides.
10. Glute Bridge
- Why you should do it: It might look awkward, but the glute bridge is perfect for activating those muscles you’ve been sitting on all day before hitting the links.
- How to do it: Lie face-up on the floor with knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Squeeze a rolled up towel between your knees. Fire your glutes and bridge your hips toward the ceiling, so that only your shoulders and heels remain on the ground. Lower your hips to the ground and repeat for 10 reps.
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Hey everyone, Daniel Guest here—Top 100 Coach, #1 Instructor in PA, and founder of Imagen Golf. I've given over 39,000 lessons, and if there's one thing I know, it's that the game is always evolving. We're not just practicing anymore; we're training smarter than ever. The days of just grinding on the range are over. The future of golf instruction is personalized, tech-driven, and focused on your unique blueprint. Let's dive into the three biggest game-changers you need to leverage right now to Unleash the Golfer Within!
NEWTOWN, Pa. - Oct. 12, 2025 -- Newtown and surrounding communities are about to experience golf like never before. The Golf Place, a state-of-the-art indoor golf facility designed for enthusiasts of all skill levels, from those honing their game to those simply seeking a fun, engaging golf experience, today announced its grand opening for Tuesday, October 25, 2025. The Golf Place is poised to become the region's premiere destination for indoor golf instruction, practice, and play. The facility will feature eight cutting-edge Trackman golf simulators, offering hyper-realistic gameplay, detailed swing analysis, and access to the world's most famous courses.
Moving decisively away from subjective "feel-based" advice to a scientific, data-driven approach.Fueled by advancements in technology, the latest trends are democratizing the precise analysis once reserved only for tour professionals, making personalized, high-level coaching accessible to every golfer. Here's a look at the key trends shaping modern golf instruction and practice in 2025:
For years, you've been told to do a bunch of confusing things—like opening the clubface wide open and swiping across the ball—that just don’t work for the average golfer. It’s an old-school approach designed for old-school wedges. But at Imagen Golf, we don’t teach that. We teach the new-school bunker technique that the best players in the world are using every week to make bunker shots look easy. Players like Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Collin Morikawa have all ditched the old rules for a simpler, more powerful way to get the ball up and down.
When we hear the word stinger in golf, the first thought that often comes to mind is Tiger Woods and his famous 2 iron stinger he rips down the fairway.This golf shot is super important to have in your skill arsenal. If you don’t carry a 2- or 3-iron, a fairway wood will achieve similar results. The concept behind the shot can also be used for punch approach shots to receptive greens, using any club down to a pitching wedge.On windy days, you can use it to maximize distance by hitting that low flying drive that stays low and runs like crazy upon landing. Meanwhile, your playing partners are watching their drives get hung up in the wind, losing 50 yards off their normal distances. So what's the secret? How do we perfect the stinger like Tiger? To hit the “stinger” you want to produce a low dynamic loft when you strike the golf ball in order to create a low launch and low spin. By default, you're used to hitting with high dynamic loft so it can make the transition a challenge at first but once you master it, you can hit this golf shot on command any time you need. How to Hit with Low Dynamic Loft To produce low dynamic loft, we want to create forward shaft lean at impact which basically means the grip of your club is ahead of the clubface when striking the golf ball. This delofts the face which helps lower the launch angle and back spin rate. In order to create a forward shaft lean at impact you'll need to change a few things during set up. 1. Start by moving the golf ball a little further back in your stance and place a little more weight on your lead side (left side for right handers). This simple adjustment in set up will set your hands forward at address and will help you produce a slight downward hit on the ball. 2. Choke down about an inch on the grip for added control. These adjustments should cause your arms and the shaft to form a “y”. Make a smooth, full backswing, and try to retain this “y” as much as possible throughout the swing. 3. Now the key to creating a low loft and square face at impact is in the lead wrist. The stinger’s low trajectory and extra roll result from the bowed wrist position at impact. To practice getting the bowed wrist feeling, simply make a swing with your lead arm, without a club. Return the hand to impact with your lead wrist “bowed” so that the logo on the glove points to the ground directly in front of the ball. This is a great “feeling” in the golf swing to help lean the shaft forward and square the face up when striking the golf ball 4. Lastly, make sure you maintain this low loft through impact and during the follow through. The mental swing thought is to hit the ball and stop. This prevents the wrists from flipping over or “releasing” after impact. Once you achieve the bowed impact, the finish flows naturally, as the trunk and arms rotate the club around to the left. Instead of causing a slice, this allows for a low, running draw. The faster the body unwinds, the farther you can hit the ball. The finish should feel very different from a normal swing where the hands turn over. To “sting” it, the wrists stay firm, and the left elbow folds down toward the ground.
#1: Choke Down the Club The first step to getting back in control when you feel like you're losing your swing mid-round is to choke down on your clubs more than normal. Shortening the stick will help you control the face more, similar to how you can hit your wedges straighter than the driver because they're a shorter club length. #2: Swing at 60% Normal Power During our golf rounds, we often start changing our tempo and speeding up our swing without realizing it. This mental tip will help you slow down a little bit by getting you to feel like you're swinging 60% of normal, but in reality, you're probably swinging 80-90% still. As we slow down our tempo and get back to a more natural rhythm, you'll see control come back into your golf swing. A good way to do this, it to take 3 swings. The first one swing as hard as you can. The second, swing very soft. Then on your third, try to swing in the middle of the previous two swing speeds.Subscribe #3: Hold the follow-through finish until you see the ball land. In basketball and in golf, the follow-through is important to keeping the shot on line. Try making your swing thought about holding the follow-through prior to swinging and it will take your mind off of what all could go wrong during the swing. It also will tell your subconscious mind to recall what the follow-through feels like. It's often the backswing or the downswing we are focused on feeling in our pre-shot routine and during our golf swing, but let's put our mind onto the follow through and focus on holding it like a statue upon finishing. Learn more about our advanced golf training to speed up your improvement!
Proper footwork, weight distribution, and weight movement are fundamentals that many players can improve if they understand and practice properly while working on their golf game indoors. Good footwork puts you in the best position to deliver the club consistently. That’s where a good friend of mine and Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor Todd Sones is teaching these days: indoors. In the winter months, Todd works out of the Buffalo Grove Dome located 45 minutes northwest of Chicago. Todd is on the Golf Academy of America’s National Advisory Board and says when you’re practicing inside, you should always wear your golf spikes. So often, Todd sees people come in to practice off the mats wearing their tennis shoes. While it’s convenient, the problem is that your tennis shoes are designed for heel-toe motion, a linear motion. Golf is a rotational motion. It’s important that you’re on your feet properly. The best players move in a circular motion. Their weight is more toward the balls of their feet at address, their knees are slightly flexed, and their lower body is engaged. As the body rotates, a good player loads the heel of the trail leg and then on the transition to the downswing, drives into the instep of the lead leg before rotating back into the heel of the lead leg. Although you start on the balls of your feet in the set-up position, you really swing from the heels throughout the backswing and the downswing into impact. When you’re wearing tennis shoes that push your weight more toward your toes, you can’t swing the club nearly as forcefully as you can if you’re swinging with proper weight distribution. When someone wears their tennis shoes, you’ll see their head move forward into their toes, and then they back up away from the golf ball during the swing.
The hard truth is that the average golfer plays for years and never improves. But why? With input from many of my instructor friends, we’ve drawn up a list of the 12 reasons why you may not be getting better. 1. You never practice You know that whole 10 thousand hours thing? How it takes at least that long to master a skill? Do the math. Ten minutes once a month isn’t going to get you there. 2. You practice unproductively Smacking drivers on the range until you’re blue in the face might give you a backache. But it’s not going to get you where you want to go. What you need to do is practice with a purpose. Go to the range to get better at one thing, posture for example. Once you’ve spent 30 minutes working on that and incorporating into your swing, leave the range. 3. Your equipment isn’t optimized That includes your golf ball, we recommends getting your entire arsenal checked at least once a year. 4. You’ve got the wrong mix of clubs News flash. You’ve got no business carrying a two-iron. You’re also probably not good enough to have more wedges than hybrids in your bag. So don’t. 5. You don’t track your stats You think you’re a great putter, and a middling driver. But are you really? Without knowing for sure, you can’t maximize your practice time, much less devise an optimal on-course strategy. 6. You’re not as good as you think you are Two-twenty over water is not in your wheelhouse, but you always try it, because, well, your weakness is your fondness for the hero shot. 7. You’re too hard on yourself On approach shots from 150 yards, the average Tour pro leave is 23 feet from the pin. But you somehow believe you should be knocking down the flagstick, so you berate yourself every time you don’t. 8. You ride a cart You think you’re saving energy. What you’re really doing is losing touch with the natural rhythms of the game. Walk when you can. 9. You think there’s a quick-fix In a world filled with swing tips, you believe there’s a magic one that will solve all your problems. So you search, and search. You might as well be trying to track down Sasquatch. The tough news is it comes down to working on good principles long enough for them to become habits. 10. You’re don’t hit it far enough Sorry, but size matters. A good way to get better is to swing the club the faster to hit the ball longer. Any good coach can correct crooked, but getting the ball to go farther is a tougher task. 11. You focus more on words than feel You’ve gotten a lot of verbal instruction. But, words don’t translate as well to performance. Pay more attention to images and feels. It will free up your mind. And your swing. 12. Play the appropriate tee box I know, all your buddies play from the blues, but you’re a 20+ handicap. Not only do you have NO business playing from the far tee boxes but it hurts your game as the course sets up completely different for you now. Put your ego aside and have fun!