Exercises to Keep You on the Golf Course

Life is fun, educational, frustrating, exhilarating and fulfilling all in one. There is so much to experience and only a limited time to do so, which is why it is important to be in good health. Someone who is in good health can enjoy all that the world has to offer while not worrying as much about whether their condition will get in the way. These people can take long vacations to foreign lands and not worry about running out of breath while they are walking and sightseeing.

One of the most fun (and frustrating!) things to do in life is play golf. This sport can be tremendous fun and a piece of your life, however it will be difficult to enjoy if you are not fit. One would think that you could rent a cart to drive around the course everywhere you go and not worry about being fit. In fact, there are many people and professionals who are not in good shape and play a lot of golf. This might be true, however these individuals will have much lower odds of playing golf into their retirement age versus those who keep themselves in good shape.

So how does one stay in good golf shape? Stretching and exercising is critical, and there are particular exercises you can do for golf. Just like a regular workout, it is important to stretch before, during and after you play golf. Stretching at all of these points will give your body the best chance to enjoy the game. You shouldn’t avoid stretching before a jog, so why would you avoid it for golf?

There is an incredible amount of torque and tension used/generated by the body for golf. For this reason, it is important to focus on many different parts of your body for golf exercise. If you spend time working out your abdominal, back, chest and hip muscles your body will be in good shape to play golf. This, of course, will only help you be in the right physical condition to play the game and does not necessarily help you score better.

One of the most frequent injuries that you hear about relative to golf is in the lower back area. A lower back injury impacts a great deal of what you can do on and off the golf course as it is central to your bodily movement. In golf, it will sap away your power and ability to launch the ball off the tee or, worst case scenario, leave you unable to swing the club all together.

How can you best avoid this injury? There are two very important exercises you can perform to help you lower back. The first exercise is good because it can be done at any time, anywhere during the day and right before you hit off the first tee. Simply stand up straight (or sit down) and turn your upper body to the left, then hold. After a few seconds, switch the other side and do the same; perform this exercise repeatedly for several minutes and your back will be good to go. Additionally, one exercise you can perform prior to getting to the golf course (or when you are there if you are comfortable doing so!) is a back extension. Simply lay on your belly and, with hands at your sides palms down, push your back up until your face is looking forward and hold for several seconds.

While these exercises are important there are two other things you can do to help stay away from a lower back injury. These sound a lot simpler than they are but they are fundamental to keeping your lower back in good shape. First, it is critical to know and exercise proper posture when sitting, walking and sleeping for optimal lower back function. Secondly, keeping in line with general health, minimizing the amount of extra weight you have on your body will greatly reduce the stress on your lower back.

The abdominal muscles are very important to your overall golf game because you generate power from this region and it helps greatly to the fluidity of your swing. In the world of exercise the abdominal muscle probably has the most media coverage in terms of how to best enhance the muscles. Once you determine which of these you want to do you can also perform a simple side stretch with the golf club over your head to get your hips warmed up for the round. If you are walking 18 holes, it is probably also a good idea to stretch your legs (knees, hamstrings, quad muscles) so you can make it through the walk.

Above all else if you are uncertain what exercise regimen or stretching exercise to perform you can and should consult with a fitness instructor. These folks can help pull together a good routine for you to follow for your golf game, which might include exercises such as leg thrusts, push ups or bench presses for your chest.

Remember that extra muscle does not necessarily equal extra distance; if you have a poor swing it doesn’t matter how strong you are, the ball will not fly as far as you want it to. Lastly, remember that if you want to play golf as long as humanly possible it is very important to stay physically fit, whether you follow these exercises or some of your own. Your swing may not look like the many golf paintings and images of the professionals but being healthy will allow you to get out and practice consistently.