Many golfers are willing to do pretty much anything to improve their golf game, from investing in personalized instruction to practicing for hours on the putting green. One of the best ways to improve your game, though, is to improve your body and overall health first.
Here are three simple exercises, designed specifically to target the muscle groups most used in the golf swing. In addition to avoiding injuries, you’ll likely find that you’ll improve your overall score and raise your skill level in the process.
1. The “Dirty Dog”
This stretching exercise is recommended by the American Council on Exercise and will help you to improve the forward swing movement of your golf swing. This is the most significant motion of the swing and the one most responsible for causing muscle soreness and back injury, when done incorrectly. The dirty dog will stretch the hips and lateral rotator muscles, helping to generate a strong follow-through force on the green.
Start with your hands and knees on the floor, with your spine flat and parallel to the floor. Your hands should be perpendicular to your arm pits, and your knees perpendicular to your hips. Bring your right leg out to the side, mimicking a dog using the bathroom, then bring your knees back together. Perform 10-15 repetitions with each leg.
2. Standing Hip Abduction
Like the Dirty Dog, the standing hip abduction exercise works the powerful lateral rotator muscles.
Start by standing tall with feet together. Then, lift the right leg outward and as high as possible. Perform slowly, to control balance, 10-15 times, then repeat with the left leg.
3. Forward and Reverse Wrist Curls
In addition to using your hips, your extensor forearm muscles are the second most valuable to your game. They provide the strength and torsion during the forward swing needed to create the coveted arc during follow-through.
If you’re a right handed golfer, the right wrist flexors and left wrist extensors are the muscles you are using. To work your flexors, sit on a flat bench and lay your forearms on your lap while holding a weight of some sort, palms up. Using only your hands and wrists, curl the weight up toward the ceiling as high as possible, keeping your forearms flat on your lap. To work your extensors, repeat this exercise by holding the weight overhand, rather than underhand.
In addition to these easy workouts, don’t forget some other basics! Before you hit the green, remember to grab a sports drink and wear proper attire to stave off dehydration and loss of electrolytes. This will improve your stamina and blood flow. Also, make sure that you have the right equipment for your size and skill level, to avoid straining your muscles. Sites like 3ballsgolf.com have a great selection of clubs and accessories to choose from and members of this site receive a 2% cash back bonus!