Like many sports, golf involves a good amount of physical activity. From walking the course to hauling your bag and driving your club, that can take a lot out of a person. It’s clear why so many golfers are ready to hit the hay after a long day on the course.
Now, any athlete can tell you that working out can benefit your golf game–but how? Below, we’ll share some advantages about maintaining your physical fitness so that you can adopt a new exercise program and have the endurance to make it through a full day of golf and beyond.
Why is physical fitness important for your golf game?
Golf fitness training is valuable, no matter how long you’ve been in the game. Here are some reasons why exercise can benefit you, along with things you can do today to start your fitness journey:
#1: Prevent injury.
Golf incorporates various muscles, which are bound to get injured if you don’t have the right swing or don’t prioritize your physical fitness. You may experience problems with your lower back, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and rotator cuffs–to name a few. Keeping up with a daily workout routine can keep your form and muscles strong, limber, and resistant to injury.
Another way to prevent injury is to see a chiropractor. Here at Summit Chiropractic and Sports Institute, we treat the body as a whole, incorporating various soft tissue techniques and functional rehabilitation to mobilize and strengthen injured areas. We assist with many sports injuries and beyond, including but not limited to shoulder and arm pain, sprains, and strains.
Suggested Exercises for Injury Prevention
Warm-ups are key for injury prevention in golf. Take the time to go on a walk or do jumping jacks for about 10 minutes before golfing or starting your workout. You’ll also want to stretch the parts of the body you’ll be using a lot (i.e., “your hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders, spine, and pelvis”).
#2: Add power and speed to your swing.
You exert power into your driver by taking on the proper golf form: turning the body, raising the arms and hands at the end in your backswing, and coming back to the front in your forward swing. This happens so quickly that you don’t have a lot of time to think about what you’re doing.
A ball can receive as much as 4,000 pounds of pressure behind it. That means that a 100 mph swing can bring the ball to 150 mph within less than a second. Since the power comes from within your body, physical fitness is essential. Working with a chiropractor can ensure that you have strong, flexible shoulders and explosive muscles that are up for the task.
Suggested Exercises to Increase Swing Power
When it comes to fitness workouts that add power and speed to your driver, strength training is a good place to start. Standing cable cross-arm raises can increase the strength in your deltoids, which is fundamental for a good swing. You can also do a medicine ball swing toss to get more distance on the course while boosting your swing power, according to Fitness Blender.
#3: Get more control over your swing.
Getting the ball into the hole in a single stroke is every golfer’s dream. If you want to ace your shots, the first thing to do is generate more control over your swing. That means staying consistent, not putting all your focus into your swing’s power, and using the right muscles.
Strength training exercises are a good way to develop better control. They can help you engage your core and the rest of your body, get a good grip on the club, and release the ball without overextending yourself. At our chiropractic office, we offer golf-specific performance programs that incorporate golf strength and conditioning in addition to nutritional counseling.
Suggested Exercises for Swing Control
To improve your swing control, we recommend incorporating side bridges with leg lifts into your routine. Not only can this strengthen your legs and enhance your balance, but it can also help you maintain better control of your hips when you swing. Prone double elbow raises are also helpful to flex your rhomboids and rear deltoids, which gives you more movement in your shoulders while staying in control of your driver.
#4: Reduce fatigue on the course.
Did you know that playing 18 holes equates to walking about 3 to 6 miles on the majority of courses? Add in hills, varying course lengths, and time spent looking for balls, and your walking time can become even greater.
Walking miles and miles during a game of golf can wear you down quickly, especially if you lack a physical fitness regimen. Keeping up with your fitness can give you the stamina to make it through 18 holes and beyond–wherever your golf game takes you. Chiropractic care can also help you with recovery so that you reduce your chance of fatigue.
Suggested Exercises to Reduce Fatigue
Do 15 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio to build up your endurance on the course. Just be sure to take time to recover after to reduce fatigue. Single leg deadlifts with dumbbells are also helpful to increase the strength in your backside and hips, as well as improve your posture so that you’re less likely to get worn out while golfing.
Conclusion
Physical fitness is important for every golfer–hobbyists and professionals alike. Not only can being in good shape decrease your chance of injury, but it can also add to your swing power, provide greater control, and lessen fatigue. Combine your workout regimen with chiropractic care, and you’re on your way to a better golf game.
Here at Summit Chiropractic and Sports Institute, our very own Dr. Gassman is a certified provider of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) to educate professionals on the biomechanics of the golf swing and analyzing how golfers move. This is the same program that recent PGA tour Champion, Phil Mickelson used to step up his game! If you’re ready to take your golf game to the next level, schedule an appointment today!
Chiropractic care is a great step toward injury prevention and conditioning in golfers. If you’re interested in improving your swing for the long term while staying safe on the course, contact Summit Chiropractic and Sports Institute today to schedule your first chiropractic session.