Everyone has an opinion on golf fitness. Your playing partner swears by the Tuesday spin class. The guy at the range is convinced his rotator cuff routine changed his life. The internet influencer will sell you a 12-week program promising 30 extra yards if you just comment and buy the right resistance band.
Here’s the truth: most golfers are undertrained, moving poorly, and leaving distance, stability, and longevity on the table. This doesn’t happen from a lack of talent, but because nobody ever gave them an honest foundation to build on. The good news is that strength training for golf doesn’t need to be complicated.
Below, you can see five exercises that are great for your golf game. Give ’em a shot.
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1. Split Squat
David Sundberg
Take a medium to large step forward so that your back foot ends up on your toes, keep front foot flat on the floor. Begin the squat movement and lower under control, think about dropping the back knee straight down towards the floor. Then drive the front foot down in the ground, push hard through and stand straight up. Keep the pelvis neutral. Don’t let the trail hip hike or the low back extend to finish the rep.
2. Kick stand RDL
David Sundberg
Stagger the feet, soft bend in the front knee, hinge at the hip until you feel the hip and hamstring load. Keep the weight close to the leg. Stop when the pelvis starts to rotate — that is your end range, not the floor.
3. Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Cable Row
David Sundberg
Down knee same side as the pulling arm. Cable at chest height. Drive the pull with the scapula; feel it in the upper back, not the armpit. Hips stay square. If they rotate to assist the pull, the load is too heavy.
4. Half-Kneeling Landmine Press
David Sundberg
Down knee same side as the pressing arm. Load the trail hip before you initiate. Drive from the hip through the shoulder — not just an arm press. Control the bar on the way back down.
5. Half-Kneeling Cable Chop
David Sundberg
Cable set high. Down knee on the side you’re chopping toward. Take an overhand grip on a rope handle, pull diagonally from high to low, finishing outside the opposite hip. Resist the rotation as the trunk controls the arc, the arms just hold on.
Four-week progression
Week 1
Position and movement quality only. Keep loads light enough that every rep looks like the first. Three sets of eight on each side. 90 seconds rest between sets.
Week 2
If movement quality held up, increase the weight by a small increment — 2.5 to 10 lbs depending on the exercise. Three sets of eight on each side. 90 seconds rest between sets.
Week 3
