Five exercises to give you a power boost
Watch tour players take the club back and you will clearly see how well they move their upper body independently of the lower body – and vice versa. It’s crucial to many facets of the swing, notably being able to take the club back fully and put yourself in position to lead with the legs and hips as you start the downswing.
Many golfers, especially those 50 and older, lack the ability to let the upper body rotate over a stable lower body on the backswing, says Lauren McMillin, a Golf Digest Certified Trainer. Everything seems to either sway off the ball together, or the turn becomes limited mainly to the arms and club. The typical result is a weak slice or a pull.
While trying to mimic a pro’s swing might seem unrealistic, exercises that promote segmental rotation of the body and improve hip function can really boost your ability to hit the ball further and straighter. Improving lower-body stability and upper-body mobility will help, says McMillin, who trains golfers in Mississippi and online.
If you want to get rid of that pull or slice or just hit more shots flush, she has assembled five simple exercises you can do virtually anywhere. Grab a golf club and find a cushioned floor and you’re good to go.
⬆️ Articulating bridges with shoulder flexions
Lie on your back, feet hip-width apart and knees above the ankles while holding a club against your thighs.
Press your lower back and feet into the ground, lift your hips and reach up and over your head with the club – taking it back as far as you comfortably can.
Keep your abs and glutes tight and press into your heels, which will activate your hamstrings. Hold this position very briefly before returning to the start, back on the floor. Do 5-10 reps.
Benefits: Strengthens the hamstrings, opens the front of the body, improves shoulder function and
promotes ground-force production for power.
⬆️ High-lunge rotations
From a high-lunge stance, lifting through the back heel, extend a club in front of you keeping your inner thighs close together and your abs tight. With your head forward and still, rotate your torso and the extended club over your front leg, then return to the start position remaining in the high-lunge stance. Do 5-10 reps in each direction.
Benefits: Improves balance, strengthens the front leg while opening the hip flexors of the back leg and promotes spinal mobility and posture for greater distance and club speed.
⬆️ Split-stance Rotating lunges
Get into a split stance (lower than the lunge stance on the previous page) with a club extended forward and your back heel up. Lunge down to just above the ground, letting both knees bend while rotating your torso over the lead leg. Keep your head still, and push into the floor to rise back into the start position. Do 5-10 reps in each direction.
Benefits: Builds lower-body strength, improves hip mobility, promotes dynamic balance for greater swing control and increases upper- body mobility.
⬆️ Chair-stance lateral steps with rotations
Stand as you would at address, sitting a little deeper into the hips. Hold the club between your hands, reaching your arms out. Maintaining a bend to both knees, step one leg out to the side. As you do this, rotate your spine, shoulders and club in the opposite direction (over the posted leg). Return to start, and repeat on the other side for one rep. Do 4-8 reps.
Benefits: Promotes athletic posture at address, improves weight shift, increases swing stability and supports a smoother, more efficient swing.
⬆️ High-lunge step-backs
Hold a club in front of your chest and hinge forward slightly, shifting weight into one leg as you bend the knees. Lift the opposite heel and find a spot to fix your gaze. Maintaining your posture and holding your balance, take three small steps, each a little further back, until you’re in a high-lunge stance. Pause, then take three steps forward to return to the start. Do 4-8 reps on each side.
Benefits: Improves proprioception and balance, strengthens the glutes for more swing speed, increases ankle mobility and weight shift and enhances focus.
Photos by: Martha Grace Gray
