Golf For Beginners: 7 Basic Exercises To Improve Your Golf Game

Golf is an enjoyable and competitive sport that can be played by people of all ages and skill levels, but it does require some form of physical exercise to maintain your health. 

For beginners, the best form of exercise is golf-specific exercises, which will help you learn and improve as you play more golf. You will learn easy-to-follow activities that will strengthen the muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms while teaching you coordination to execute better swings on the course.

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7 Golf-Specific Exercises For Beginners

The Golf Swing

The golf swing can be difficult to master for beginners because of its intricacy. To make your dream swing come true, you need to strengthen the muscles required for a good golf game. 

How to perform:

1. Start by lifting lightweight balls with both hands while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. 

2. Lift the balls above your head and then bring them down past your waistline as if you were swinging a club. 

3. Perform 50 repetitions of this exercise daily to build strength in your upper back and arms and prepare yourself for a better game on the links.

Anterior Push-up

Begin your golf-specific exercises with a simple push-up, which targets the muscles in your chest and shoulders. Lie on your stomach with your arms extended straight above you. 

How to perform:

1. Lower your body to the ground with elbows bent and head at a 90-degree angle with the floor. 

2. Extend your arms back to the starting position as fast as you can, then repeat 10 times. 

3. Make this exercise more difficult by placing a tennis ball between your hands to increase intensity.

Weighted Step-Up/Step-Down

This exercise will build strength in your legs and rehabilitate muscle soreness from previous exercises. 

How to perform:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bend your knees. 

2. Without moving your upper body, raise yourself onto your tiptoes into a standing position, then slowly lower yourself down. 

3. This should take about 5 seconds to complete. Perform 10 repetitions of this exercise for three sets each day to build strength in your legs.

Scapular Push-up

This exercise focuses on your upper back muscles by targeting the trapezius muscles and building on previously learned exercises such as the anterior push-up and step-up/step-down. 

How to perform:

1. Lie on the ground with both arms extended straight above you, lower yourself so that only your upper back touches the floor instead of your stomach or chest. 

2. Lift your upper arms back to the starting position as quickly as possible, then repeat 10 times. 

3. Make this exercise more difficult by placing a tennis ball between your hands to increase intensity.

Front Knee Raise

This is a basic but effective exercise to strengthen the muscles in your lower abs and thighs. 

How to perform:

1. Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 

2. Raise one leg straight up off the ground so that you feel the tension in your abs and thighs. 

3. Then lower that leg back down to the ground, repeating this movement 10 times for each leg. 

4. Repeat this movement three times per day for maximum results. Make it more difficult by lifting each ankle or knee as high as possible during each repetition.

Side Leg Lift

This exercise targets your glutes, back, and hip muscles by building strength in the hips and legs. 

How to perform:

1. Sit on the ground with your legs bent at right angles, then bring one heel up so that it comes within two inches of your butt. 

2. Slowly lift your other leg in the air, then slowly lower it back to the floor for 10 repetitions. 

3. Perform three sets each day for maximum results. 

4. Make this exercise more difficult by lifting both heels or legs as high above you as possible during each repetition.

The Flat Swing

Once you’ve mastered the golf swing, it’s time to take things to a more advanced level to improve your game on the course. The flat swing is a great way of building strength in your arms, which will help you hit the ball farther and with more accuracy. 

This exercise focuses on the triceps, forearms, and biceps, so it’s important to perform this movement in an open area to allow for the fullest motion range.

​How to perform:

1. Start this exercise by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and gripping a light club in both hands behind your head as if you were going to start a swing. 

2. While keeping both elbows tucked tightly against your body, push forward with two legs as if you were running at full speed. 

3. Hold this position for two seconds before releasing the tension from your legs and arms and lowering yourself back into the starting position. 

4. Start by completing 150 repetitions of this exercise each day, then increase the repetitions to 250 to strengthen your arms further and improve your swing.

On a final note

Golf is an enjoyable and competitive sport that can be played by people of all ages and skill levels, but it does require some form of physical exercise to maintain your health. 

For beginners, the best form of exercise is golf-specific exercises, which will help you learn and improve as you play more golf. These easy-to-follow activities will strengthen the muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms while teaching you coordination to execute better swings on the course.

Best of luck with your golf training exercises! If you enjoyed this article, why not share it with your friends? You never know, they might also find it interesting and helpful.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Should a beginner golfer use weight training?

Weight training is a great way to build strength and improve overall fitness if you have the time to dedicate to it. However, golf is only one of many activities that you can do in your spare time, so if you have other priorities, then weight training may not be as beneficial for you. 

For example, you should definitely avoid using weights right before or after a round of golf because they could cause injury or strain muscles that are under rigid tension at the time. Instead, choose exercises that train muscles differently and do not put any undue stress on your body.

2. Should a beginner golfer do golf-specific exercises?

While golf is one of the most important exercises for beginners because it can help you improve your swing and increase your stamina while playing golf, there are several other exercises that you should consider if they give you an enjoyable workout. Some exercises that are useful for beginners include:

Standing Cable Rows Standing Calf Raises Balancing Bounces Squats Once you have mastered the golf swing, get into some weight training to build core strength further and add definition to your lower body.

3. What are the best golf swing exercises for beginners?

Take your time to learn the golf swing before diving right into exercise routines. Start by learning how to perform the golf swing by watching videos or reading instruction manuals that give you step-by-step instructions for each part of the motion. 

Eventually, you can begin integrating exercises into your daily routine that help build strength and endurance for better results on the course.