TRAINING FOR GOLF SKILLS
There are both differences and similarities in bodybuilding for strength and symmetry vs. purposeful exercise to improve sports skills.
This post will not be lengthy with text, but heavy on videos, links and equipment options. Plenty of best exercises for golfers will be covered.
In the 1940s and 50s, Sam Snead was a very fit and athletic golfer. Surprised? Many people remember him as an older man wearing a straw hat, though with incredible skills.
During this same time, amateur Frank Stranahan would go from one tournament to the next with huge barbells in the trunk of his car. One can only imagine the frustration of hotel bellhops dealing with his luggage.
Gary Player and Arnold Palmer were certainly athletic golfers in the 1960s and beyond, though Arnie was a smoker when he began.
Gary Player was and is an incredibly fit man. He is now 86. Gary would focus primarily on his core muscles and did not want to do chest building exercises. He felt that this would impede his golf swing, which illustrates how sport specific exercise can differ from general bodybuilding.
BEST EXERCISES FOR GOLFERS……
This will be a list compiled from several reliable sources:
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Push-ups to an elevated bench or chair
- Dead lifts
- Dumbbell bench presses, shown below
- Alternate lateral jumps
- Lunges with a medicine ball, alternate each leg
- Split squats
- Single leg dead lift, holding dumbbell in each hand
- Pelvic tilts – with back on floor and knees bent, press core against floor and hold briefly
- Seated rotations – twist to each side, holding for several seconds. Do not move hips
- Side step ups – on a 10 – 12 ” platform, step out and touch floor with one leg, then the other
- Twist side to side while holding medicine ball
- Hand walk – with hands and feet on floor, walk out to push-up position, then walk back your feet to your hands
- Dead bugs – with back to floor, lift right leg and left arm, then left leg and right arm
- Two arm band pull – with standing position and bands in front of your chest, pull the bands apart with both hands
- Cat camels – on hand and knees, round your back and look down, then extend your back and look up
VIDEOS
Top 10 core exercises for golf
6 exercises for golfers over 50
PRIOR ARTICLES ON NOTED GOLFERS
I have in the past published several posts on famous golfers. This includes their fitness routines, their nutrition and other information relative to their health standards and personalities. Here they are:
EQUIPMENT FROM AMAZON
I have an affiliate relationship with Amazon and am able to recommend products that are relevant to my articles. I do this by placing links to Amazon. As an affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases and may also point out discounts as they appear.
The following items are from Amazon. There are always alternative but similar choices shown with each link. This provides variety and different price points.
Black Spider putter, used by top pros
CHOICES FROM OTHER SOURCES
Dick’s Sporting Goods has been the source for just about all of the golf equipment I have ever had – clubs, bags, accessories, balls and several putters. The same can be said for other athletic equipment – tennis racquets and accessories, fitness items and sportswear.
DSG is the largest sporting goods merchant in the United States. They offer a huge inventory and excellent service. I have used DSG for decades.
DSG has constant clearance events and other specials. I have decided to keep a permanent link to Dick’s Sporting Goods on the sidebar of my site. In this way, their specials will always be easily found. (I have done the same for Goli Nutrition).
So, click on the link above or the one at the side for current information at any time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have been a golf fan more than a golfer, though I played as a young teenager and later as I turned 70. The huge gap was due to my participation in the worlds of tennis, basketball and general workouts.
When I was 14, I wrote a letter to Sam Snead at the Greenbrier, West Virginia. I wanted him to answer a few golf questions. He immediately replied with his own handwritten letter, which surprised and pleased me. One of my questions was “Who do you think will win the U.S. Open this year?”. His answer was “If I knew who would win the U.S. Open, I would stay home”. As it turned out, he placed second that year. I was too naive to realize that the U.S. Open was his Achilles heel. He never won it. But he certainly was generous with his fans!
Golf is a great game – a restful pastime as well as a source of frustration at times.
Please leave me any comments or questions in the “Comments” section below. Or email me, richard@myworkoutathome.com.
Be well, stay healthy and keep swinging!
