Golf Fitness Exercises

 

Movement Preparation

 

1) Ankle Swings – Starting Position: leaning up against a wall with one foot flat on the floor with that leg straight; Action: swing the free leg in and out, allowing the knee of the foot on the floor to “follow” the path of the swinging leg. You should feel motion at the ankle of the floored foot. Repeat 10 times on each.

 

2) Calf Stretch – Starting Position: on your hands and feet in the A-frame position (i.e., flexed at the hip with hips in the air) with one foot on the floor and the other foot behind the ankle. Action: push your heel to the floor while pulling your toes towards your shin; you should feel a stretch in your calf; push up on to your toes “using the stretch.” Repeat 10 times on each side.

 

3) Hand Walk  Walk hands out as far as you can then walk your feet forward using only ankle steps (keep those legs straight!). Repeat five times.

 

4) Heel to Butt – As you walk, grab the ankle of your leg and pull the heel toward your glute. You should squeeze the glute of the same-side leg, and you should feel a stretch in the quad (i.e., front of the thigh) of that leg. Alternate legs as you walk and repeat each side 8 times.

 

5) Knee Hugs – As you walk, drive the knee of the forward leg up toward your chest. Using your hands, pull slightly on the knee of that leg up and across toward your opposite shoulder. You should feel a stretch in your glute. Alternate legs as you walk and repeat each side 8 times.

 

6) Lateral Lunge – Take a step out to the side keeping both feet straight ahead. Shift your weight to the leg of the side to which you stepped. Sit your weight back and down so your weight is on the heel of the foot. Repeat five times before switching sides.

 

7) Posterior Lunge Matrix – This is a backwards lunge followed by one of three actions: 1) reach both hands overhead; 2) reach overhead with the arm opposite the forward foot and bend to the side; and 3) reach up and across the front leg with the arm opposite the front leg. Perform five repetitions of each on each leg before advancing to the next reach.

 

8) Single-Leg Squat Matrix: Standing on one leg, squat and perform one of the following actions: 1) reach down to the ground with both hands then reach up overhead; 2) reach down and across with the hand opposite the single leg; 3) reach down and inside with the same-side hand of the single leg. Perform 10 repetitions of each on each leg.

 

9) T-Spine Matrix – This is a lateral (side) step followed by one of three actions: 1) rotate your shoulders and open up to the side that you stepped; 2) rotate your shoulders and reach across to the side that you stepped; and 3) bend and reach overhead with the arm opposite the side you stepped. Perform five repetitions of each on each leg before advancing to the next reach.

 

10) World’s Greatest – This is the world’s greatest stretch.  Lunge forward, reach your same-side elbow to the instep of the forward foot (as you support yourself with your opposite hand); then, rotate and open up to the side of the front foot. Return that hand to the floor and raise your hips up in the air while straightening both legs to stretch the hamstrings. Alternate and perform 5 times on each.

 

Med Ball Power

 

1) Base Stance Perpendicular Throw: With your shoulders facing sideways to the wall, perform the rotational med ball throw. Perform two sets of 10 throws on each side.

 

2) Base Stance Parallell Throw: With your shoulders facing the wall, perform the rotational med ball throw. Perform two sets of 10 throws on each side.

 

3) Base Stance Reverse Rotational Throw: With your back facing the wall, perform the rotational med ball throw. Perform two sets of 10 throws on each side.

Strength Training

 

Complex #1: Perform all three exercises and the stretch before returning to the first exercise in the complex. Perform 10 repetitions on each unless otherwise noted. Perform the complex three times.

 

Complex #2: Perform all three exercises and the stretch before returning to the first exercise in the complex. Perform 10 repetitions on each unless otherwise noted. Perform the complex three times.