Trying to lower one’s golf scores through improved golf fitness has become increasingly mainstream. Fears of becoming too muscle-bound or potentially impairing the golf swing have given way to the realization that there are tremendous gains to be made in the gym. That said, there are still plenty of golfers with bad ideas and misguided training strategies. Avoid these common golf fitness training pitfalls if you’re looking to maximize the benefits of all that time in the gym when you get on the course.
Golf Fitness via “Golf-Specific” Workouts
Let’s be clear: hitting the gym with the specific intent of improving your ability to swing a golf club is a good thing. Often the gym is the unturned stone that can unlock serious gains in speed, balance, and stability that will lead to lower scores on the course. The problem is the general confusion that persists in what to do in the gym once you get in there.
We’ll give you a hint: if you find yourself standing on one leg on a Bosu ball pretending to swing a dumbbell like a golf club, you’re doing something wrong. Put aside the notion that golf exercises must look somewhat akin to a golf swing, because they don’t. There are plenty of challenges in golf; that the club is too heavy is rarely one of them, so there’s little to be gained from mimicking the swing with excessive weights. Effective weight training for golf fitness will almost always rely on sprints, jumps, and other plyometric exercises to build power, and heavy compound movements to build strength.
Static Stretching
We’ve already discussed the difference between mobility and flexibility in another article, but the bottom line is that mobility is more important and plays a much bigger role in your golf swing. Sure, a regular stretching routine will make you more flexible and can reduce muscle stiffness. But that’s kind of it.
The jury is still out on whether static stretching offers the injury prevention benefits many believe it has. One thing is certain: if you must stretch, do it after your golf fitness workout, not before. There’s a growing body of evidence that demonstrates that prolonged stretching decreases strength and power in the near term. That’s right, static stretching before your round will have you hitting it shorter, not farther, so opt for a dynamic warm-up instead.
Steady-State Cardio
Calm down. Nobody’s saying there isn’t any value in long steady-state cardio for overall health. Training at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum target heart rate, commonly referred to as “Zone 2” heart rate training, is beneficial for building aerobic endurance and burning fat. The problem is that there are only so many hours in the day to train. Try as you might, you can’t possibly check every box with your training. If lowering your scores is your top priority, steady-state cardio probably offers the least rate of return. Assuming you can walk 18 without getting gassed, focus your golf fitness training energies elsewhere. It’s very unlikely that cardiovascular fitness is what’s holding you back from lower scores.
Offseason Only
Golf fitness is a year-round endeavor. Too many don’t see it that way, however, and fail to set foot in the gym once the temperatures climb and the course opens. That’s a big mistake. If you worked your butt off in the offseason and have realized gains in strength and power, you’ve got to work to maintain those gains or you will lose them.
That doesn’t mean you need to push heavy iron before every round. Instead, most golfers benefit from a periodized approach wherein training is broken down into phases. At the outset of the offseason, focus on building strength. As the season draws closer, shift that focus to power and explosiveness. When the season arrives, focus on maintenance, wherein you challenge the body enough to keep your newly developed strength and power without creating soreness that can impact your rounds. You absolutely must do that maintenance work however, or you will see your offseason gains fall off.
Paying your dues in the gym will translate to better scores on the golf course, if you use your time wisely. Train for strength, power and mobility, and avoid wasting your time on activities with little benefit to your golf game. Most of all, stick with it and recognize that golf fitness training is a year-round proposition.