Best Mobility Drills to Up Your Golf Game
There’s a lot that goes into getting better at golf. Practicing swings at the driving range, building up your technical skills, using high quality gear. However, one approach that many players forget to focus on is doing golf mobility exercises.
The best golf mobility exercises can have a serious impact on your game - which is why pros like Jordan Spieth take mobility and strength drills seriously.
In this article, you’ll learn:
What golf mobility exercises are
Why you should do golf drills
Walkthroughs for the best mobility exercises for golf
What are golf mobility exercises?
Golf is a seriously physical sport. In a single golf swing, you’ll engage multiple muscles groups, including:
Traps: The muscles across your upper back and shoulders, supporting your backswing.
Rotator cuff muscles: These are in your shoulder and help move your shoulder across your body.
Abs: They help you twist.
Hamstrings: They engage as you shift bodyweight to your back leg.
Glutes: Provide a ton of power during the downswing.
Pecs: Help with swinging the club down to the ground with force.
Plus others in your arms, shoulders and core.
So, exercises for golf mobility are designed to build strength and flexibility in the many different muscle groups involved in the sport. The goal of these exercises isn’t to add bulk. Instead, it’s about conditioning your body so it can keep hitting balls effectively and powerfully, all game long.
Why you need to do golf swing mobility exercises
Anyone who plays golf should be doing golf mobility exercises. It’s not just for the pros. Here are some of the key reasons to build this kind of training into your routine.
It improves your performance
There’s a reason pro golfers on the tour grind in the gym: it improves their performance.
For example, in one research study, golfers were asked to do golf conditioning exercises for eight weeks. The research showed their club-head speed was 4.3% faster at the end of the programme.
A different study with golfers showed that a strength and flexibility training schedule led to:
Faster ball velocity
Greater carry distance
Greater total distance per swing
Much greater swing acceleration
It reduces your injury risk
Overuse injuries are common in golf, especially if you play regularly. By doing regular strength and conditioning work, you make your muscles more resistant. That means you’ll be less likely to get injured.
Better coordination and swing mechanics
By increasing strength and flexibility in all your muscle groups, you’ll be able to swing in a more coordinated, effective way. By having greater control over how your body moves, you’ll also be able to hit the ball more accurately and consistently.
5 of the best golf mobility exercises
There are tons of exercises for golf mobility out there. Here are five that anyone can do to get started.
1. Kneeling chop with rotation
This is one of the best shoulder mobility exercises for golf, and it also mimics a key movement used in every single swing.
Kneel with your body upright. Grab onto a plate, exercise cable or kettlebell (you don’t need more than 1-2 kg) and hold it with both hands with your arms extended down. Engage your core, and twist to your left, then swing in an upward motion to your right, before returning to start in a controlled motion.
Repeat the drill three times per side.
2. Hand walkouts
Hand walkouts are effective golf shoulder mobility exercises that will also improve general flexibility.
Stand up, then hinge forward at your waist with your arms stretched out. Reach down until you’re on all fours. Then you ‘walk’ your hands forward while your feet stay in place, until you are in a pushup position. Hold for a second, then walk your hands back until your legs are almost vertical, then lift your body back up to standing.
Repeat the drill 10 times.
3. Windscreen wipers
Windscreen wipers are great golf hip mobility exercises. They boost your range of motion, so you can perform more powerful swings.
Sit on the ground with your back to a wall. Bend your legs at the knees, and place your feet flat on the ground. To do windscreen wipers, you gently swing your left knee inwards, while your right knee bends to the outside. Hold for a moment, then swing back the other way.
Repeat the drill 14 times.
4. Seated thoracic rotations
Thoracic rotations are a great golf mobility drill which works your lats and core.
Sit on a chair (choose one without arms), engage your core and cross your arms over each other so your hands touch the opposite shoulder. Now, turn your body at the waist so you are facing to the right. Hold for a moment, then return to centre.
Repeat the drill five times on each side.
5. Cat cow
Cat cow is a classic yoga stretch, and it can also be super helpful for golfers too. It increases flexibility and spinal movement. It also strengthens your wrists.
Get onto your hands and knees, with your back in a neutral position. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders, your knees below your hips.
Inhale and lift your tail bone and gaze up, while your belly lowers. This will lengthen your spine. Hold for a moment, then exhale. You tuck your backbone and round your back, while your head lowers and you tuck your chin to your chest.
Repeat the movement 10 times.
Build strength and mobility for golf
By increasing your strength and mobility, you’ll be able to play golf better. Golf mobility exercises help you make more efficient, controlled and powerful swings. They also improve balance, proprioception, and reduce your injury risk.
Aim to do just a few minutes of exercises for golf mobility each day - you’ll soon start to notice the difference.
