Why Strength Training Is Key for Golfers (FREE Strength & Power Program For Golfers)

Why golfers need to strength train and a free training program to get you started!

If there is one person who comes to mind that raised the bar for how the game of golf is approached off the course, that would be...

Tiger Woods.

Within years of turning pro, he transformed his physique into one worthy of his own namesake. He gained 30 pounds of pure sinew and muscles through flexibility and strength training, with workouts that famously lasted 3 hours. His muscles developed just as he dominated the world of golf.

Needless to say, other golfers couldn't help but took notice and now it's not unusual to see physically strong men and women on the course. Now, golfer bodies like John Daly are on the way out.

Regardless you're a pro or just a hobbyist, weight training will change your golf game. Here are 3 reasons why.

1. Improve your power production

When a pro steps up and drives the ball over 300 yards, a wave of gasps and ooh goes down the gallery, and lots of golfers are left thinking having great flexibility, technique and talent are what's responsible for that insane driving distance.

Yet, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, and Rory McElroy all hit the gym hard, with their strong physiques and powerful swings a testament to the wonders of strength training.

If you're more a man or woman of science, there's plenty of research to back this up. The Faculty of Sports Science at the University of Leon in Spain conducted an 18-week strength training program on low handicap golfers and most increased their explosive and maximal strength after the first 6 weeks and their golf driving performance after 12 weeks.(1)

While a joint study by the Division of Sport Science, Konkuk University and College of Physical Education, Kyung Hee University, South Korea, elite golfers that engaged in core and non-dominant arm strength training for 8 weeks saw a mean increase of their drive distance by a whopping 25 meters. (2)

A golfers' strength and power are a race cars' horsepower to a racer. No matter how skilled the racer gets, he is ultimately limited by how fast he can go down the middle, by how powerful the engine is.

2. Improve Flexibility

However, flexibility is still vital for golf swing because tight muscles mean less range of motion to build up torque and speed. But strength training puts the raw horsepower in the golfers' engine.

“Strength training will make you bulky and stiff....”

This all too common statement couldn't be more wrong. Because evidence has continued to build in the opposite direction.

Research has consistently compared strength training versus stretching for improving flexibility and found both to be equally effectively. (3)

By training all your major muscle groups and joints through a long range of motion, you don’t only get better gains in muscle mass and strength, but you also improve your flexibility the most.

3. Reduce Imbalances & Risk of Injuries

Most rotational sports like baseball, shotput, bowling, and golf, all rotate and throw from the same side of the body. When left unchecked, one side of the body gets stronger and bigger while the other side gradually gets weaker.

These are termed imbalances and asymmetries, and they are usually rather obvious between a rotational athlete's working and non-working sides.

The weaker side becomes prone to strains from sudden loads while the stronger side risks overuse injuries. For a right handed golfer, the down swing requires rapid firing of the left side of the core and right hip muscles. As these muscles get stronger, it results in an uneven pull on the spine, leading to the all too common back pain among golfers.

Which is why strength training is a golfer's best friend. Unilaterally loaded exercises that work each side independently helps to reduce imbalances and risk of injuries. (4)

If something starts to hurt, strength training under the watchful eyes and skillful guidance of a coach or personal trainer is an effective method for managing and preventing back pain and elbow injuries. (5)

Muscle and Movements Golfers Must Train

The golf swing is unique from other rotational sports movement in that the feet are fixed on the ground and power has to be generated from a standstill torque.

Strength training too, is carried out with both feet grounded.

To generate great power in a swing, golfers first need glute strength, hip stability, thoracic spine mobility, core and arm strength.

Subsequently, to translate their new found raw strength and flexibility into explosive power, golfers have to eventually incorporate power training, which focuses on explosive bouts of force production.

Sample 2-Days A Week Program

The first 6 weeks of this program focuses on solidifying technique and building a strength base, while the next 12 weeks sees inclusion of power training. Do not proceed to power training if your technique is not yet solid or you're currently nursing an injury.

Here's the program in a Google spreadsheet.

FREE 18-Weeks Golfers Program

WARM-UP

Quadruped Rocking

Open book stretch (T-spine rotation)

Hip 90/90 (Internal/external hip rotation)

Squat into toe touch

Shoulder circumduction

Inch Worm

Week 1 - Week 6 (Strength Base)

Day 1

Core

Suitcase Carry

Strength

Barbell Back Squat

Dumbbell Bench Press

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Single Arm Lat Pulldown

Standing Cable Triceps Extension

Day 2

Core

Axe Chop (Side to side)

Weighted Plank/Crunches

Strength

Barbell Deadlift

Barbell Bench Press

Single Arm Cable Row

Single Leg Squat Variation

Overhead Triceps Extension

Week 7 - Week 18 (Power)

Day 1

Core

Suitcase Carry

Power

Lateral Medicine Ball Wall Toss

Barbell Speed Squat into Box Jump

Dumbbell Floor Press Into Plyometric Push Up

Strength

Barbell Back Squat

Dumbbell Bench Press

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Single Arm Lat Pulldown

Standing Cable Triceps Extension

Day 2

Core

Axe Chop (Bottom to top)

Power

Medicine Ball Slam

Speed Deadlift Into Lateral Hop

Explosive Landmine Press (Requires a partner)

Strength

Barbell Deadlift

Barbell Bench Press

Single Arm Cable Row

Single Leg Squat Variation

Overhead Triceps Extension

THE BOTTOM LINE

The research is evident and the message is clear. If you're a golfer and you want a bigger driving distance, while staying on the course longer and injury free, strength training is a must. Getting to flex your biceps after a great shot is optional though.