Strength and mobility are two crucial pillars of golf fitness which every player should incorporate to improve their game and prevent injuries. This is particularly important for female players, who have a menstrual cycle and hormones at play as well as other anatomical and physiological differences compared to male golfers.
In this article, and thanks to the guidance of golf performance coach and movement expert Liesbeth Pauwels, we’re focusing on exercises built to help golfers avoid injuries and improve strength.
For over a decade, Liesbeth has been working with female golfers to improve their game performance through strength & conditioning, helping a range of players from juniors and amateurs to professionals and Ladies European Tour (LET) members.
Below, Liesbeth demonstrates five exercises that will improve rotation, strength and stability in the golf swing. You can read the step-by-step guide below or watch Liesbeth demonstrate each drill in our YouTube video. All the elements will help unlock massive potential on the course.
Exercise 1: Glute Activation
For this drill, you will need a yoga block, or a similar sized item like a book. Simply lie on your back with your knees up and place the block underneath your foot.
Place the palms of your hands down on the ground and exhale a deep breath, bringing the rib cage down, lifting the pelvic floor muscles, and pressing your heels down with both feet. You should start to feel some core engagement happening here.
From there, raise your hips up to active the glutes further and lift the opposite leg up towards your chest, slowly returning it back after a few seconds. Dynamically, go through this motion several times trying to keep the hips as stable as possible. Repeat for 15 -20 reps on each side.
This exercise will strengthen your glute muscles, helping to prevent injury in your lower back while increasing speed when swinging the golf club.
Exercise 2: Core Stability
For this exercise you will need two kettlebells. Standing upright, place the kettlebells either side of both feet. Bending down with your back remaining straight, lift the weights and bring them up standing nice and tall. Repeat for the duration of 60 seconds.
Using the same glute activation engaged in the previous exercise, lift your knees up one at a time ensuring your posture remains upright and the hips do not hang. This foundational exercise will enable us to withstand the frequent rotations in our golf swing.
While this is a simple looking exercise, do not underestimate the challenge of it nor get complacent with the fundamentals required.
Exercise 3: Lower Body Strength
Next up we are going to take you through a deadlift. Alternatively, any compound lift such as a squat, split squat, push, pull, and press are all amazing exercises to improve lower body strength.
You will need one kettlebell for this exercise, placing it in-between both feet while standing upright. Slowly start to shift your weight back towards your heels, bending down to ensure the hips automatically move back.
Pick the kettlebell up with both hands, bringing it up slowly before returning it back to the ground. This is a movement with a lot of mechanics involved so we want to keep the spine nice and long to prevent any arching in the back. As you lift, inhale with the movement going down, exhale up. Depending on the weight, repeat for 10 reps and 4 sets.
This is a lower body strengthening exercise which is amazing to build core stability and subsequently hit longer drives.
Exercise 4: Rotary Power Movement
For this next drill you will need a cable band attached to a lower anchor point. Such equipment can also be found in your local gym. Standing upright, take a hold of the band and place it in the middle of your chest.
Bend down making a squat position while bringing the hands down to the side of your hip. Turn and lift upwards replicating a golf swing motion, exploding up and pushing away. You really want to feel that load and explode motion into the hips. Repeat this motion as explosive as possible for 10 times on each side.
Exercise 5: Mobility and Recovery
The final exercise is all about balancing everything out given that golf is a one-sided rotary sport.
Using a mat, position yourself in an all four’s position with your knees and palms both on the floor. With your fingers spread wide and toes tucked in, gently press your knees up and lift the hips up and away, bending your knees and focusing on a spinal extension.
Take a couple of nice deep breaths in this downward facing dog position, focusing on extension in the spine. Slowly return onto the knees. Stay for 5 breaths or repeat another time.
For more information or questions, check out Liesbeth’s work at https://www.lpgolfperformance.nl or follow her on socials @lp.golf.performance
