Exercise Recommendations

Mobility

Mobility is an essential mechanism that is part of golf as it aids in a fully equipped and applicable golf club swing (Bourgain et al., 2022). Mobility based exercises target specific areas of the body like the hips, shoulders, thoracic spine and abdominal muscles. Beginning with thoracic spine and abdominal exercises like downward dog, child’s pose and russian twists, these exercises will provide better flexibility in the spine and greater movement in the abdomen for a fully functional golf swing (Evans & Tuttle, 2015). Hip exercises include internal hip rotations and 90/90 twists, these exercise will give the hip joint more depth which will provide a smoother rotation in the hips when swinging the golf club (Evans & Tuttle, 2015). Lastly, shoulder exercises include fly’s and external rotation, performing these exercises will strengthen the key muscles involved in stabilizing the shoulder and keep the shoulders in the right angle that is required to perfect a golf swing (Evans & Tuttle, 2015). Performing these exercises during trainings or even part of warmups will help prevent injuries from occurring by correcting posture and joint angles.

Figure 7: 90/90 exercise (Hanrahan, 2024).

Strength

Another important component of golf is Strength. This mechanism is the base of a golf swing which allows it to be consistent and smooth (Olivier et al., 2016). Building muscle strength in the legs, core, and upper limb will help the golfer feel more secure and composed when swinging through. The first exercise that helps build muscle strength in the whole body would be planking with tricep extensions, this builds endurance through the core whilst defining the arms to be able to perfect the technique of a golf swing (Olivier et al., 2016). Walking lunges, will increase the strength in the lower limb and provide a stronger base of support (Olivier et al., 2016). Rotational medicine ball throws against a wall will build strength through the whole body which will help in generating as much force as possible when hitting the ball with the golf club (Olivier et al., 2016). Overall, these exercises wont just aid in increasing strength but can prevent injuries like muscle fatigue and stress fractures.