There is still more than one month left of summer and plenty of time to play your best golf ever. If your game hasn’t improved as much as you wanted to this summer, try adding some golf-specific exercises into your daily routine to help you move better and more freely. Stay tuned for golf-fitness exercises and drills that you can do at home or in your office every day to help not only improve your swing technique but also help you build mobility, strength and endurance on and off the golf course.
30 Drills and Golf-Fitness Exercises to Do Before the End of Summer
5. “L” Drill 6. Uphill Lie Drill
12. Deep Squat
If you top shots, most likely you are standing up as you strike the ball. Ideally, you want to keep the same angle your torso and legs formed at address position the same throughout your swing. Many high-handicappers stand up (straighten their legs or lift their torsos) as the they strike the ball resulting in an array of bad shots including thin and topped shots, pulls and slices. If you take a look at professionals, you will see that they keep their spine angle throughout their swing and even many squat down as they strike the ball.
If you tend to stand up during your swing, ask yourself a few questions:
- Do you have poor posture?
- Do you lack flexibility in your hips?
- Do you have a tight low back?
- Do you lack flexibility in your hamstrings?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you may want consider assessing your ability to squat. This is a very informative test for golfers to determine if they have any mobility/flexibility/stability/strength issues preventing them from keeping their angles as they swing.
Deep Squat to Test Lower Body Strength and Stability
This test will help you measure the overall mobility in your legs, ankles, shoulders and spine. If you are unable to perform this test, it is likely that you will not able to maintain your spine angle throughout your downswing. The natural tendency is to thrust your hips toward the ball at the start of the downswing, thus pulling yourself up and out of the shot causing an array of errant shots and loss of power.
•Standing in your golf address position, place a club behind your back or simply raise your arms above your head while holding a golf club.
•Perform a squat as you attempt to maintain your original spine angle.
•Keep your arms raised over you head. Keep your knees aligned over your feet and heels planted on the ground.
•Maintain your balance.
Scoring Your Results
1-point-If the club you are holding up above your head falls forward at any time. If your heels raise up off the ground, your feet rotate out as you squat, you cannot bend your hips past your knees, you lose your spine angle or you lose your balance.
2-points-If you can maintain the club above your head as you squat down and stand back up again. If your heels stay on the ground, but your knees do not stay over your feet or you cannot squat down so that your hips are lower than your knees.
3-points-If you can maintain the club above your head as you squat down and stand back up again. If you can keep your heels down while you squat down so that your hips are lower than your knees and you are able keep your knees aligned over your feet.
If you scored less than 2 points, consider improving your upper and lower body strength and stability.
Most golf professionals will tell you that common swing faults such as poor posture and lack of rotation are from physical limitations and until you address those limitations you may never improve. Are your physical limitations holding you back from playing your best golf?
Take the Cardiogolf 30-Day Challenge to find the best exercises for you.
Take the Cardiogolf 30-Day Challenge to find the best exercises for you.
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To learn golf-specific exercises try my Cardiogolf 30-Day Golf Fitness Challenge today. 
Online Golf Fitness System now available to download on your smartphone or tablet.
Jump start your golf game and fitness level with this unique system from LPGA Teaching Professional and Golf Fitness Specialist Karen Palacios-Jansen. Karen has created a unique and customized online program which ensures that you can have fun and improve your golf game while fitting exercise into your busy schedule.
The Cardiogolf Online Golf Fitness System can help you increase your flexibility, mobility, strength and balance specific to golf. Email Karen at KP.J@swingbladegolf.com or visit KPJgolf.com for more information.
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