Five Golf Exercises That Strengthen and Tone

By Jack Moorehouse

Many weekend players taking golf lessons from me ask why they often play well on the front nine and poorly on the back nine. One reason could be the course. Some courses are easier on the front nine than the back. Or maybe your game is not suited to that side of the course. But third reason could be conditioning.

If you don't play often or work out, you may be out of shape to go 18 holes. Playing the front with the sun beating down on you for a couple of hours can sap your strength. When you get to the back nine, you may be tired, throwing your game off. While playing a lot is great, working out is just as beneficial. It not only improves your health, it also helps your golf game, as I explain my golf instruction sessions.

Your upper body works hard during 18 holes of golf. Also, you can conserve strength in your legs by riding a cart, but there's no way of preventing your upper body from getting a good work. It's not a bad idea, then, to strengthen this area if you play 18 holes a lot. Try the following exercises to strengthen and tone your upper body.

1. Front Raises to Side Raises
This exercise increases clubhead speed. Start out holding 10-pound weights (work your way up to 20), then balancing on one foot, rotate your arms toward your body, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. The backs of your hands will be facing forward. Pull your navel towards your spine and slightly hinge forward at the hips. Maintaining a slight bend in your arms, lift them in front of your body to shoulder height. For the side raises, lift your arms to the side and to shoulder height. Repeat this exercise 10 times to the front and side.

2. Pectorals/Biceps Stretch
This exercise, which uses a club, improves posture and shoulder turn. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Bend your knees and pull your navel toward your spine, stabilizing your trunk. Don't arch your back. Bring your arms behind your back and grip the club. Inhale deeply and on the exhalation, lift your arms, focusing on the stretch in your chest. Maintain an upright posture. Return to the starting position. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

3. One Arm Row
This exercise strengthens your shoulder and increases power off the tee. Standing in a lunge position or kneeling with one leg on a bench, flex your abs and flatten your back, briefly taking and holding a breath. While holding a 10-pound weight extend your right arm, feeling the stretch in your back and arms. Exhale and pull your arm back in line with your body. Now squeeze your arm against your body and hold for an additional two seconds. Then extend the lower part of your right arm back, focusing on your triceps. Hold for two more seconds. Repeat 15 times and switch arms.

4. The Wood Chop
This is a great golf exercise because it not only strengthens your muscles, it also repeats the movement pattern from the top of your backswing to impact. Place resistance tubing in a door hinge and position your right shoulder perpendicular to the door (right handers.) Bring your left hand to the tubing, then place your right hand over the left. Bend your knees slightly, then take a breath while flexing your abdominal muscles, and hold it. Exhale and pull the tubing down and across your body, bring the tubing to the outside of your opposite hip. Repeat 10 to 15 times and switch sides.

5. The Tire Drill
This exercise strengthens your hands and wrists. Take a normal golf stance with a tire positioned like a large golf ball in front of you. Employing a normal grip, use a quarter swing to hit the back of the tire moving the clubhead as fast as possible. The pitch of the swishing noise and the sound of the impact are your indicators. The higher the pitch and the louder the crack, the faster the clubhead speed. The loudest crack is heard when the clubhead releases properly—similar to the way a hammer strikes a nail. The longer the hit is delayed the stronger the sound. Take 10 to 15 swings then stop. Repeat the drill 3 times.

You can repeat the tire drill in the opposite direction, if your wish, so as not to strengthen one side of the body more than the other. But even if you don't, completing the five exercises described above strengthens your upper body, decreasing your chances of fading on the back nine because of poor conditioning.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.