You’re Fit. But Are You Golf Fit?
The right combination of exercises can improve your game, and it’s not as simple as merely pumping more iron.
Matt Fitzpatrick is an example of a golfer who can crush his drives without looking like a powerlifter.
Photographer: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Not many men or women play pickup basketball past 50 — and if they do, they’ve stopped trying to jump as high as they did in their teens. But with golf, players of all ages are chasing the same fitness goals to gain distance off the tee.
Research over the past 10 years has led to massive gains in recognizing the complex sequencing required to execute a proper golf swing. That’s produced an expanding library of exercises designed to make us more stable, mobile and powerful, as well as a greater awareness among players now that the right combination of strength and flexibility matters. Those who specialize in training golfers now preach that fitness and golf fitness are two very different things, and prescribing more golf-specific exercises.