The Best Exercises for Golf: A TPI-Certified Coach’s Program

A golfer can spend hours hitting balls without addressing the physical limitations shaping every swing. Limited hip rotation may force the lower back to move more than it should. Poor single-leg stability can make pressure shift inconsistent. A lack of strength may leave speed on the table.

The best exercises for golf address those problems without turning every gym session into an imitation of the golf swing. This guide explains how to build mobility, strength, stability, and power through a practical two-day program that supports better movement on the course.

Key Takeaways

• The best golf program trains general athletic qualities that support the swing rather than copying the swing with weights.
• Golfers need enough mobility to reach useful positions and enough strength to control those positions.
• Lower-body strength, trunk control, pulling strength, balance, and rotational power deserve regular attention.
• Exercise selection should reflect your movement limitations, injury history, training experience, and playing schedule.
• Two focused strength sessions per week can provide a useful starting point for many recreational golfers.

What Makes an Exercise Useful for Golf?

A useful golf exercise should improve a physical quality that influences how you move, tolerate force, or produce force. That may include hip mobility, thoracic rotation, lower-body strength, trunk stability, balance, or explosive power.

This does not mean an exercise must look like a golf swing. In fact, repeatedly performing loaded swing imitations can encourage poor mechanics and add fatigue without developing much general strength. The gym should build physical options. Your golf coach and practice sessions can then refine how you use those options in the swing.

Start with the body-swing connection

Titleist Performance Institute, commonly known as TPI, uses the term Body-Swing Connection to describe how a golfer’s physical capabilities may influence swing characteristics. TPI-certified professionals learn to assess physical readiness through a movement screen rather than guessing which exercises a golfer needs.

A screen does not diagnose a medical condition or declare that one physical limitation causes a specific swing fault. It gives the coach a clearer picture of how the golfer moves. Training can then focus on the restrictions or weaknesses most likely to affect that individual.

A golfer who struggles to separate the upper and lower body may need a different plan from someone who rotates well but lacks force production. Someone experiencing back pain needs a different starting point from a healthy golfer who simply wants more clubhead speed.

A TPI golf fitness evaluation can assess mobility, stability, balance, and movement control before a program is written.

Train qualities, not isolated body parts

Golf is a whole-body athletic action. The feet interact with the ground, the legs produce and accept force, the pelvis and torso rotate, and the arms transfer energy to the club. A program built only around arms, abdominal exercises, or stretching misses most of that process.

Effective exercises for golf generally fall into five categories:

Mobility without strength may allow you to reach a position that you cannot control. Strength without adequate movement options may make it difficult to use that force efficiently. Golf training should develop both.

Avoid searching for one perfect exercise

There is no single best golf exercise for every player. The value of an exercise depends on who is performing it, why it is in the program, and how well it is coached.

A trap-bar deadlift may be an excellent strength exercise for one golfer. Another golfer may start with a kettlebell deadlift because it is easier to learn and recover from. A third may temporarily use a hip thrust because back symptoms make loaded hinging uncomfortable.

The exercise is a tool. The program determines how that tool fits with the golfer’s needs.

The Best Exercises for Golf by Training Goal

The following movements cover the major physical qualities most golfers should develop. They are not a universal prescription. Pain, recent surgery, medical restrictions, or unresolved injuries should be assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional before you begin a new program.

Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch with reach

This drill addresses the front of the hip while adding a controlled upper-body reach. It can be useful for golfers who spend much of the day sitting or who struggle to extend the trail hip during the finish.

Kneel with one knee on a pad and the opposite foot in front. Gently tuck the pelvis as though bringing the belt buckle toward the ribs. Squeeze the glute on the kneeling side, shift forward slightly, and reach that arm overhead.

Do not create movement by arching the lower back. Hold for three to five controlled breaths on each side.

Open-book thoracic rotation

The open book helps golfers explore rotation through the upper back while keeping the pelvis relatively quiet. It is often a better choice than forcing large standing rotations, where compensation is harder to notice.

Lie on your side with the hips and knees bent. Extend both arms in front of you. Rotate the top arm and chest toward the floor behind you while keeping the knees together.

Move only as far as you can without forcing the shoulder to the ground. Perform six to eight slow repetitions per side.

Goblet squat

The goblet squat develops leg strength while teaching the golfer to control the trunk and pelvis. Holding the weight in front often makes it easier to maintain balance and learn useful squat mechanics.

Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to the chest. Sit down between the hips while keeping the entire foot connected to the floor. Stand by pushing through the floor rather than lifting the chest first.

Your stance width and toe angle do not need to match someone else’s. Use the position that lets you squat with control and without pain.

Rear-foot-elevated split squat

Golf requires both legs to manage force in different positions. A rear-foot-elevated split squat trains unilateral leg strength while challenging hip control and balance.

Place the back foot on a low bench and position the front foot far enough forward to keep the heel down. Lower under control, then drive through the front leg to stand. A slight forward torso angle is acceptable when the spine remains controlled.

Start with a standard split squat if elevation makes the exercise unstable. The goal is leg strength, not surviving a balance test.

Romanian deadlift

The Romanian deadlift develops the glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles that support force production from the ground. It also teaches the hip-hinge pattern used in many athletic actions.

Hold dumbbells in front of the thighs. Soften the knees, move the hips backward, and lower the weights while keeping them close to the legs. Stop when you reach your available hamstring range without losing trunk position.

A common mistake is turning the movement into a squat. The hips should travel backward more than the knees travel forward.

One-arm cable row

A strong upper back helps control the shoulder blades and transfer force through the torso. The one-arm cable row also lets the coach vary stance and trunk demands.

Stand in an athletic position and pull the handle toward the ribs without shrugging. Keep the torso controlled instead of rotating to create extra range.

Once the basic version is consistent, the exercise can be performed in a split stance or half-kneeling position. Those variations change the stability demand without requiring heavier weight.

Half-kneeling landmine press

The landmine press trains upper-body pushing strength along an angled path that many golfers find comfortable. The half-kneeling position also challenges pelvic and rib control.

Set one knee down and hold the end of the bar on the same or opposite side, depending on the variation prescribed. Press forward and upward while keeping the ribs from flaring.

Do not lean back to finish the repetition. Reduce the weight if you cannot maintain position.

Pallof press

The Pallof press trains the trunk to resist rotation. That may sound unrelated to a rotational sport, but golfers need both rotation and the ability to control it.

Stand perpendicular to a cable or resistance band. Hold the handle at the chest, then press it directly forward without allowing the cable to turn your torso. Pause briefly before returning.

This is not a test of how far you can stand from the machine. Use enough resistance to challenge control without changing your posture.

Suitcase carry

A suitcase carry develops grip strength, trunk control, and the ability to maintain posture under an uneven load. Those qualities are useful far beyond golf and can support overall training capacity.

Hold one heavy dumbbell or kettlebell at your side. Walk slowly without leaning toward or away from the weight. Keep the shoulders level and take controlled steps.

Switch sides after a set distance or time. A practical starting point is 20 to 30 yards per side.

Single-leg Romanian deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift combines hip strength with balance and pelvic control. It can reveal meaningful side-to-side differences, but it should not become a circus trick.

Stand on one leg and reach the opposite leg behind you as the torso inclines forward. Keep the hips relatively square and return by driving through the stance foot.

Use a wall, dowel, or rack for light support when needed. Removing support is not automatically better if it reduces the quality of the exercise.

Medicine-ball scoop toss

The scoop toss is one of the most useful power exercises for golf because it trains rapid force production through the ground, hips, and trunk. Unlike slow cable rotations, the ball can be released, allowing the athlete to accelerate through the movement.

Stand sideways to a solid wall with a medicine ball near the rear hip. Load into the ground, rotate through the hips and torso, and throw the ball into the wall. Reset fully between repetitions.

Use a ball light enough to move quickly. A heavier ball that produces a slow, strained throw is no longer serving the same purpose.

Medicine-ball shot-put throw

The shot-put variation trains rotational power with a stronger upper-body contribution. Hold the ball near the rear shoulder and drive it into the wall as the lower body and torso rotate.

Keep the repetitions low and fast. Stop the set when speed drops or the movement becomes sloppy.

Power work should feel explosive, not exhausting. Three to five high-quality repetitions per side are usually more useful than a long set performed under fatigue.

Countermovement jump

Jumps train rapid force production without requiring the athlete to copy the golf swing. A simple countermovement jump can provide an accessible starting point.

Stand tall, dip quickly, and jump vertically. Land softly with the knees tracking over the feet. Pause and reset before the next repetition.

Golfers who are new to jumping can begin with low box jumps or controlled snap-down drills. The landing matters as much as the takeoff.

A Two-Day Golf Training Program

A practical golf exercise program does not need six gym days or dozens of movements. For many recreational golfers, two full-body strength sessions create enough exposure to improve while leaving time for practice, rounds, and recovery.

The private coaching approach at RPS builds structured programming around the athlete’s goals rather than assigning the same routine to every golfer. The sample below shows what a balanced program might look like before individual adjustments.

Day one: lower-body strength and rotational power

1. Open-book thoracic rotation: Two sets of six repetitions per side.
2. Medicine-ball scoop toss: Four sets of three repetitions per side.
3. Goblet squat: Three sets of six to eight repetitions.
4. One-arm cable row: Three sets of eight repetitions per side.
5. Rear-foot-elevated split squat: Three sets of six repetitions per side.
6. Pallof press: Three sets of eight controlled repetitions per side.
7. Suitcase carry: Three sets of 20 to 30 yards per side.

Perform the medicine-ball exercise early, while you are fresh. Rest long enough to maintain speed. During the strength work, finish most sets with one to three good repetitions still available rather than grinding to failure.

Day two: hinge strength and total-body power

1. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch with reach: Two sets of three breaths per side.
2. Countermovement jump: Four sets of three repetitions.
3. Romanian deadlift: Three sets of six to eight repetitions.
4. Half-kneeling landmine press: Three sets of eight repetitions per side.
5. Single-leg Romanian deadlift: Three sets of six repetitions per side.
6. Medicine-ball shot-put throw: Three sets of four repetitions per side.
7. Dead bug: Three sets of six controlled repetitions per side.

Place at least one recovery day between the sessions. A Monday and Thursday schedule often works well for a golfer who plays on weekends, although the best arrangement depends on practice volume and recovery.

The American College of Sports Medicine’s current resistance-training guidance stresses that consistent training matters more than finding a supposedly perfect routine. Its position stand also supports progressive resistance exercise for healthy adults and notes that different forms of resistance can improve strength and physical performance. See the ACSM resistance-training position stand for the full research review.

How to choose a starting weight

Select a load that lets you complete every repetition with the same basic technique. At the end of the set, you should feel that you could perform roughly two more good repetitions.

If the plan calls for eight repetitions and you could easily perform 15, the load is probably too light for the intended strength stimulus. If your position breaks down by repetition five, it is too heavy.

Use the following progression:

1. Start at the lower end of the repetition range.
2. Keep the same load until all sets are clean.
3. Add one repetition per set where appropriate.
4. Once you reach the top of the range, increase the load slightly.
5. Return to the lower end of the range with the new weight.
6. Reduce the load during unusually busy golf weeks or when recovery is poor.

Small increases are enough. A five-pound improvement sustained over several months matters more than an aggressive jump that interrupts training.

Practical example: the golfer who keeps stretching

Consider a right-handed golfer who feels tight during the backswing and stretches the hips every day. The stretching provides temporary relief, but the swing still feels restricted.

A movement assessment shows that the golfer has enough passive hip rotation but struggles to control the pelvis in a split stance. The golfer also has weak single-leg strength and rotates the lower back during basic trunk-control drills.

Adding more stretching is unlikely to solve the main issue. A better plan might use split squats, supported single-leg deadlifts, Pallof presses, and gradual rotational power work. The golfer still performs mobility exercises, but they are no longer the entire program.

This is why assessment matters. The sensation of tightness does not always mean a joint needs more flexibility.

How to Adjust the Program to Your Body and Season

A written routine is only a starting point. Your training should change according to your movement profile, experience, injury history, and golf schedule.

TPI teaches professionals to evaluate a player’s physical readiness and connect assessment findings with possible swing characteristics. The TPI certification overview explains how its physical screen forms the foundation of this process.

Use this golf training checklist

Before starting or updating your program, review the following questions:

• Can you perform the main movement patterns without pain?
• Do you have obvious side-to-side differences in balance, mobility, or strength?
• Are you training both lower-body and upper-body strength?
• Does your program include controlled trunk work as well as rotational movement?
• Are power exercises performed quickly and early in the session?
• Can you recover between gym sessions, practice, and rounds?
• Are the weights or exercise variations progressing over time?

A program that looks balanced on paper may still be wrong for your current schedule. Training stress includes gym work, range sessions, walking rounds, tournaments, work demands, and poor sleep.

Modify training during the golf season

In-season golf training should preserve the qualities built during the off-season without creating unnecessary soreness. Most golfers do not need to stop lifting when they begin playing more frequently.

Reduce total volume before removing intensity. For example, you might perform two sets of a squat instead of four while keeping a moderately challenging load. This helps maintain strength without creating as much fatigue.

Avoid introducing unfamiliar high-volume exercises immediately before an important round. New movements often cause more soreness than familiar ones, even when the workout does not feel difficult.

A simple in-season schedule may include:

• One full strength session early in the week.
• One shorter strength and power session later in the week.
• Brief mobility work before practice or as a separate recovery session.
• At least one low-stress day before a tournament or important round.

The general physical activity recommendation for adults includes muscle-strengthening work on at least two days per week. The CDC physical activity guidance provides broader health recommendations, although a sport-specific program still needs individual planning.

Know when an exercise needs to change

Muscle effort is expected. Sharp pain, numbness, radiating symptoms, joint instability, or worsening pain after training is not something to push through.

Stop or modify an exercise when:

• Pain changes your movement.
• You cannot maintain the intended position at an appropriate load.
• Fatigue from the exercise interferes with golf for several days.
• You repeatedly lose balance or control.
• An old injury becomes increasingly symptomatic.

An exercise can also change because you have outgrown it. Once a goblet squat is limited by how much weight you can hold, a coach may progress you to another squat variation. Once supported single-leg work becomes easy, support can be reduced or load increased.

Progression should reflect better capacity, not a desire to make every exercise more complicated.

Coordinate fitness work with golf instruction

A fitness coach should not rebuild your swing in the gym. A golf professional should not need to guess whether a movement problem is physical, technical, or both.

The strongest approach is collaborative. The golf coach identifies the ball-flight and swing patterns. The fitness coach assesses physical capabilities and builds the training plan. A medical professional addresses pain, injury, or conditions requiring diagnosis and treatment.

RPS combines sports performance coaching with TPI-certified golf fitness for golfers seeking a structured physical program. Information about the coaching team and training philosophy is also available on the RPS about page.

Build a Program Around the Golfer

The best exercises for golf are not a random collection of rotational drills. They form a program that develops usable mobility, lower-body strength, trunk control, balance, and power while respecting the golfer’s playing schedule.

Start with simple movements, train consistently, and progress them gradually. When the program reflects how your body actually moves, gym work becomes easier to connect to the demands of the course.

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