The closer you can get your ball to the hole, the fewer expected strokes it will take to hole out. That’s a key to improving your score on the golf course. And it’s partly why PGA TOUR players who are known for their power and distance — like Rory McIlroy, who currently leads the tour in strokes gained total and strokes gained off-the-tee — are able to consistently finish among the leaders at PGA TOUR tournaments.
When you’re on the course, you have what you have in terms of innate ability and hope to get the most out of it as you play. Off the course, however, you can work to build your power and swing speed, so the next time you tee up your ball, perhaps it will travel a little faster and farther. Certain strength and mobility exercises can help you improve in these areas, according to experts.
“By training the body to generate explosive power through rotational movements, golfers can improve their ability to quickly accelerate the clubhead through the ball, resulting in higher clubhead speed and increased distance,” says Brian Fox, CSCS, Dynamic Personal Trainer and Alpha master coach at Life Time in St. Louis Park, Minn.
To help you improve your game this golf season, we asked Fox to demonstrate a workout that includes the rotational and strength-building exercises he recommends for building power and adding speed to your golf swing.
Warm Up
1. Half-Kneeling Thoracic Spine Rotations
“This move helps warm up the thoracic spine (upper and middle back) and mobilize the lower body with a deep lateral adductor stretch,” explains Fox. “These areas of the body all have key involvement in golf-swing movements.”
- Start in a kneeling position and kick your left leg straight out to the side. Sit back into the heel of your right leg. Press the palm of your right arm onto the floor, keeping your arm straight.
- Take your left arm and rotate so it’s reaching under your chest across your body, behind your right arm. Hold for one second before rotating back and extending your left arm upward.
- Repeat for two sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side with a slow, controlled tempo.
2. Hinge Position Banded Reverse Fly with Rotation
“This exercise will warm up your rear delts, mid back, and your entire core complex, which are essential for some of the exercises in the strength portion of this workout,” says Fox.
- Attach a resistance band to the bottom of a weight rack (or something stable that is close to the ground).
- With one hand holding each side of the band, back up until you feel a little tension on the band and bend over in a slight hinge position.
- Holding your arms straight, bring one arm back until the band is across your chest and your upper body has rotated 90 degrees from your original starting position.
- Rotate back to center and repeat on the other side.
- Continue to alternate sides back and forth for two sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side.
Strength Exercises
3. Hex Bar Deadlift
“The hex bar deadlift primarily targets the posterior chain (muscles along the backside of the body), including the glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and traps,” says Fox. “These muscles are critical for generating power in the golf swing. A stronger posterior chain helps maintain a stable and powerful base, which is needed for producing speed and control in the swing.
“This exercise also mimics the movement of hinging at the hips and driving through the legs, much like the kinetic chain in a golf swing,” he adds. “By strengthening the hip extensors (especially the glutes and hamstrings), it enables a golfer to increase their ability to drive through the ball, resulting in more distance.”
- Stand with your feet under your hips and your lats engaged. Bend over until you can reach the handles of the hex bar.
- With a slight knee bend, tall chest, neutral spine, and flat feet, stand up with the bar until you create a straight line from your shoulders through your hips, knees, and ankles.
- Lower back down and repeat for four sets of six to eight reps.
4. Bulgarian Split Squat with Rotation (Dual Kettlebell Front Rack Position)
“The Bulgarian split squat requires stable balance as one leg is elevated on a bench or platform,” says Fox. “This forces the body to engage stabilizing muscles in the lower body and core. Golfers need excellent balance and coordination to maintain proper posture and control throughout their swing. Practicing Bulgarian split squats can improve proprioception (the ability to sense body position), which is key to maintaining stability during the dynamic movement of the golf swing.”
- Start seated on a box or bench with two kettlebells in the front rack position.
- Kick one leg out in front of you as far as you can reach with your heel planted.
- Stand tall in your front leg and put your back foot up on the box or bench.
- With the top of your back foot pressed firmly into the box or bench and your front leg planted flat on the ground, squat down into a single-leg squat. As you squat, rotate toward your forward knee, reaching your elbow toward your contralateral knee.
- Repeat for four sets of six to eight reps on each side.
5. Dual-Cable Push-Pull
“Golfing requires coordinated movements between the upper and lower body, and the dual-cable push-pull exercise mirrors the functional patterns of a golf swing,” says Fox. “It develops neuromuscular coordination, helping golfers achieve smoother, more efficient movement and better timing.”
- Using a dual-cable machine, set the handles to around chest height and at least 7 feet apart.
- Standing tall, grab the right handle with your right hand and the left handle with your left hand.
- Rotate your body 90 degrees until you are facing one of the attachments (that arm extended fully), while the other is behind you (that arm should be next to your chest).
- While bracing your core, press with the handle that is behind you (so that arm is now extended fully) and pull with the handle out in front of you (so that arm is now next to your chest).
- Repeat for three sets of eight to 10 reps on each side.
6. Med Ball Side Power Toss with Shuffle
“One of the key components of a powerful golf swing is the ability to generate speed quickly,” Fox says. “Golf heavily relies on rotation — particularly through the torso, hips, and shoulders — to generate power. The med ball side toss is an explosive movement that requires a rapid transfer of force from the legs through the core and upper body.”
- Start by standing perpendicular to a wall about 12 to 15 feet away. Hold a medicine ball in your hands.
- Initiate the exercise by doing a side shuffle toward the wall followed by a side tossing motion, throwing the ball at the wall as hard as you can and then catching it as it bounces off.
- Side shuffle back to the starting position and repeat for four sets of four to five reps on each side.
