Golf puts more physical demand on your body than most people realize. From the explosive force of a drive to the endurance needed to walk 18 holes, your muscles and joints are working constantly. Strength training exercises for golfers can help bridge that gap, adding distance off the tee, reducing injury risk, and keeping your energy up through all 18 holes.
Here are six exercises worth adding to your routine, pulled from the Sports & Outdoors category of training approaches that translate directly to on-course performance.
1. Deadlifts
Deadlifts strengthen the posterior chain: glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. These are the same muscles that drive hip rotation in your swing, and keeping them strong helps prevent the back pain that sidelines a lot of golfers.
How to do it: stand hip-width apart, hold a barbell or dumbbells, hinge at the hips, and lift with a flat back. Lower the weight slowly and with control.
2. Goblet Squats
Lower-body strength and posture go hand in hand in golf. Goblet squats build both. Holding a dumbbell at your chest while you squat keeps your torso upright and reinforces the same alignment you want at address.
How to do it: hold a dumbbell close to your chest, lower into a squat with your chest upright, then push through your heels to stand.
3. Cable Rotations
If there’s one movement that transfers directly to the golf swing, it’s cable rotations. They develop the rotational power that comes from your core and hips working together, which is where most of your distance actually comes from.
How to do it: stand sideways to a cable machine, pull the handle across your body using your core and hips, then slowly return to the start.
4. Bulgarian Split Squats
Balance and hip mobility matter more in the golf swing than most people think. Bulgarian split squats address both, and they build the single-leg strength you need as your weight shifts through the ball.
How to do it: place one foot behind you on a bench, lower into a lunge, then press through your front foot to stand.
5. TRX Rows
Upper back strength is easy to overlook, but it’s what keeps your shoulders stable and your posture solid over a full round. TRX rows target exactly that.
How to do it: hold the TRX straps and lean back, engage your core, then pull your chest toward your hands in a controlled motion.
6. Pallof Press
The Pallof press builds anti-rotational core strength. It trains your core to resist twisting forces, which is what keeps your swing controlled and repeatable under pressure.
How to do it: attach a band or cable at chest height, stand sideways to the resistance, press the handle straight out, and resist any rotation.
Getting the Most from Strength Training Exercises for Golfers
Adding strength training exercises for golfers to your routine doesn’t require hours in the gym. These six movements target the muscles and patterns that matter most on the course. Done consistently, they’ll help you swing with more power, stay injury-free, and hold up through an entire round.