Hip Pain in Golfers: The Real Cause (and 9 Exercises to Fix It)

Why Hip Pain is So Common in Golfers

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a single-digit handicapper, hip pain can silently wreck your golf swing. The hip joint is meant to rotate, stabilize, and transfer energy between the ground and your torso. But when either internal rotation (IR) or external rotation (ER) becomes restricted—as it often does in golfers—it creates tension, torque, and pain.

Tight hips don’t just limit range of motion, they force your body to compensate elsewhere. And one of the biggest culprits? A lack of foot stability.

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Poor Foot Stability = Locked-Down Hips

Your hips want to be mobile—but if your feet are unstable, the body prioritizes safety over performance. That means the hips will lock down to absorb instability, sacrificing rotation and setting the stage for pain.

Translation?

• If your arches collapse, your hips tighten.
• If your weight shifts poorly, your hips pay the price.
• If your feet can’t grip the ground, your hips overwork to stabilize your swing.

It’s a chain reaction—one we can interrupt with smart, targeted exercises.

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Top Exercises to Reduce Hip Pain & Improve Golf Swing Mobility

These hip exercises are not just great for pain relief, they’re vital for unlocking rotation, improving hip stability, and enhancing ground force production in your golf swing.

Each of these can be used as standalone drills or integrated into your warm-ups, cool-downs, or corrective sessions. Wherever possible, we’ll link back to dedicated blog posts that explain each one in more detail (recommended for SEO).

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1. Hip CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)

A staple for improving hip joint control, CARs isolate pure rotation and highlight asymmetries in internal and external rotation.

👉 Learn how to properly perform Hip CARs here (link to future or existing CARs blog)

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2. 90/90 Hip Flow Series

This includes:

• 90/90 Get Ups
• 90/90 with Twist
• 90/90/90 Oblique Stretch

These drills target both passive and active hip mobility, lengthening tight tissues while training the brain to access those ranges under control.

👉 See our full 90/90 hip mobility guide

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3. Side Bridges

Side bridges (or side planks) build lateral hip stability, especially in the glute med, which is essential for weight shift and pelvic control.

See our golf-specific side bridge progression

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4. Heel-Elevated Deep Squats

Elevating the heels allows for deeper hip and knee flexion while minimizing ankle mobility limitations. It’s a great way to decompress tight hips and improve anterior pelvic tilt control.

👉 Try this drill with breath work: Heel Elevated Squats

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5. Hip Airplanes

These are essential for teaching the body to control hip rotation under load. They reinforce both IR and ER while building balance and proprioception.

👉 Our full guide on Hip Airplanes for Golfers

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6. World’s Greatest Stretch to Downward Dog to Spiderman

A compound mobility sequence that hits the hips, hamstrings, thoracic spine, and calves—perfect for full-body integration before your round.

👉 See how to use this in your golf warm-up routine

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7. Foam Rolling for the Hips & TFL

Before stretching, release tension in the hip flexors, TFL, and glutes using a foam roller. This preps your tissue for movement.

👉 Check out our Foam Rolling for Golfers guide

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8. Adductor Rock-Backs

These target the inner thigh and help restore hip abduction, which is often tight and overlooked in golfers.

👉 Learn the adductor rock-back variation we recommend

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9. Pelvic Control + Hip Activation Drills

Any time you’re doing hip mobility work, don’t forget to pair it with glute activation and pelvic stability work—so your brain learns to use that new range.

This is where drills like diaphragmatic breathing, dead bugs, and suitcase carries complement the above list for long-term results.

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When to Use These Drills

Situation	Recommended Drills
Pre-Round Warm-Up	Hip CARs, 90/90 with Twist, Down Dog to Spiderman
Post-Round Recovery	Foam rolling, Oblique Stretch, Heel-Elevated Squats
Ongoing Rehab for Hip Pain	Hip Airplanes, Side Bridges, Adductor Rock-Backs
Strengthening & Integration	90/90 Get Ups, Deep Squats, Suitcase Carries

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Swing Faults Caused by Tight Hips

When the hips are locked up—especially in IR and ER—you’re likely to see swing faults like:

• Early Extension (pushing the pelvis toward the ball on the downswing)
• Loss of Posture
• Sway or Slide during weight shift
• Inability to Separate Hips from Torso
• Low Back Pain from compensating with lumbar spine movement

These are common in players who spend hours sitting, lack a proper warm-up, or haven’t trained hip mobility intentionally.

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