What Are the Best Exercises for Golf?

The 5 Training Buckets That Should Be in Every Golfer’s Program

If you’ve searched “what are the best exercises for golf”, you’re not alone—and you’re asking the right question.

But here’s the truth: There is no one-size-fits-all list of “best exercises.” Instead, the best approach is to train within five key movement categories, or buckets, that mirror the physical demands of golf. These buckets allow us to progress or regress movements based on fitness level, age, mobility, or training goals.

Whether you’re a weekend golfer looking to avoid injury, or a competitive player trying to add 10+ yards to your drive, these five categories form the foundation of any smart golf fitness program.

---

1. Jumping: Build Explosiveness from the Ground Up

Why it matters:
The golf swing starts from the ground. The better you are at producing and controlling force through the lower body, the more clubhead speed and ball distance you can generate.

Jumping exercises train your fast-twitch muscle fibers, build explosive power, and improve how you absorb force (which helps prevent injury).

Sample Jumping Exercises for Golf:

• Broad jumps
• Depth jumps + stick landings
• Split stance jumps
• Med ball overhead throws

Jumping focused exercises also teaches deceleration—a critical skill during the downswing when force must be redirected through your lead leg.

---

2. Hip Hinges and Squats: Strengthen Your Base

Why it matters:
Your hips are the engine of your swing. Without strong glutes, hamstrings, and quads, your swing won’t have the power—or stability—you need to repeat it consistently.

Hinge and squat patterns build the posterior chain and increase lower body strength. This also complements your jump work and helps transfer force into your upper body.

Best Exercises in This Bucket:

• Trap bar deadlifts
• Rear foot elevated split squats
• Kettlebell goblet squats
• Romanian deadlifts
• Iso lunges (holds for resilience)

These aren’t flashy, “golf-y” exercises—but they work. And they scale easily across fitness levels.

---

3. Anti-Rotation: Train Stability to Unlock Speed

Why it matters:
Speed without control is a recipe for swing faults and back pain. That’s why anti-rotation exercises are essential for golfers.

They build core stability, improve low back control, and help maintain posture throughout the swing.

And here’s the kicker—when the core is trained to resist rotation, it actually improves your ability to rotate efficiently through the thoracic spine and hips.

Key Anti-Rotation Golf Exercises:

• Pallof press (standing or half kneeling)
• Dead bug variations
• Bird dog holds or reach + pull
• Cable anti-rotation holds with stepping
• High Bear pull-throughs

Think of this bucket as the glue holding everything together—protecting your spine while increasing rotational efficiency.

---

4. Push/Pull Patterns: Build Balanced Strength

Why it matters:
Golfers need strong shoulders, lats, legs and upper backs—but it’s not about being jacked. It’s about building unilateral strength, control, and balance across your pushing and pulling systems.

You need horizontal and vertical pulls, and yes, pushes too. This bucket should also include a rotational push/pull component that will compliment our mobility bucket.

Smart Push/Pull Movements for Golf:

• Seated or half kneeling single-arm lat pulldowns
• Face pulls (for shoulder external rotation)
• Horizontal rows with mid-back rotation
• Unilateral dumbbell presses (with opposing pulls)
• Landmine presses + cable pulls

This bucket builds the neuromuscular coordination of your swing, especially when you match push and pull patterns across the midline.

---

5. Mobility: Own Your Range of Motion

Why it matters:
Mobility is more than flexibility. It’s the ability to control strength through full ranges of motion—especially in the joints critical to the golf swing.

The most important mobility areas for golfers:

• Thoracic spine (mid back)
• Hips (internal + external rotation)
• Ankles (for ground contact + balance)
• Shoulders (for swing plane and overhead control)
• Neck + wrist (for fluid rotation + release)

Without mobility, your swing gets out of sequence. You compensate, lose posture, or overload other areas like the low back.

Best Mobility Exercises for Golfers:

• 90/90 get-ups
• Adductor rock backs
• Thoracic mobility drills
• Deep lunge with rotation

Mobility is a daily practice. It should be woven into your warmups, cooldowns, and recovery days.

---

How We Program This at Kinetix Golf Performance

Every golfer we work with—online or in person—gets a plan built on these five movement categories.

That’s how we built our 6-week golf performance program:

• Mobility and activation in the A block
• Strength and power in the B/C blocks
• Finishers, contrast training, and recovery baked in
• Adjusted for fitness level and equipment access

We don’t chase trends. We build repeatable athleticism for real-world golf performance.

---

Final Thoughts: The Best Golf Exercises Come from Smart Buckets

If you came here looking for a magic list of “Top 5 Golf Exercises”—you now know the real answer.

It’s not about finding one perfect exercise. It’s about training within the right buckets, in the right order, with the right level of progression for your body and goals.

Train smarter. Build capacity. Hit better shots.

---

Ready to Train Like a Golfer?