If you’re like most weekend golfers, you want to improve your game. But are you willing to do all it takes? If you said yes, then the first step to improving your game is getting into better shape. Put simply, if you want to hit the ball farther, break 80, and reduce your golf handicap, then commit to getting fit.
We’ve seen it too many times from readers and students: they discount just how important proper golf fitness can be. What they don’t realize is that proper fitness can be the difference between limping off the course in pain and hitting the 18th green without breaking a sweat. After all, do you think you’ll be as strong or accurate after a five hour round if you’re grossly overweight or out of shape?
If you put in the work off the course, it can pay huge dividends on it in the form of longer, more accurate drives, and lower scores. Because it’s so important, here are the 7 things you should know before you start a golf fitness program:
1. Keep it simple
Keep your exercise program simple to achieve your fitness goals. If you’re like most weekend golfers you may only have 3 to 5 hours a week to workout. That’s not much time. To get the most out of your workout in that time, make your program quick and easy to “sneak in” when you have a free hour.
2. Make it compatible with your lifestyle
In addition to keeping your program simple, make it compatible with your lifestyle. What works for one person may not work for you. So make sure your exercise program matches your lifestyle. If you work 80 hours a week, don’t think that you’ll have a couple of hours per day to spend in the gym on top of that–after all, we’re all human. Know how much time you can realistically spend on a workout regiment that you can stick to, week in and week out.
3. Workout regularly
To see fitness results, you must make a commitment to workout regularly. If you don’t, you won’t exercise with the consistency and intensity required to make a major difference in your game. If you don’t see results from your training program, you’ll be far less likely to stick with it for the long haul. Ideally, you’d set a schedule and stick to it, but I know in this day-and-age peoples’ schedules can be chaotic, to say the least. Instead, commit to a set program like “3 days a week for an hour per day.” By Wednesday, if you haven’t done anything, you’ll know the next few days will be rough. This kind of incentive will cause you to adjust accordingly to a regular workout schedule that works for you.
4. Develop a plan
Developing a fitness plan is essential to achieving your fitness goals. Make sure your plan helps you become educated and self-reliant when it comes to working out, fits into your daily life with a minimum of disruption, and makes sense for you and your body. Include reasonable and achievable fitness goals in your plan to demonstrate your progress along the way.
5. Focus on flexibility
You need the power and ability to control your swing if you’re going to go low. Much of this comes from flexibility, which affects nearly every phase of your game. Increasing flexibility can add 30 or more yards to your woods and 15 or more yards to your irons. Working on flexibility is even more crucial as you get older to help keep your joints, muscles, and connective tissue strong and limber to prevent golf-related injuries.
6. Make a commitment
Don’t expect to improve your fitness level overnight. In fact, it will probably take at least a couple of months to see results—longer if you haven’t exercised in a while. So make a real commitment to shaping up. It’s the best way to reach your fitness goals and see significant improvement in your game.
7. Consult a doctor first
Consult a doctor before working out—especially if it’s been a while since you’ve done it before. It’s something we urge students in our golf lessons to do all the time. It’s even more important to consult a doctor if you have some health problems to start with. Your doctor can provide some parameters for your workouts and help you set some realistic fitness goals.
If you’re really serious about breaking 80 and reducing your golf handicap, commit to getting fit. Working to develop a fit, toned, capable body will help you take your game to the next level. Not to mention it can help you get stronger, have more confidence, and just flat-out feel better the rest of the time.