Strength and conditioning are essential to golf for several reasons. First, they improve power and stability, which translates to longer, more controlled shots. A golfer with better core strength, hip mobility and overall muscle balance can generate more power from their swing while maintaining the precision necessary for accuracy. Second, a well-rounded fitness regimen can prevent injuries, particularly in the lower back, shoulders and wrists, common problem areas for golfers. Strength training also aids in recovery and reduces fatigue during long rounds.
Key Areas of Focus in Winter Golf Training
Winter training could look different, depending on where you are in your training experience and expertise. Golfers with less experience in the gym need to pay attention to their movement qualities before immersing themselves in a weights program. Those with more experience can hit the ground running and start the process of offseason gains.
1) Exercise selection
What is great about the offseason is our exercise selection expands greatly. The most important exercise categories when we structure a program are squat, hinge and push and pull. Within those categories, we can progress or regress these based on expertise.
With squat, which is one of the best ways to create ground reaction force, we can use many variations. We have the simplified version called a goblet squat where you hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest to a back or front squat.
Hinge variations work more of the back side of the lower body as well as create ground reaction forces in certain variations. From the most basic hinge being a bodyweight hinge to a barbell or hex bar deadlift, this is one of the greatest ways to create lower body strength in the offseason or throughout the year.
Push and pull exercises are more commonly known. A push exercise can be as complex as any form of bench press or as simple as a pushup. With pull, we see the pull-up being progressed or regressed into many forms.
More golf-specific exercises benefit the individual through the core exercises mentioned above. We use med ball slam or toss variations to aid in rotary power or exercises to separate torso and lower body movements, which increase distance and contact.
2) Volume
The offseason lends itself to having more volume in our training, while the season has usually varied volume - higher during off weeks and lower on or around competition weeks. In addition, the offseason volume is higher for longer periods with it tapering off as the golf season approaches.
For example: If we have a front squat in season focusing on power, we might see 10 total reps in a workout that could be spread out into five sets of two. In the offseason, we might see that same front squat, albeit with lighter intensity that we will talk about next, with reps up in the 20-30 range or four sets of anywhere from 6-8 reps.
3) Intensity
With a higher offseason volume, we pay attention to intensity and make sure it's not too high. In season our intensity is fairly high to high variably throughout to allow us to maintain the gains we had in the offseason. For the offseason, intensity would be inversely related to volume - as volume goes down throughout the offseason, the intensity increases.
For example: A deadlift variation at the beginning of the offseason might have an intensity that makes it easy for the lifter to complete the volume required. We could see these intensities range from as light as bodyweight to someone completing 6-10 reps at 80-90 percent of their maximum intensity near the end of the offseason.
Conclusion
Winter is the perfect time to prepare your body for the upcoming golf season. Investing time in a structured training program improves your physical attributes and reduces the likelihood of injury, ensuring you can enjoy the sport for years to come.
Zach Johnson is the Director of Performance at Seattle Golf Fitness in Mercer Island, Washington.
