5 golf swing exercises to improve your long distance game

When you’re playing golf, the difference between a 150-yard and 250-yard drive can sometimes seem like it comes down purely to luck, particularly if you’re new to the game.

However, there’s more science to your golf swing than you might think. The predominant muscles used in a golf swing are in the back, neck, shoulders, core, and hips, and how you use these muscles and take care of them can make all the difference.

In this blog, we’ll look at some of the best golf exercises to improve your swing, giving you more consistency and confidence in your overall game.

You don’t necessarily need any specialist equipment for these golf swing exercises, either. They can be done easily at home or in the gym, whichever is your preference.

Best exercises to improve your golf swing

1. The hip crossover

Your hips play a crucial role when playing golf. They help generate power, maintain form, and control accuracy in your swing. If you don’t roll your hips all the way through your swing, you could end up pushing or pulling your strokes.

It takes strong mobility and control to effectively roll the hips, which is why the hip crossover is so important. The hip crossover will help you separate control between your shoulders and pelvis, and improve your agility and control when driving the ball.

How to do the hip crossover

• Lie on your back and lift your knees up to a 90-degree angle, keeping your feet and legs together. Keep your shoulders flat on the ground.
• Holding this posture, twist your legs at the hip until they touch the ground on one side, and then again on the other.
• Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

2. The slow sit-up

The slow sit-up is ideal for developing and maintaining the core muscles used in a golf swing.

Unlike the traditional sit-up, this exercise begins with you sitting upright and slowly lowering yourself down. Doing this ensures your core is properly engaged and you aren’t relying on momentum to lower and raise your torso.

How to do a slow sit-up

• Sit on the floor with your back upright and knees bent.
• Keep your feet flat on the ground and place each arm across your chest in an X shape or straight ahead for balance.
• In one motion and without resting, slowly lower your torso backwards to meet the ground and sit back up.
• Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

3. The Superman

It’s hardly surprising that some of the most common golf injuries occur in the lower back. All that twisting and bending can take its toll over time, especially if your swinging form still needs perfecting, and hence involves some flexing of the lower back during the backswing or downswing.

But the Superman minimises your risk of lower back injuries by strengthening your glutes, core, and back, all of which will prolong your playing life and improve your overall game.

How to do the Superman

• Lie on your stomach on a flat, solid surface.
• Place your arms forwards and keep your legs straight.
• Lift your arms and legs up from the floor at once, and then drop them back down to perform one rep.
• Report 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

If you want to increase the difficulty and effectiveness, you can try holding the rep mid-air for a second or more before lowering your limbs back to the ground.

4. The squat

Your golf swing is as much about your legs as it is about your arms. Your hip flexors, glutes, and quadriceps are all crucial components of a drive, so a squat is one of the best golf exercises you can do.

With the downswing, it’s possible to lose posture due to either tightness in the calf muscles or lack of stability in the hips. With the backswing, it’s often due to limited mobility of the lat muscles and thoracic spine, but doing squats can help to correct either.

How to do a squat

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and adjust the outward angle of your feet until you feel balanced.
• Keeping your back straight, bend your knees and lower yourself until your quads are parallel with the ground.
• Hold the position for five seconds before slowly returning to a standing position.
• Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

5. The leg swing

As we mentioned earlier, stiffness in your hips can negatively impact your golf swing, so targeting your hips is always a good idea.

If you’re right-handed, you generate power from your right glute during your backswing and downswing. That’s why you need solid hip mobility if you want to increase your distance.

Leg swings can help increase flexibility and mobility in your hips, legs, and lower back. This allows you to increase your swing speed without risking hyperextension of your joints.

How to do a leg swing

• Stand with your right hand holding a wall or door frame for balance, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Keeping your torso straight, swing your left leg forwards and backwards as far as you're able to in one fluid motion.
• Repeat this for about 10 swings and switch legs. Do three sets for each leg.

Why is a good golf swing important?

Your golf swing is integral to your all-round game. You can be full of knowledge and strategy, but if your swing is off, your whole game is off.

A good golf swing can help improve:

• Consistency: a consistent swing will result in fewer mishits, slices, or topped shots. You'll also have more control over your shot targets.
  
  
• Distance: an efficient swing maximises the energy transferred from your body to the club and then the ball, which means you can achieve greater distance with less effort.
  
  
• Accuracy: a good, well-practised swing helps improve your aim and accuracy. It can also give you better control over your shot trajectory.
  
  
• Injury prevention: swinging properly helps promote correct form and posture, which can reduce the likelihood of injury while playing.

Knowing how to improve your golf swing is important for your ongoing development as a golfer. The more confident you are in your swing, the more confident you’ll be in your general game, and there are plenty of easy golf exercises you can do to help master the art.

Specialist golf insurance through Insure4Sport

Whether you’re completely new to golf or you’ve been playing for years, your swing is one aspect of your game you’ll always be working on and trying to perfect.

But as we’ve seen, accidents and injuries can happen in golf, whether you’re playing competitively or casually, so you might want to consider protecting yourself and your equipment with specialist golf insurance before your next round.

Through Insure4Sport, there are four golf insurance packages to choose from, depending on the level of cover you require. Get a quote online today to find out more.