How to get more powerful glutes and hamstrings for a faster swing

You don’t have to be a contractor to know it doesn’t matter how handsome the roofline is if you lack a solid foundation. Yet plenty of golfers only focus on the pretty positions the club achieves during the swing. They don’t consider the fact that without a strong base — namely, your lower body — you can’t have a powerful motion, never mind how attractive and fundamentally sound it is.

You can produce that strong base without spending a leg and an arm. (See what I did there?) Two simple items, an exercise band and a kettlebell, will do the trick. That, and a few minutes a few times a week. You don’t need to run a marathon to take longer walks down the middle of the fairway.

1. Goblet squats with band

Place an exercise band just above your knees and get into an athletic position, with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing forward. Hold a kettlebell in both hands against the middle of your chest. Without tilting your torso too far forward, drop down to 90 degrees, like you’re sitting in a chair, then rise back to the start position. (See picture above).

2. Lateral lunge to post with kettlebell

Start with the kettlebell against your chest, feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your right foot, shift to the right and plant the foot, sinking down so the knee is bent 90 degrees. Return to the start position by pushing off with the right foot — but end with your right knee raised to hip height before returning back to the lunge position. Great golf exercises help ingrain the right athletic move. This one helps you learn to load up on the right side and get over onto your left side, or vice versa for southpaws.