GOLF Top 100 Teacher Tony Ruggiero shares three exercises every golfer should do to strengthen their bodies to make better swings.
Tony Ruggiero
Have you ever worked on a swing change with your instructor, felt like you really had it on the range, and then completely lost it the moment you stepped onto the first tee?
Here’s the thing: It’s not that you forgot what to do. It’s that your body literally doesn’t know how to do it yet. Not really. Not when it counts. I’ve watched golfers get frustrated because they can’t make their swing changes stick. They understand the concept. They know what they’re supposed to do. But the second they’re standing over a ball with a club in their hands, especially when there’s a little pressure on? Right back to the old pattern.
When you’re out there playing golf, you’re in performance mode. Your brain is thinking about where the ball needs to go, what the wind is doing, whether you can clear that bunker, and about 17 other things. In that moment, your body defaults to what it knows best — the movement pattern you’ve grooved over thousands of swings. Even if that pattern isn’t great, it’s familiar. It’s comfortable. It’s what your nervous system trusts.
That’s where these three exercises come in. They’re going to do two huge things for your game. First, they’re going to develop the strength, the mobility, and the stability that make a good golf swing possible in the first place. Second (and this is the part most players miss), they’re going to help your body actually learn new movement patterns in an environment where you’re ready to receive new information.
When you’re doing these exercises, there’s no ball to hit. There’s no target to worry about. There’s no scorecard making you anxious. You’re just training movement. You’re teaching your body what the new pattern feels like, over and over, until it becomes familiar.
These are simple exercises that every golfer can knock out in five to ten minutes a day, max. You can do them in your living room, your garage, or even your office if you’ve got a few feet of space. They’ll transform your swing, and help your body feel better in general.
3 exercises to help your golf swing
Exercise 1: The Backswing-to-Downswing Pattern
This one’s all about teaching your body the fundamental loading and unloading sequence that powers every good golf swing.
Grab a stretch band (one of those resistance bands you can pick up at any sporting goods store) and hold it across your chest. You’re going to stretch it out a bit, keeping tension on it the whole time. Now, step back with your lead leg to create a split stance.
Make a backswing keeping the band stretched across your chest, loading onto your trail leg. You’re going to be internally rotating into your trail hip, not sliding away from the target. Your goal is to keep that trail foot flush on the ground.
Switch to the downswing side, keeping the band across your chest but pulling your trail leg back. As you make your shoulder turn with the band stretched, feel the vertical pressure pushing through your lead leg.
Do 10 reps of the backswing load, then 10 reps of the downswing fire-through. Feel the difference between the two positions. Feel how your body moves from one to the other. That’s the pattern you’re after.
Exercise 2: Early Extension Ender
If your hips thrust toward the ball in the downswing and you lose your posture, you need this exercise. For this one, you’re going to need either a friend to help you out or an anchor point where you can attach your stretch band. If you’ve got a buddy, have them hold one end of the band. If you’re on your own, loop it around a door handle or a sturdy post — something that’s not going to move.
Set up in a split stance with your trail leg back. Hold the other end of the band in your hands, and there should be some tension on it. You want to feel like you’re pulling against resistance.
Turn through like you’re making a downswing, and as you do, feel your trail side (right side for a right-handed golfer) pushing through the shot. Your right shoulder should be working under, not out and around. Under and through.
The band is going to want to hold you back. You’re fighting against that pull, which forces you to push against the ground to maintain your posture and rotate instead of extend. Do 15 reps of this one.
Exercise 3: The Dynamic Step Drill
Golf is not a static sport. You’re not standing still and just rotating in place. There’s a dynamic shift happening. There’s movement. There’s rhythm. And if you only train static positions, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle.
For this drill, hold your stretch band out in front of you with both hands and stretch it. You want tension on it, so pull it apart to engage your upper back and shoulders.
This one has a backswing and downswing component. For the backswing version, start with your feet together. Now, step back away from the target with your trail leg, and as you finish the step, turn into your backswing. The band stays stretched in front of your chest, and you’re rotating your upper body as you step back and load into that trail side.
This is training the dynamic loading pattern of the backswing. You’re not just turning in place. You’re stepping into the turn. You’re creating width. You’re loading with movement. This is how the backswing should actually work when you’re swinging a club. Do 10 reps of that. Step back, turn, feel the load. Step back, turn, feel the load.
For the downswing version, start with your feet together like before. This time, step toward the target with your lead leg, and as you finish the step, make a full shoulder turn through. The band is still stretched in front of you, and you’re rotating your upper body as you step forward and then fire through. Do another ten reps of the downswing movement.
One thing to keep in mind as you do these: Make sure you’re giving as much attention to your backswing as you do your downswing. They’re equal elements of the same motion, and you want to make sure you’re addressing them both the same amount. Focusing too much on one vs. the other leads to imbalance or even to an injury.
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