Easy and Fun Stretching Exercise for Golf Players

Golf is typically a low-impact sport, only requiring you to swing your clubs and walk around the course after hitting precise shots with the help of the best golf rangefinder. But believe it or not, that repetitive motion you do while swinging your club can lead to serious pain and injuries not. To minimize the chances of this happening, you need to regularly do different types of stretches. If you don’t know which moves to try out first, then better start with the exercises below.

Core Twist Stretch

To make your swings more fluid, you need to improve your core muscles’ flexibility, stability, and strength. By adding the core twist stretch to your daily core workouts, you’ll be able to prep up your abdominal muscles for your next game.

  1. Stand up tall and straight. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms crossed over your chest.
  2. Slightly bend your knees, then lean your upper body a bit forward. Keep your arms crossed as you do this. This is the starting position
  3. Rotate your torso to the right or left (whichever you prefer), mimicking the backswings you usually make.
  4. After a brief pause, turn your body back to the starting position. This essentially lets you mimic your follow-through.
  5. Repeat the process 2 to 5 times. Take 30-second to 1-minute breaks in-between.

Forward Fold

Golf may be low-impact, but the swings you’ll make can definitely strain your back muscles. By doing forward folds everyday, you can loosen up any tension you’re feeling after a game. For best results, do this exercise with a chair.

  1. Stand tall and straight behind the back of a chair. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Place your hands on the back of the chair, then take one step back and extend your arms.
  3. Slowly lower your upper torso while keeping your back straight. Continue until your head is between your arms. At this point, you should feel your armpits stretching.
  4. Repeat the process 2 to 5 times. Take 30-second to 1-minute breaks in-between. Also, you can switch between your left and right legs during Step 2.

Kneeling Hip Stretch

The tighter your hips, the harder it will be for you to squat when swinging your golf clubs. What’s worse, it will limit your flexibility and ROM when rotating your torso during backswings and follow-throughs. Through kneeling hip stretches, you can remedy these problems.

  1. Kneel down on the floor or your yoga mat, with your back straight.
  2. Then extend your left or right leg forward and plant your foot firmly on the ground. Make sure your foot is directly below your knees, making a 90-degree angle.
  3. Place your hands on your forward thigh. Then pull your shoulders backward (away from your ears) and contract your core muscles.
  4. At the same time, gently move your knee forward and lean forward until you feel your hip flexor stretching. Make sure your ankle stays below your knee while you do this
  5. Repeat the process for 2 to 5 times, switching between your left and right leg. Take 30-second to 1-minute breaks in-between.

Golfer’s Elbow Stretch

As its name suggests, Golfer’s Elbow stretch is designed to help you alleviate the pain and inflammation caused by Golfer’s Elbow. In case you don’t know, Golfer’s Elbow is a result of the repetitive motions required to play golf. Unchecked, it will wear out the muscles, tendons, and bones on your elbows, leading to many problems moving forward.

  1. Stretch out your right arm forward, with the palm facing down. This is the starting position.
  2. With your left hand, pull the fingers of your right hand  downwards towards your body. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
  3. Then gently return your palm to the starting position. Then pull your right wrist upward and toward your body. Again, hold this position for 30 seconds.
  4. Repeat the process 2 to 5 times, switching between your left and right arm. Take 30-second to 1-minute breaks in-between.

(Note: You can also do this stretch with your palms facing upward.)

Hamstring Stretch

Last but not least, you need to tune up your hamstrings to improve the knee rotations and thigh extensions needed to make a decent golf swing. Hamstring stretches help you accomplish this, as well as loosen up the muscles behind your thighs to alleviate pain.

  1. Stand up tall and straight in front of a step, with your golf club on one hand.
  2. Then place your club squarely behind your shoulders, holding one end with each hand.
  3. Place your right heel on top of the step, with your left knee bent a bit. Then lean forward at the waist while keeping your back straight.
  4. Gently rotate your upper torso to the right. After holding this position for 30 seconds, gently turn your body to the left.
  5. Repeat the process for 2 to 5 times, switching between your legs.  Take 30-second to 1-minute breaks in-between.

The Bottom Line

If you love playing golf, then you need to do these and other stretching exercises everyday. That way, you can keep your body well-conditioned for your next game (and the next one after that). So best make sure these are added to your daily workout routine.

Featured Image Credit: WolfBlur on Pixabay

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