Depending on whom you ask, the game of golf is approximately 250 to 450 years old. But, despite its advanced age, there’s been a major shift in golf over the last 20 years: top players have branched out beyond technical skills and found ways to improve their game through fitness. Even if you’re not vying for endorsement deals or a spot on the PGA Tour, the right exercises can help you play better on the course, and feel better after the game is over. Want to build the ultimate golfer home gym? Here are five tools that experts recommend to help you train to be a better golfer.
TRX Suspension Trainer ($199.95)
Whether you’re using it at home, at the gym, or setting it up on your golf cart, the Suspension Trainer gives golfers a quick way to build in resistance training and core work. Chris Frankel, TRX Head of Human Performance and a former PGA Tour trainer, says even the pros love this tool. Frankel recommends packing it for pre-game exercises to open up the chest, loosen up the shoulders, and activate the core before hitting the green. Don’t forget to warm up with the TRX Golf Rotation!
The RIP Trainer is perfect for golfers who want to improve their range of motion, particularly through the upper thoracic spine, shoulders, and hips. Golf coaches and fitness professionals love that the RIP Trainer emphasizes every degree in the range of motion to help identify weaknesses in rotational movement. It’s the ideal way to combine ground reaction force, rotational power, and body awareness to improve your golf game.
If you want to improve your drive, you have to focus on getting force into the ground. Kettlebells can help. Start with simple deadlift exercises, and then work on developing a strong kettlebell swing. Kettlebell exercises can increase strength and power in your hips and help you drive the ball further.
Slam ball exercises improve both your overhead mechanics and your power into the ground. Taking time for simple rotational work with a slam ball can help you manage your footwork, your pivot mechanics through your legs, and your swing.
This is not your typical weight machine. The Power Bag offers limitless range of motion, all the better for identifying and strengthening your weaker points and motions. It’s ideal for challenging strength and balance. (For more Power Bag training tips, check out this article.)
If you love golf and you spend hours of your life playing the game, take some time to improve your game when you’re away from the course. These five tools—less than $600 total—are the best way to start your very own golfer home gym.
