Generally speaking, golf is a slow-pace sport very different from fast-movement activities such as basketball, tennis, aerobic dance, or skiing. The exception to this rule is the explosive action of the golf swing, which places significant stress on shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, and produces high torque forces on the low back and hip structures.

Consequently, if you are not strong and fit in these parts, you could experience game-limiting injuries in these and other areas of the body.

• You can improve your swing and decrease your potential for injury by performing appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises that produce a flexible and strong musculoskeletal system.

•  As you achieve higher levels of fitness, you can generate more power with less effort, thereby producing a smoother swing with greater club head speed. You will develop more force without forcing the action, which is essential for long and consistent drives.

• Your muscles have the ability to relax and lengthen. Well-designed stretching exercises enhance your muscles' lengthening capacity, thereby increasing your movement range and improving your joint flexibility, which is key during the backswing and follow through. 

• Your muscles also have the ability to contract and shorten, producing varying levels of movement force in the process. Progressive strength training enhances your muscles' contraction capacity, therefore increasing your movement force and improving your musculoskeletal function. This provides the dual benefit of more power production and greater resistance to potentially damaging forces.

• By doing a basic program of stretching and strengthening exercises, you can produce driving power more easily and absorb swing forces more safely.

Here is some more information and what we believe are the three most important parts about your golf game.

Functional Flexibility

Flexibility is the one component of fitness that has been worked on by golfers for many years. By increasing joint flexibility you can lengthen your golf swing and increase your club head speed. Your joint flexibility is determined by your movement ability and decides the safe ranges for your swing patterns. Excellent flexibility alone does not guarantee a good golf swing. Inability to put together movements at proper times may result in reaching maximum club head speed well before impact, with a related loss of power and reduced driving distance.

Golf-Specific Strength

The strengthening program for golf should include work for the trunk, as well as for the muscles of the upper and lower body. Because the golf swing is not a simple, linear motion, you should implement a multijoint strengthening program. Remember that your hips and legs produce most of the force for a powerful golf swing. This momentum must be transferred through a stable trunk to the upper body, which delivers and counteracts the forceful striking action of the club. A successful swing requires sufficient strength and coordinated actions among the major muscles that make up these different body segments. Of course, strong muscles also are essential for proper posture, which assures consistent swing deliveries and a stable head that maintains uninterrupted eye focus on the golf ball.

Postural Balance

Postural balance is an important component of your golf game. Unfortunately, physical activities such as golf, in which one side of the body is used differently than the other side of the body, tend to promote postural imbalances that can inhibit performance and cause injury. It is important to determine whether the postural imbalance is a normal response to sport mechanics or whether it is due to pathological conditions. A solid golf conditioning program strives for front-to-back and left-to-right body balance. Although this may never be fully achieved because of the sport mechanics, it always should remain a primary goal of your golf conditioning program.

Balance represents a complex neuromuscular communication system. It relies on feedback from the central nervous system, the eyes, the inner ear, and tiny message receptors in the joints and soft tissues. Balance is necessary in maintaining appropriate spine (trunk and torso) positions throughout the swing. If balance is not maintained during the swinging action, shoulder turn, weight shift, and force transfer may be affected and the shot outcome will be compromised. As you grow older the sensory organs and balance systems become less sensitive. It might be an advantage to actually make better postural balance one of the primary parts of a conditioning program.