It is often heard from amateur golfers about how training with weights can make them feel “tight” and, as a result, ruins their golf swing.  As someone who follows the PGA Tour extensively I can not agree with this point of view.  It is well known that the best players on the PGA Tour today workout regularly.  Many praise the benefits of their exercises in the development and power of their golf swing.

Consequently, the reasons why amateurs do not workout are excuses rather than legitimate reasons.  The difficulty that amateurs have with weight training or working out in relation golf is how to do it correctly to develop the proper attributes to a great swing.

Weight training is NOT bad for the golfer if done correctly to work the right groups of muscles and in a way that enhances both power and flexibility.

Many amateurs at this point get sidetracked, frustrated, and end up thinking weight training is bad for golf.  A typical weight training program used at a majority of health clubs would be detrimental to a good golf swing.  These types of programs can make you feel “tight” which, naturally, would poorly affect your golf play and leave you frustrated with any weight training program.

There is a reason why these general physical training programs are adverse to golfers is the inability of the training to account for what is required of the body during a good golf swing.  Getting the proper physical conditioning and training for your body is one of the best golf swing tips I can recommend.

Golfers need to be very aware of some important points during weight training pertaining to the golf swing.  Primarily, any training program for golf needs to be specific to the needs of the golf swing.  In this I mean that a training program develops the body to the proper positions, movements, and requirements of your sport.

It is true that everyone’s swing is a little different, but the basic parts are the same.  All golfers need to rotate around a fixed spine angle, shift weight back and forth during the swing, generate high clubhead speed, square the club face on impact, and finish the swing in a balanced final posture.

The main purpose of a cross-specific fitness program is to physically train and create a better golf swing.  This creates a transfer of training effect on the golf course. Simply stated the training you do in the gym pays dividends on the course.

Creating a weight training program for golf is a simple process.  The first place to begin is with flexibility.  A golfer needs to be flexible.  Flexibility is also the most ignored attribute in any physical fitness routine.  Since the golf swing requires you to swing through a long range of motion your body must be very flexible.  Parts of the body that need flexibility for golf are: the hamstrings, lower back, hips, and shoulders.  Many times the an amateur’s swing can improve from just adding flexibility exercises to their training program.  During golf swing instruction this is one of the single most important physical attributes to consider.

Balance training is another key aspect in training for golf.  Balance allows the body to control its center of gravity and move efficiently.  Balance exercises address both the nervous and muscular systems of the body creating greater efficiency in its ability to control body movements and center of gravity.

After you look at the flexibility and balance components of a training program for golf, now is the time to focus on the “weight training” side of the equation.  As stated before, the golf swing requires the development of strength within the muscles of the body. This muscular strength maintains a fixed spine angle, creates an efficient weight transfer, and develops clubhead speed.  Remember all the exercises in a cross-specific training program for golf must revolve around the movements of the swing, and create a benefit to your play on the course.

Developing strength for the golf swing is very different from “American football” or “bodybuilding” strength exercises.  The golf swing uses the whole the body, from feet to fingertips.  As a result, golfers need to strengthen the entire body cross-specifically to the movements of the golf swing.  One key to strength training exercises for golf is to integrate the entire body into exercise patterns instead of isolating a specific muscles.  When you swing a golf club you use your entire body, and as a result the strength training part of your program must incorporate full body strengthening. Exercises such as ball crunches, Russian twists, single leg squats are beneficial strength training exercises for golf.

The final component of a golf specific training program is endurance training.  The golf swing is a repetitive, full body movement.  In a single round of golf the swing is repeated many times.  During one week on the PGA Tour a player may swing the golf club more than 1000’s times.  It is critical to develop the endurance of your muscular system to keep steady performance.  Once the body is fatigued, the ability to swing the golf club properly results in missed swings, lost distance, and poor shots.  Consequently, you need to swing consistently to score well.

In summary, weight training and working out is beneficial to the golfer, if it is done correctly.  The wrong training program will hinder your golf game.  Choose a training program that is cross-specific to the golf swing and complements your swing mechanics on the golf course.  This training should incorporate flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power exercises to enhance the golf swing.  This provides the most benefits to your body and golf game.

There are really six basic golf swing fundamentals that need to be learned for a better golf swing, and managed whether you are a beginner or a pro.

The Grip

Simply put, the grip is how you hold the club in your hands.  There are three different grips that golfers choose from, you should select the one that feels most comfortable to you.  Then stick with it so you don’t have changing variables as you learn.

Single Overlap Grip: (assuming a right handed golfer) The pinky finger on your right hand overlaps with the index fnger on your left hand.  The opposite is true for left handed golfers.

Interlock Grip: The same layout as the single finger overlap grip, except that the pinky on your right hand (for righty’s left hand for lefties) interlocks with the index finger on the opposite hand.

Baseball Grip: Probably not a difficult one to imagine, basically you’re grippping the club shaft like a base ball bat. Without any overlapping or interlocking of fingers. All ten fingers should be touching the grip on the club shaft.

Any one of the grips described above will work well.  The key, as mentioned earlier, is to choose the one that feels right for you and practice using that one from then onward.  You should use this same swing throughout any additional golf swing instruction that you have.

Posture and Mechanics

How you set the ball in your stance, the flex at your knee, straightening of the back, hip bend, and angle which you maintain thorugh the whole swing.  The width of your stance should be approximately shoulder width.  Your knees should be kept slightly bent to allow a small amount of motion, and your back kept straight at about an 80 degree angle.

You should be sure you’re bending at the hips and not your back, keep your back straight at all times.  The angle that your back maintains when you’re coming through your follow through should be the same which you started with in your back swing. If you change/move the angle of your back then everything else in your swing mechanics will also change.

Pivot

Manging how your body swings through from your head to your toes, and turning into your swing with your hips is the pivot.  This helps you develop power for good distance.

Hands and Arms

Hand and arm relationship or better known as coordination is a very important step to learning the golf swing fundamentals.

Picking out a Target

Where do you want the ball to go? Alignment is an important part of the swing that not everyone considers very often.  If you are aiming for the green, then you should make sure that your body is positioned that direction and where it will be facing once you’ve followed through your swing.

Of course there is a mental aspect to choosing a target as well. If there is a sand or water hazard directly in front of you, guess where your ball is going to land?  Either at the beach or for a swim in that water hazard.  What you should do is focus on something ahead, keep your main objective in mind, and ignore hazards.  If you treat them as if they are not there your chances of success in avoiding them will be greater.

Mental Aspect

This is the most important yet the least physical aspect of golf swing fundamentals. Some pros say that upto 90% of their game is mental, you have to be able to get in the right state of mind, visualize the next shot, and also perform all of the above mentioned fundamentals without thinking about them.  Practice is what it takes to get them down. Your body will be able to reach a point where it’s all natural, and you won’t have to think about the next step.  Until then, keep practicing to be your best.  Those are my 6 golf swing tips for you.