Exercises for Senior Golfers

I would say that the majority of golfers that come and see me for golf fitness are over the age of 50 and realise that to ‘stay in the game’ need to start training seriously and work on their flexibility.

If you fit into this category, you will probably have a few injuries, aches or pains that have been induced by golf or another sport that you have played over a number of years. The most common golf injuries are low back pain, hip, knee and wrist injuries.

By following a golf specific exercise program, the risk of injury will be reduced and an already existing injury will have more success of returning to normal. So let’s get motivated and serious about getting fit for golf.

First, let’s test the flexibility of your hip rotators as this is important for senior golfers. Tight hips encourage loss of power and low back pain.

The hip joints are a major supplier to the whole swing and any tightness in this area is likely to cause some major swing faults such as loss of swing plane, loss of axis and loss of arc and therefore will cause overuse of the arms and wrists.

Test 1 – Internal Hip Rotators

• I want you to stand against a wall (back, butt and head all touching the wall), with your feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward.
• Imagine you are putting out a cigarette with your right heel and pivot the foot outwards as far as possible making sure that your pelvis doesn’t move and your back doesn’t come off the wall. The leg is locked straight.
• Repeat on the left side.

Results:

• How far does each foot rotate outwards?
  • Less than 45 degrees?
  • At least 45 degrees?

Less than 45 degrees
You have limited internal rotation of the hip.
On the right: Will limit your backswing
On the left: Will limit your follow through

At least 45 degrees
You have normal length internal hip rotators.

Test 2 - External Hip Rotators

• Again, stand against the wall (back, butt and head all touching the wall), with your feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward.
• Imagine you are putting out a cigarette with your right heel and pivot the foot inwards this time as far as possible making sure that your pelvis doesn’t move and your back doesn’t come off the wall. The leg is locked straight.
• Repeat on the left side.

Results

• How far does each foot rotate inwards?
  • Less than 40 degrees?
  • At least 40 degrees?

Less than 40 degrees
You have limited external rotation of the hip.
On the right: Will limit your follow-through
On the left: Will limit your backswing

At least 40 degrees
From the starting position, if you can rotate your foot inwards to at least 40 degrees then you have adequate length external hip rotators.

A muscle imbalance of the hip rotators often causes the golfer to overuse the back, shoulders and elbows and will result in an injury to these areas.

Flexible hip rotators are paramount to the execution of a good golf swing. So, if your results showed that you had tight internal or external hip rotators, please perform the stretches below.

If you have limited Internal Rotation of the hip

• Stand with your feet parallel and about hip width apart.
• Turn the leg of the foot which showed a tightness inwards, pivoting off the heel.
• Make sure to keep your pelvis square to the front.
• Once the foot is turned inwards as far as possible push the foot into the ground with knee unlocked but held tight.
• Now, turn your pelvis to the opposite direction without allowing the inward foot to move.
• Once you feel a comfortable hip stretch, inhale and gently try to externally rotate the leg back outwards but NOT ACTUALLY MOVING IT AT ALL, just activate these muscles.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Exhale and again move the pelvis toward the hip you are stretching, this time just a little bit farther.
• Repeat 3-5 times.

If you have limited External Rotation of the Hip

• Stand with your feet parallel and about hip width apart.
• Turn the leg of the foot which showed a tightness outwards, pivoting off the heel. Keep the hips square to the front.
• Once you have turned the foot as far as possible, hold the leg still and rotate the pelvis inwards, opposite the movement of the foot.
• Once you can feel a good stretch in the internal hip rotators, inhale.
• Now pushing your foot into the ground, try to attempt to rotate the leg inwards but NOT ACTUALLY MOVING IT AT ALL, just activate these muscles.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Exhale and again, move the pelvis into a new stretch position.
• Repeat 3-5 times.

Wobble Board

• Set the pivot underneath the wobble board to the lowest level.
• Make sure to start with, you have something steady to grab onto should you fall.
• The aim of this exercise is to stand on the board for as long as possible without letting the edges of the board touch the floor!
• Don’t look down at your feet. Concentrate on keeping a good posture at all times.
• Only try this exercise for 30 seconds at a time with as many attempts as you like.
• Don’t overdo this exercise, if you keep falling off, then stop for the day.

Tip:

Once you have mastered the low setting, try increasing the level.

For a more advanced level, try standing on one leg!