Is Weight Training Good for Golfers?

Hard to believe the first Major on the PGA Tour is just around the corner. That’s right! Augusta National and the famed Green Jacket await the winner. Who will be the wearer of the jacket come Sunday? Will it be Tiger Woods for a second year in a row or maybe a first time winner like Davis Love III? We will just have to wait and see.

I have been receiving a lot of e-mails about weight training and golf as of late. The questions I get frequently get asked boil down to the one idea. Is weight training good for golf?

Before we answer this question, we need to talk about the golf swing. We all know the objective of the swing (hit the ball and hopefully straight). Additionally, we want to create club head speed to create distance.

Let me ask you this; how do we do just that? The obvious answer is we use the body to move the club through the correct biomechanical sequence required of the swing. In order for this to occur correctly, it is required to blend all the components of the swing. They need to be “blended” into a smooth, sequential order. And how do you that? By staying relaxed, and allowing the body to move through the swing.

I like to reference a term swing coach Dean Reinmuth uses, “tension free”. In order to create a smooth swing that generates club head speed the body must be tension free. If you “tighten up” during the swing, what happens? A poor swing is usually the result, and “tightening up” is what? Muscles not staying loose, but rather contracting. For example, if you were to grip a club as hard as you could. All the muscles in your upper body would be tight, making it very difficult to swing.

Now back to the question of weight training. What happens to your body when you do a lot bench press, shoulder press, and leg presses? Your muscles get sore and tight! Not very conducive to a smooth flowing golf swing, so what are you to do? My suggestion is you use exercises that train the body for your swing. These types of exercise developed flexibility as well as power. Leading to greater club head speed and a better swing. Exercises such as this can utilize dumbbells, medicine balls, cable systems, and elastic tubing. But remember theses types of exercises will train the body through the positions, movements, and energy requirements of the golf swing.

Sean Cochran