Every golfer alive wants to hit the ball further, which could help them lower their scores. In order to understand how to properly train for golf strength, it is necessary to learn which are the key muscles used in the golf swing.
The golf fitness industry has taken off over the last twenty years for a couple reasons. One reason is that many adult golfers find it difficult to improve just by taking golf lessons.
Second, today’s PGA Tour players are also training more like other professional athletes. Tiger Woods has clearly had a significant impact in that regard.
When I was actively teaching, some of my students were incapable of making major swing changes due to physical deficiencies in one form or another. In the case of many of my adult students, they were also lacking in strength.
Let’s take a look at the key muscles used in the golf swing according to Mytpi.com.
Lower body muscles used in golf swing
In the lower body, the key muscles are the calf muscles, quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. Training these muscle groups will provide you with better balance, strength and stability in your golf swing.
The two best exercises for training these muscle groups are the barbell squat and the dead lift. I would argue that the deadlift is probably the absolute best exercise for golfers, give how many muscle groups it trains.
The barbell squat is then the best exercise for training what we refer to as the posterior chain… the hamstrings, hips, glutes and lower back. It is the best exercise for developing overall strength, as it engages more muscle tissue than the deadlift.
Key muscles in the upper body used in golf swing
Overhead press in my garage
In the upper body, I was surprised to learn that the pectoralis major (pec muscle) was a key muscle involved in the golf swing. It’s not very common to find good golfers with huge chest muscles!
However, I am definitely noticing a trend toward more muscular professional golfers, such as Brooks Koepka, not to mention Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Next up in the upper body are the lat muscles, aka, latissimus dorsi.
These are the muscles in the upper back, out the sides, and under the shoulder. The deadlift also works the lats and mid back, while lat pulldowns, pullups and chin ups will target the lats from a different angle.
The shoulders are obviously another key muscle group used in the golf swing. The shoulders connect the torso to the arms, which are connected to the golf club.
The power generated from the ground up is transferred to the arms through the shoulders.
The best exercise for training the shoulders is the overhead press.
Of course, most of us all understand that your core muscles are also important to the golf swing. Without a strong core, you’ll have trouble making a good and powerful golf swing.
What few people understand is that these muscles are worked hard in the deadlift AND the barbell squat.
An instructor friend of mine, Ben Witter, who passed away a few years ago, focused on core training as part of his instruction. He even trained two-time World Long Drive champion, Carl Wolter.
Ben himself could legitimately hit a driver 300 yards from his knees… that’s pure core strength.
So, if you are ready to incorporate a fitness program as part of your golf improvement plan, be sure to build it around these key muscle groups.
If you are ready to take your game to the next level, check out my Golf Performance Newsletter.
