Practicing at the range is the best way to improve your game, but if you have a swing fault, adding more repetitions will cause you to ingrain those troublesome issues into your muscle memory.

CardioGolf, is a program designed to give you a battery of exercises to improve your body movement and swing technique. By consistently, repeating golf swing exercises without the judgement of where the ball is going, you can accelerate your improvement on the golf course. As an added bonus, these moves will also help you work towards your fitness goals and improve your posture.

Add these movements to your practice regimen until they appear in your swing comfortably and naturally for you on the golf course by taking the #CardioGolfChallenge.

Swing Position Drill (with a Grip)

Swing drills reinforce sound mechanics and help you get you into positions you may not otherwise be able to get into when you swing on your own.

Break down the full swing into smaller easier to execute these moves. As you master them, they’ll get ingrained into your real swing and become second nature.

Key Swing Positions:

1.) Half-way back 2.) Top of the backswing 3.) Initiation of the downswing 4.) Impact 5.) Release 6.) Finish

Forward Lunge and Twist

Lunge exercises are a wonderful way to add strength and firmness in your lower body.  The twisting move also teaches you to rotate over the resistance of your lower body, a movement you need in the golf swing.

Here’s how to do it:

Keep your arms parallel to the ground. As you lunge forward, simultaneously rotate your torso to each side and hold position for a moment. Return to the start position and repeat on the opposite leg.

Elongate Stretch

As golfers, we spend a lot of time hunched over, so it’s important to do stretches that elongate the spine to counterbalance the ill-effects of being hunched over for long periods of time.

Give it a try:

Interlace your fingers and stretch your arms above your head keeping your elbows straight as you reach towards the sky with your hands.

Cross Crawl

The cross crawl activates both sides of the brain as you move in two different directions, challenging your balance and coordination.

Your turn:

Bring one knee up to your opposite elbow rotating at the waist. Keep your chest up as you bring your knees up to the elbow, and be sure not to bend over to touch your knees.

Golf Swing with a Resistance Band

Resistance-band training can help you boost stamina, flexibility, range of motion that benefit your golf swing and are a great alternative for golfers who don’t want to use free weights or machines. Adjust the intensity by giving the band more or less slack. Your muscles will quickly adapt to movements you do often, which is why adding variety to your workouts is key for challenging your muscles.

Here’s how to do it:

Hold your stretch band with your back hand facing up and your front hand facing down. Stretch the band and you make your backswing. Hold at the top of the backswing for a moment and return to start.

Core and Hip Twister

The rotational aspect of the movement will help you strengthen the muscles around the core on both sides of the body. Although you swing the club in only one direction, you need to train the muscles on both sides of the body.

Give it a try, here’s how:

Balance on your hands and toes, then twisting from your hips, take one leg and place it under your opposite arm as you sit on your hip. Hold the position momentarily, returning to the start position and repeat on the opposite side.

Closed Stance Drill

A wonderful exercise to help counteract “coming over the top”. This drill will train proper movement and tone muscles in the hips, shoulders and chest. Start by doing this exercise in slow motion and pick up the pace until you can swing at normal speed.

Your turn:

Pull your back foot (right foot for a right-handed golfer) so that your toe is in line with your front heel. As you make your practice swings feel how your hips initiate the movement towards the target and the shoulders and arms follow.

Chest, Shoulders and Back Stretch

This stretch will open the chest and stretch your shoulders and back at the same time.

Keep a few things in mind:

As you stretch your arms out straight, take notice of which thumb is on top’ then switch your grip position so that the other thumb is on top.

Balance with Rotation

This exercise will help improve balance and teach you to dissociate your upper body from your lower body.

Give it a try:

As you lift your foot off the ground and balance on one leg slowly rotate your upper body from side to side. This can be done with or without a club/medicine ball.

Backswing Drill (with Grip)

This drill utilizes the grip of a golf club to mimic the backswing and forward motion to help prevent “coming over the top”.

How to do this move:

Making a practice backswing with your back arm only, hold your front arm out (with or without a club). If your back-arm swings over the front arm, then you have done the incorrect sequence.  The back arm should fall under front arm.

Backswing Drill (with Ball)

Using a medicine ball, swing your arms to the top, stop and begin your follow-through stopping at the bottom.

Full Swing Drill (Without Club)

Use this drill to mimic the correct full swing motion until it is ingrained into your muscle memory.

Backswing Drill (Without Club)

If you’re working on a aspect in your backswing, slowly pull your arms back to the top of your swing, focusing on the motion and returning to address.