Strength training is a major focus for elite golfers these days, and it’s not just about bulking up. The game has changed, and more pros are using advanced exercises to boost their power, mobility, and stamina on the course. The right workouts deliver strength and support stability, rotational speed, and injury prevention—key factors that make a real difference in golf performance and longevity.
Why Strength Training Matters for Elite Golfers
Elite golf is about more than just a smooth swing. It’s about maximizing power and keeping control of your movement through long rounds. Targeted strength routines help golfers generate greater clubhead speed, stay balanced even during awkward shots, and endure the physical strains of frequent practice and tournaments.
The myth that lifting makes golfers too bulky to swing freely has faded as more pros hit the tour looking fit and strong. Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, and Brooks Koepka all credit their gym routines for clear jumps in distance, stamina, and recovery. These athletes focus on movements that drive better golf, not just bigger muscles.
Understanding Advanced Strength Training for Golf
The best strength training for golf is not limited to deadlifts and bench presses. It shines a light on core stability, rotational power, single-side (unilateral) moves, and explosive speed. The main goal is to add strength to the muscle groups that drive your swing—from your legs and hips to your back—and teach your body to move powerfully in every direction.
This approach leads to better balance, protects your lower back from strain, and builds the ability to generate force from your legs and glutes. Usually, this means combining classic lifts with golf-specific drills. If you want to take your golf game up a notch, adding these advanced exercises into your program is smart.
7 Advanced Strength Training Exercises for Elite Golfers
- Singleleg Romanian Deadlift
This exercise develops balance and stability—two things top golfers absolutely need. Stand on one leg with a kettlebell or dumbbell in the other hand. Hinge at your hips to lower your torso while lifting the free leg behind. You’ll really feel this in your hamstrings and glutes. Building power here helps your swing stay grounded, especially through impact. - Rotational Medicine Ball Slams
A favorite of Rory McIlroy, this drill hits your core and builds explosive rotational speed. Stand in a golf setup, holding a medicine ball at hip height. Rotate strongly and slam the ball down outside your lead leg. This movement copies the torque needed for the golf swing and helps boost clubhead speed in real play. - Trap Bar Deadlift
A classic lift for all athletes, but the trap bar version is safer for your back while building bigtime lower body and grip strength. Strong legs and hips are essential for those long, powerful drives you see from the top players on tour. - Cable Woodchops
This powerhouse move trains rotational strength and demands stability from all your core muscles. Using a cable machine, pull the handle from high to low across your body, slicing like a golfer. This gets your obliques, lats, and shoulders working in sync and transfers directly to the mechanics of your swing. - Barbell Hip Thrust
True swing power starts from the ground up, and hip thrusts really make your glutes stronger. Set up on a bench and use a barbell across your hips, pushing up powerfully. This drills hip extension, key for translating ground force into distance off the tee. - Pallof Press
This antitorque exercise improves deep core strength by making you resist twisting movements. Stand sideways to a cable or band and press straight out, holding steady. The payoff—a more controlled, painfree lower back that lets you manage the end range of every swing. - Turkish GetUp
This complex exercise is one of the best for fullbody strength and coordination. With a kettlebell overhead, move smoothly from lying flat to standing tall and back. You’ll light up your shoulders, glutes, and core, and train stability in every movement pattern—skills that help every part of your golf game.
How Pros Train: A Look at Rory McIlroy’s Workout Routine
Rory McIlroy is famous for his dedication to training both in and out of competition. His program combines strength moves, power drills, flexibility, and plenty of mobility work. Rory often adds medicine ball throws, squat jumps, trap bar deadlifts, and singleleg exercises to keep things fresh. He values recovery just as highly—using foam rolling and stretching to stay loose and ready for the next round.
He’s talked about prioritizing traps, legs, and glutes in nearly every session. Medicine ball throws, kettlebell lunges, cable chops, and various plank variations form the foundation of his approach. If you’re looking for more swing power and sharper movement, building on Rory’s balanced plan is a solid choice.
Main Workouts Pro Golfers Use
Most professional golfers rely on trainers who really get what the sport demands. Their training sessions usually feature:
- Compound lifts: Trap bar deadlifts, squats, and bench presses provide a base of raw strength.
- Rotational training: Medicine ball throws, cable woodchops, and landmine presses build power in the key swing direction.
- Singleleg exercises: Moves like split squats and lunges develop balance and weight transfer skills.
- Core work: Planks, Pallof presses, and antitorque drills protect the spine while improving force transfer.
- Mobility and flexibility: Dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and yoga help every joint and muscle stay fluid and resilient.
This focused approach helps the pros nail consistency, reduce the risk of injury, and maintain a high level across a grinding season.
Breaking Down the “Big Five” Strength Lifts for Golfers
The “big five” in strength training usually means: bench press, squat, deadlift, row, and overhead press. But for golfers, these are often tailored to put practicality first.
- Squat: Pumps up lower body strength for a steady base and powerful drive.
- Deadlift (and trap bar variation): Strengthens your backside for better hip extension and push off the ground.
- Weighted Row: Builds up the upper back and keeps shoulders steady.
- Bench Press/PushUps: Helps the upper body fire strong through every shot.
- Overhead Press: Keeps shoulders strong and cuts back on the odds of explosive movement injuries.
You don’t need to do all five every week. But mixing a couple with singleleg and rotational drills covers your bases for golf performance.
Stuff to Watch Out for in Golf Strength Training
Going too hard, copying pure bodybuilding routines, or ignoring recovery doesn’t work for golfers. Your priorities should be: move better, swing faster, and stay painfree—not just to pile on muscle.
- Balance training and recovery: Recovery is as vital as lifting itself. Stretching and mobility sessions keep the swing easy and natural.
- Quality over quantity: It’s far better to do three perfect sets than five with poor form.
- Work with a professional: If you can, ask a coach with golf knowledge for help designing a safe, smart plan.
Core Stability
The core section, between your hips and shoulders, generates, moves, and controls most of your swing force. Corecentric moves—Pallof presses, planks, side bridges, and rotational medicine ball work—are game changers.
Rotational Power and Control
Advanced golfers often focus intensely on their move through the ball and their finish. Whipping the club is only half the challenge; keeping steady and controlled under high speeds is what takes things up a notch for real performance boosts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What are the best weight lifting exercises for golf?
Answer: Deadlifts, squats, medicine ball slams, cable woodchops, singleleg moves, and hip thrusts all provide big benefits for golfers. Drills that boost explosive and rotational movement usually pay the biggest dividends on the course.
Question: What is Rory McIlroy’s workout routine?
Answer: Rory McIlroy blends heavy lifts such as trap bar deadlifts and squats with rotational training, plyometrics, and flexibility sessions. His signature is a mix of cables, medicine balls, glute strength, and dynamic core drills—plus lots of stretching and a close watch on movement quality.
Question: What workouts do pro golfers do?
Answer: The pros use a mix of strength work, rotational drills, singleleg exercises, core routines, and frequent mobility training. Variety and injury prevention are central, so they regularly switch things up between heavy lifts, medicine ball throws, lunges, and stretching sequences.
Question: What are the big five strength training?
Answer: The big five are barbell squat, deadlift, bench press, row, and overhead press. Golfers often tailor these for their needs, adding rotational and singleleg drills to get ready for the challenge of the course.
Get the Most Out of Your Golf Workouts
Elite golfers get a real edge with a strong, advanced training plan. Programs focused on core stability, leg power, rotation, and smart recovery can change your consistency, club speed, and how you feel after eighteen holes. Whether you’re looking up to Rory McIlroy or chasing your personal best, adding these moves into your sessions is a step toward great results on the course.