September is one of my favorite months for golf. The brutal heat begins to ease, the courses are still in great shape, and there is plenty of golf left to play.
It’s also the time of year when I start hearing golfers say, “I’ll work on my fitness this winter.”
My response? Why wait?
One of the biggest mistakes golfers make is treating golf fitness as something separate from their golf game. They work on their swing during the season and wait until the clubs are practically put away before thinking about strength, mobility and power.
But your body is the engine behind your golf swing. And September is actually a perfect time to start preparing that engine for next season.
What Is Your Body Telling You Right Now?
By this point in the golf season, your body has accumulated months of rounds, range sessions, travel and repetitive swings.
Pay attention to what you’re noticing.
Are you getting tired late in the round? Losing distance? Feeling tighter through your hips or upper back? Is your balance a little less reliable? Does your swing begin to change on the back nine?
Those aren’t necessarily swing problems.
They may be signs that your body is having difficulty continuing to produce the movement your swing requires.
And that’s exactly where golf-specific fitness can help.
Three Things Golfers Should Focus on This Fall
- Maintain Your Mobility
A good golf swing requires movement through several areas of the body, particularly the hips, thoracic spine and shoulders.
When those areas don’t move well, the body will find another way to create the motion. Unfortunately, those compensations aren’t always efficient—and they can make a technically sound golf swing much harder to repeat.
Even 10–15 minutes of consistent mobility work can make a difference.
- Start Building Strength
Golfers sometimes hear “strength training” and immediately picture trying to become a bodybuilder.
That’s not the goal.
We want strength that supports the golf swing: strong legs and glutes, a stable core, good rotational control and the ability to transfer force through the body.
Strength also becomes increasingly important as we age. Maintaining muscle isn’t just important for golf performance—it helps us continue doing the things we enjoy away from the course as well.
- Train Rotation — But Don’t Forget Anti-Rotation
Everyone loves rotational exercises because they look like golf.
But the ability to resist rotation is just as important as the ability to create it.
Your core needs to stabilize the body while forces are being generated and transferred from the ground, through the torso and ultimately into the club.
Exercises such as Pallof presses, carries and other anti-rotational movements can be incredibly valuable additions to a golfer’s program.
Don’t Just Train Harder. Find Out What You Need.
This is one of the reasons I’m such a believer in golf-specific physical screening.
Two golfers can have the exact same swing fault for completely different physical reasons.
One golfer may lack hip mobility. Another may have adequate mobility but lack the strength or stability to control the movement.
Giving both golfers the same exercise program doesn’t make much sense.
A proper golf fitness program should begin by identifying your individual limitations and how they may be affecting your golf swing.
From there, we can build a plan designed specifically for you.
September’s Challenge: Pick One Thing
You don’t need to completely overhaul your fitness routine this month.
Instead, pick one area to improve.
Add two short strength workouts each week. Spend 10 minutes working on mobility. Begin incorporating balance or anti-rotational exercises into your current workouts.
Small changes made consistently now can produce significant results by the time next golf season arrives.
Because the goal isn’t simply to exercise more.
The goal is to build a body that allows you to play better golf—and keep playing it for a very long time.
Golf Strong. Play Strong.
Linda Worthington
TPI Certified Golf Fitness Professional
Fairway Fit | Golf Strong
“Your swing is only as good as your body—book your TPI screen and unlock your full golf potential!” Email lindaw@hermitagecountryclub.com to schedule your TPI Screen.
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