I’ll admit that I’ve often been guilty of overlooking the incredibly important role that fitness plays in becoming a better golfer, but five fitness exercises have drastically transformed my perception, and my process, as I aim to reach my on-course goals.
In early December, I embarked on a total winter golf rebuild in an attempt to capitalise on the off-season and improve my golf game – which is a period I have typically wasted in the past.
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5 Fitness Exercises That Made Me A Better Golfer In 30 Days
Each of the exercises shared below has been used as part of my winter golf rebuild fitness programme and are all linked to specific movements, positions or muscle groups required to carry out an efficient, effective and powerful golf swing.
Below, Mark uses his extensive professional experience to outline how to carry out each exercise so that you can try them for yourself.
Tips by…
Tips by…Mark Wilson
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Owner of Apex Rehab And Performance
Mark Wilson is the owner of Apex Rehab and Performance in Leeds, an organisation that provides expert analysis, coaching and support for individuals looking to get fitter, healthier, stronger and more efficient in their chosen sport/disciplines. Mark is currently coaching Golf Monthly’s Baz Plummer through a total winter golf rebuild, designing and implementing an expertly crafted fitness programme that aims to address his physical limitations and increase his efficiency in the golf swing.
1. Single Leg Wall-Supported Thoracic Rotation
Keep the band tight and really push away with both arms
(Image credit: Future)
How Do I Do It?
Start by adopting your normal golf posture then place one leg on a bench, sofa or wall behind you. Lower into the leg that’s in contact with the floor to create a slight knee bend.
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Keeping your hips and knee stable, rotate your shoulders towards the direction of your lead leg (the one with the foot on the floor). Do this eight times, then swap legs and repeat on the opposite side.
If you would like to add further challenge to this exercise, take a band and place it behind your back – gripping each end in your hand as Baz is doing in the image below.
As you rotate your shoulders, reach out with both hands to create tension. Hold for a few seconds then return to your start position.
Why Should I Do It?
This exercise improves rotation mechanics in the golf swing and limits excessive movement in backswing, which may result in swing faults such as a reverse pivot.
It also improves stability by balancing on a single leg and is a great ‘feel’ activity to do prior to your round or range session.
2. Split Stance Rotational Medicine Ball Slam
Try to slam the ball through the floor – we are looking for explosive power here!
(Image credit: Future)
How Do I Do It?
Start by taking a wide split stance, with one foot in front of the other.
Allow the knee of the back leg to sit a little lower than the front knee, focusing on stability and balance in a strong, athletic position.
Hold the medicine ball out in front of you around waist height, then explosively move the ball towards your back hip, up towards the ceiling and around to the opposite side of your body before slamming it down into the ground.
The ball should land on the floor to the right of your lead leg (if you start with your right leg forward). Complete this five times, then switch your stance so that your other leg leads and repeat.
Why Should I Do It?
This is a great exercise for speed training in golf, helping you to ramp up power and clubhead speed. It develops upper body rotational power, with an additional stability challenge, as well as loading the lead hip internally.
3. Lateral Landing
As you jump focus on a stable, controlled landing
(Image credit: Future)
How Do I Do It?
Find a box or something that is around 30cm or so from the ground that you can comfortable stand on. Place both feet on the box towards one side, with a clear and safe landing zone next to you.
Push off your right foot first, jumping laterally out to your left hand side. Land on your left foot only, cushioning the landing and stabilising the body as quickly as possible. Hold for a second or two then climb back onto the box.
Repeat six times then switch sides, so that you push off your left foot and land on your right. If you want to increase the challenge, start with a medicine ball above your head.
As you jump, pull the medicine ball down and land in a controlled fashion with the medicine ball held out past your landing leg – on the opposite side to the box you just jumped from.
Why Should I Do It?
The key here is to stabilise the landing, so nail this first before adding any weight. The exercise improves stability in the frontal plane and your ability to absorb force into the lead side, similar to the initiation of the downswing.
4. Side Plank Leg Lift
Keep your shoulders and hips aligned throughout – no cheating!
(Image credit: Future)
How Do I Do It?
This is one of the most horrendous exercises to do, but the gains are unreal – which makes it all worth it.
Get into a side plank position, with your right elbow and right knee in contact with the ground and your left foot resting on a bench, box or even your sofa if you want to do this at home.
Ensure your hips and shoulders are aligned, then move your left leg back ever so slightly so it’s marginally behind you.
From this position, maintaining the side plank and therefore a good amount of distance between your abdomen and the floor, raise your left leg upwards and feel like you are also pushing your foot away from you. Hold for a few seconds at the top.
Return it to the bench and repeat eight times, before switching sides and repeating on the opposite leg. You should really feel this exercise in your glutes, but form is very important to get the best out of it.
Keep everything aligned, and don’t be tempted to let your hips rock back or your chest roll forwards.
Why Should I Do It?
This exercise, when done properly, is great for developing strength in the stabilising muscles on the lateral side (outside) of the hip – which is crucial in the golf swing.
5. Reverse Lunge Knee Drive
Try to find as much rotation as you can on each rep
(Image credit: Future)
How Do I Do It?
Grab a band and pull it tight across your chest – which will activate your core.
Stand on one leg and reverse lunge, so that one foot moves backwards until your trail knee almost touches the ground at a ninety degree angle.
Once you reach this position, drive that back knee up and forwards into a ninety degree angle in front of you – all while maintaining balance and stability on the single leg.
Repeat this eight times on each side. If you want to add challenge to this exercise, you can rotate as you reverse lunge so that your chest points over the top of you lead leg, as Baz is demonstrating in the image above.
You can also add the same rotation in at the top of the move, after driving the knee up, rotating over the leg that is now at a ninety degree angle in front of you.
Why Should I Do It?
This is exercise is great for single leg stability. Adding rotation whilst on a single leg challenges the hip stabilising muscles more and can improve rotation mechanics and stability in the golf swing.
What’s Happening On The Golf Side Of The Project?
After a number of very positive lessons with Alex, I started to work on nailing a better position in the backswing by using some of the best golf drills.
It turns out I had a bit of an inside takeaway, so through a couple of great drills Alex got me to practice setting the club in a better position on the way back.
First, I had to take the club back to the point where my lead arm was parallel to the ground, then hit the shot from there. The second drill required a pause at the top of the golf swing, in order to help me feel that correct position before firing.
We have also been working on a simplified short game shot routine, focusing on squaring up my stance and providing a simple process to follow.
Now, when standing over a chip shot, I press a little into me lead foot, push my hands forward slightly, take one look at the target landing zone and pull the trigger.
This is a vast improvement on the disgusting chipping technique I had before, as I now feel more confident about how to use loft to hit specific targets on the green.
This process instantly helped me to produce more consistent flights, better control of my distance and a few close calls for a hole-out or two.
The Results (So Far)
The biggest win for me so far is that I am feeling good about my golf game for the first time in quite a while.
I feel stronger and more athletic, thanks to the work with Mark, and I have a clear plan of action with Alex that is helping to increase my confidence on the course.
I even managed to bag a trophy at the Golf Monthly winter content day at the London Club in December, alongside my playing partner Nick Bonfield.
Nick and I with our Golf Monthly Pairs Championship 2025 trophy
(Image credit: Future)
While this was just a bit of fun, it did represent a small win which adds fuel to my commitment to this project.
With three months left to go, I am excited to see how much progress I can make, but if the first 30 days are anything to go by… I think the high-handicap status could be discarded pretty quickly.