Golf may not look like a traditional high-intensity sport, but anyone who has played 18 holes knows that a strong golf game requires much more than a smooth swing. That’s why exercise for golf performance has become an important part of training for recreational and competitive golfers alike.
Strength, mobility, rotational power, balance, coordination, and muscular endurance can all influence how you move on the course and how well you maintain your game from the first tee to the final green.
At BPM Fitness Centre in Victoria, BC, we believe your time in the gym should help you do more of the activities you love outside of it. For golfers, that means developing a body that is stronger, more mobile, and better prepared for the physical demands of the golf swing and a full day on the course.
And with our 3rd Annual Fitness on the Fairway Golf Tournament coming up on Sunday, September 27th, there couldn’t be a better time to talk about how fitness and golf work together. Registration closes on September 9th.
Golf Is a Sport — Train for It
A golf swing happens quickly, but it requires the entire body to work together.
Force is generated through the ground and transferred through the legs, hips, trunk, shoulders, arms, and ultimately the club. Producing that movement efficiently requires strength and coordination throughout the kinetic chain.
Research examining golf-specific exercise programs has found that resistance, strength, and power training can improve physical qualities relevant to golf performance, including clubhead speed and driving distance.
Simply put: if you want to improve your golf performance, spending all your training time at the driving range may leave an important piece of the puzzle untouched.
A well-designed golf fitness program can complement technical practice by improving the physical tools available to you.
Build Strength for a More Powerful Golf Swing
One of the biggest benefits of strength training for golfers is developing the ability to produce more force.
Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, presses, carries, and appropriately programmed rotational movements can help build the lower-body, trunk, and upper-body strength required for athletic movement.
But golf fitness isn’t about becoming as muscular as possible. The goal is to become stronger while maintaining the mobility and movement quality required for your swing.
At BPM, our Personal Training programs can be customized specifically for athletic performance, including golf biomechanics, strength and conditioning, flexibility, range of motion, and sport-specific training.
For recreational golfers, that can mean building a stronger foundation for the game you already enjoy.
Mobility Helps You Access Your Swing
Strength is only one part of the equation.
The golf swing requires movement through the hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, and other joints. When mobility is limited, golfers may find alternative ways to create the movement they need.
That’s why a complete golf workout program should combine strength training with mobility and movement work rather than treating them as competing priorities.
Improving usable range of motion may help golfers move more comfortably while strength training teaches the body to control and produce force through those ranges.
At BPM, Personal Training begins with an individual assessment so our Coaches can better understand how you move before determining the best approach to your training.
Develop Rotational Power
A powerful golf swing isn’t created by your arms alone.
Rotational power involves coordinated movement throughout the body. Exercises that train the legs, hips, core, and upper body to generate and transfer force can therefore play an important role in golf performance training.
The key word, however, is power.
Power involves producing force quickly, which means a golfer’s fitness program can progress beyond basic strength exercises to include appropriately selected faster, athletic movements.
The exact exercises, loads, and progressions should depend on the golfer’s experience, movement abilities, and goals—which is where individualized coaching can be especially valuable.
Don’t Forget About Endurance
Your best swing doesn’t matter much if you can’t reproduce it later in the round.
Golf requires repeated swings, plenty of walking, and hours of physical and mental concentration. General cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance can help build the overall work capacity needed for recreational activity.
You don’t necessarily need to train like a marathon runner to become a better golfer. A combination of resistance training, regular cardiovascular exercise, and recreational activity can build a well-rounded fitness base.
BPM’s group fitness classes provide several ways to work on these qualities, including Strength Conditioning, Hybrid Strength, Bootcamp, HIIT, and Cross Conditioning.
Golf Fitness Can Help You Keep Playing
For many recreational golfers, improving performance isn’t only about adding distance to a drive.
It’s about being able to keep golfing for years to come.
Regular resistance training can help maintain strength, muscle mass, balance, mobility, and overall physical capacity as we age. For golfers who want to continue walking courses, travelling for golf, playing multiple rounds, and enjoying the sport later in life, improving general fitness can be just as valuable as chasing a lower handicap.
That’s one of the reasons we emphasize strength training for golfers of all ages at BPM.
Put Your Fitness to the Test at Fitness on the Fairway
Of course, golf should also be fun.
On Sunday, September 27th, BPM Fitness Centre’s Fitness on the Fairway Golf Tournament returns to Mount Douglas Golf Course in Victoria, BC for its third year.
Fitness on the Fairway is a 9-hole scramble-style golf tournament built around the same thing we value at BPM: community, movement, friendly competition, and having a great time.
With challenges throughout the course, prizes, awards, swag, and an after-party at The Rack Bistro, the tournament is designed for recreational golfers of all skill levels—not just scratch golfers.
Whether you’re brand new to golf, an experienced player, or simply someone who wants a fun afternoon with the BPM community, we’d love to see you on the fairway.
Improve Your Golf Game at BPM Fitness Centre
If you’ve been searching for golf fitness training in Victoria, BC, strength training for golfers, or a personal trainer for golf performance, BPM Fitness Centre can help.
Our Coaches can build a training approach around your current abilities and goals, helping you develop the strength, mobility, power, and conditioning that support both your golf game and your overall health.
Because a better golf game doesn’t only start on the driving range.
Sometimes, it starts in the gym.
References
- Uthoff, A., Sommerfield, L. M., & Pichardo, A. W. (2021). Effects of resistance training methods on golf clubhead speed and hitting distance: A systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(9), 2651–2660. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34224506/
- Bishop, C., Muir, I., Gartshore, A., Scott, D., Coughlan, D., Turner, A., & Murray, A. (2026). The effects of a 10-week strength and conditioning intervention on physical capacity and golf shot performance in university male and female golfers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 40(1), e32–e40. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41369543/
- Ehlert, A. (2020). The effects of strength and conditioning interventions on golf performance: A systematic review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(23), 2720–2731. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32723013/
