Low Impact Exercise to Support Your Golf Journey
Golf’s physical demands are widely underestimated. Every swing places significant rotational force through your spine, hips, shoulders, and knees — repeated dozens of times per round. Add walking several kilometres across uneven terrain, and it’s clear why golf is responsible for a surprising number of musculoskeletal injuries.
The good news? Strategic low impact exercise protects your body while genuinely improving your game. Whether you’re a weekend social golfer or a seasoned club competitor, the right training off the course translates directly to better performance — and fewer injuries — on it.
Protect your body and elevate your game with smarter training
Why Low Impact Exercise Works for Golfers
Low impact training builds mobility, stability, and strength without overloading joints, making it ideal for golfers of every age and fitness level. Unlike high intensity training that can cause fatigue and increase injury risk, low impact exercise targets the specific movement patterns and muscle groups your golf game depends on.
A powerful, consistent golf swing requires a complex chain of movements involving your feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, arms, and wrists — all working in sequence. When any link in this chain is weak, stiff, or uncoordinated, your body compensates in ways that reduce swing efficiency and dramatically increase injury risk.
Low impact training addresses this by improving the quality of your movement, not just your fitness. The result is better mechanics, greater power, improved consistency, and a body that holds up across all 18 holes — season after season.
Top Low Impact Exercises for Golfers
Pilates: The Golfer’s Secret Weapon
Pilates develops deep spinal stabilisers — the muscles protecting your lower back — which is the most commonly injured area in golfers. These deep core muscles are often overlooked in traditional gym training but are absolutely critical for golf.
Key Pilates exercises for golfers:
- Dead bug variations for deep core activation
- Side-lying leg series for hip stability
- Thoracic rotation exercises for backswing mobility
- Pallof press for anti-rotation strength
- Glute bridges for lower body power and lumbar protection
Resistance Bands: Golf-Specific Strength Training
Resistance bands are one of the most effective and underused training tools for golfers. They allow you to strengthen muscles through golf-specific movement patterns — replicating the actual mechanics of your swing in a controlled, joint-friendly way.
Unlike heavy weights that can restrict mobility and build bulk unhelpful to golf, bands build functional strength and stability precisely where your game needs it most.
Best resistance band exercises for golfers
- Banded rotational chops mimicking swing mechanics
- External shoulder rotations for rotator cuff strength
- Hip abduction exercises for lateral stability
- Single-leg deadlifts for balance and posterior chain strength
- Banded glute work for powerful hip drive through impact
Incorporate band training 2-3 times per week and you’ll notice greater control and power in your swing within a month.
A Note for Senior Golfers
It’s never too late to improve your movement and protect your game.
Golf is a sport many people play well into their 70s and beyond — but age-related changes in mobility and strength require specific attention. Reduced hip and thoracic mobility forces your lower back to compensate, accelerating injury risk and robbing distance from your shots.
The combination of regular low impact exercise and osteopathic care is particularly powerful for senior golfers. Osteopathic treatment addresses joint restrictions, muscle imbalances, and movement compensations that accumulate over years of play, while tailored exercise programs rebuild the strength and mobility needed to keep swinging confidently.
Many of our senior patients are surprised to discover that resolving a hip restriction or improving thoracic mobility adds significant distance to their drives — proof that better movement genuinely improves your game at any age.
When to seek osteopathic treatement?
Golf injuries rarely appear suddenly. They develop gradually from repeated strain on restricted, imbalanced, or underprepared bodies. Don’t wait until pain forces you off the course. Seek treatment if you’re experiencing:
- Post-round lower back stiffness that takes days to settle
- Hip or knee pain during the follow-through affecting your swing
- Shoulder soreness limiting your backswing or restricting your range
- Recurring pain in the same area that keeps coming back
- Reduced distance or swing consistency without an obvious cause
Our osteopaths treat golfers at every level with hands-on care and personalised exercise programs tailored to your game, your body, and your goals. Early intervention prevents minor niggles from becoming the chronic injuries that sideline you for months.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is the most common golf injury and how can I prevent it? Lower back pain is by far the most common golf injury, affecting up to 35% of amateur golfers. It develops from the repetitive rotational forces of the swing combined with weak core muscles, restricted hip and thoracic mobility, and hours of walking on uneven terrain. Prevention focuses on three areas: building deep core stability through Pilates or targeted exercises, improving hip and thoracic mobility through yoga and stretching, and addressing any existing movement restrictions through osteopathic treatment. Regular maintenance — not just treating pain when it flares — is the most effective long-term prevention strategy.
Q: How often should golfers do low impact exercise to see results? Consistency matters more than volume. Aim for 3-4 low impact exercise sessions per week, combining different types for maximum benefit — for example, two Pilates or resistance band sessions and two mobility or yoga sessions. Most golfers notice improvements in their swing and reduced stiffness within 4-6 weeks of consistent training. Daily mobility work, even just 10-15 minutes, produces faster results than occasional longer sessions. The key is making it a sustainable routine that fits around your golf schedule rather than competing with it.
Q: Can low impact exercise actually improve my golf performance, not just prevent injuries? Absolutely. Improved thoracic rotation directly increases swing arc and club head speed, translating to more distance. Stronger glutes and core muscles improve power transfer and swing consistency. Better hip mobility enhances your ability to rotate fully through impact. Improved balance and stability leads to better ball striking and shot accuracy. Many golfers are surprised to discover that addressing physical restrictions produces more distance and consistency than hours of technical practice alone. Your body is your most important piece of equipment.
Q: Is it safe to continue playing golf with lower back pain? It depends on the nature and severity of your pain. Mild stiffness that resolves within 24 hours of play may be managed with targeted exercise, mobility work, and osteopathic treatment while continuing to play. However, sharp pain during your swing, pain that worsens with each round, or pain radiating into your leg requires professional assessment before continuing. Playing through significant pain typically worsens the underlying problem and extends your total recovery time significantly. An osteopathic assessment can determine what’s safe for your specific situation and create a plan to get you back on the course fully.
Q: At what age should golfers start focusing on injury prevention exercise? The honest answer is: immediately, regardless of age. Golfers in their 20s and 30s often feel invincible but are building the movement patterns and muscle imbalances that become injuries in their 40s and 50s. Starting preventative exercise early is far easier than rehabilitating chronic injuries later. For golfers over 50, targeted low impact exercise and regular osteopathic care becomes increasingly important as natural reductions in mobility and muscle mass increase injury risk. It’s never too early — or too late — to start. Many of our patients in their 60s and 70s achieve remarkable improvements in both physical health and golf performance through consistent training and treatment.
Contact our friendly Osteo team at MOSIC. We can help you prevent or recover from your injuries.
