Stay Strong. Stay Mobile. Keep Golfing.
Golf is a full-body activity that asks your legs, hips, trunk, shoulders, and arms to work together while you walk, rotate, balance, and repeat movement throughout a round. Explore practical exercises for adults 50+ that build strength, mobility, balance, and overall physical capacity for the game you enjoy.
Weekly moderate aerobic activity target
For adults, including adults 65 and older, current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
Weekly muscle-strengthening target
Adults are advised to include muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days each week, working the major muscle groups.
Aerobic, strength, and balance activity
Older adults benefit from combining aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, and balance activities rather than relying on only one type of exercise.
What Your Golf Fitness Needs to Develop
Strength Supports the Whole Swing
Golf is more than an upper-body movement. Your legs, hips, trunk, shoulders, and arms all contribute to the swing and to the movement required throughout a round. Research in golfers 55–79 found that an eight-week strength and flexibility program improved strength, several range-of-motion measures, and clubhead speed.
Mobility Supports Comfortable Movement
The golf swing involves coordinated movement through the hips, pelvis, trunk, shoulders, and arms. Golf biomechanics research shows that movement of these body regions contributes to the complex rotational sequence of the swing. Maintaining useful, controllable mobility can therefore be an important part of a well-rounded golf fitness routine.
Balance Helps You Control Movement
Golf involves shifting your weight, maintaining your stance, rotating, and controlling your body through the finish of the swing. A study of recreational golfers aged 65–79 found better grip strength and static and dynamic balance measures among golfers compared with inactive non-golfers. However, because the study was observational, it cannot establish that playing golf caused those differences.
Endurance Matters Throughout the Round
Golf can involve considerable walking and repeated movement over several hours. Maintaining aerobic fitness can help support your ability to stay active throughout a round and participate in other activities you enjoy. Research suggests golf can contribute to physical activity and may provide cardiovascular and musculoskeletal benefits, although findings vary depending on how golf is played and the individual golfer.
Golf Fitness Is More Than Golf
Playing golf can be part of an active lifestyle, but it does not necessarily provide every type of exercise your body needs. A complete fitness routine can combine aerobic activity, strength training, balance work, and mobility exercises. This broader approach is consistent with current guidance for older adults.
Golf Exercise Routine for Adults 50+
You do not need a complicated gym routine to support your golf game. A balanced program can combine lower-body strength, upper-body strength, trunk control, mobility, balance, and aerobic activity. Start at a comfortable level and gradually increase repetitions, resistance, or duration as your fitness improves.
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1. Sit-to-Stand
8–12 repetitions
Sit near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet about hip-width apart. Lean forward slightly and stand using your legs. Slowly lower yourself back toward the chair and repeat.
Why it matters: Builds practical strength in the legs and hips for standing, walking, and everyday movement.
Make it easier: Use your hands lightly on the chair or armrests for assistance.
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2. Supported Hip Hinge
8–12 repetitions
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Place your hands on your thighs or use a stable support. Gently move your hips backward while keeping your spine in a comfortable position, then return to standing.
Why it matters: Practices an important hip-dominant movement pattern while developing control through the hips and legs.
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3. Glute Bridge
8–12 repetitions
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet comfortably positioned on the floor. Press through your feet and gently lift your hips. Pause briefly, then lower with control.
Why it matters: Strengthens the hips and posterior chain, which contribute to lower-body strength and control.
Modification: If getting onto the floor is difficult, substitute another hip-strengthening exercise such as sit-to-stands.
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4. Resistance-Band Row
8–12 repetitions
Secure a resistance band at approximately chest height. Hold the band with both hands and gently pull your elbows backward while keeping your shoulders relaxed. Slowly return to the starting position.
Why it matters: Strengthens the upper back and shoulders, complementing the upper-body demands of golf.
Safety: Make sure the band and anchor are secure before exercising.
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5. Standing Trunk Rotation
6–10 repetitions per side
Stand comfortably with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Place your arms across your chest or comfortably in front of you. Slowly rotate your trunk from side to side without forcing the movement.
Why it matters: Practices controlled rotational movement through a comfortable range.
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6. Golf-Stance Rotation
6–8 repetitions per side
Adopt a comfortable golf stance without a club. Slowly rotate toward one side, allowing the hips and trunk to participate naturally. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Why it matters: Connects mobility and control to a movement pattern that more closely resembles golf.
Important: Keep the movement comfortable rather than trying to reproduce the maximum rotation of a full-speed swing.
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7. Calf Raises
10–15 repetitions
Stand behind a sturdy chair or near a counter for support. Slowly rise onto your toes, pause briefly, and lower your heels with control.
Why it matters: Builds lower-leg strength that supports walking and standing activities.
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8. Supported Single-Leg Balance
20–30 seconds per side
Stand next to a sturdy chair or counter. Lightly hold the support and lift one foot from the floor. Maintain a comfortable upright position, then switch sides.
Why it matters: Challenges balance and lower-body control. Balance training is an important component of physical activity for older adults.
Safety: Keep a stable support within reach. If you feel unsteady, place your foot back on the floor rather than trying to hold the position.
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9. Walking
10–30 minutes
Walking is one of the simplest ways to build aerobic fitness. Walk at a comfortable-to-moderate pace and gradually increase your duration as appropriate for your fitness level.
Why it matters: Aerobic activity complements golf-specific strength, mobility, and balance work. Current guidelines recommend working toward at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week for adults who are able.
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A Simple Weekly Golf Fitness Plan
You do not have to perform all nine exercises every day.
2 Days Per Week
Perform strength exercises such as:
- Sit-to-stands
- Supported hip hinges
- Glute bridges
- Resistance-band rows
- Calf raises
2–3 Days Per Week
Add mobility and balance work such as:
- Standing trunk rotations
- Golf-stance rotations
- Supported single-leg balance
Throughout the Week
Add walking or another aerobic activity you enjoy.
Before Golf
Use your separate golf warm-up routine to gradually prepare for the movements of the game.
This approach creates a useful combination of strength + mobility + balance + endurance without making your exercise program overly complicated.
Golf Fitness Is More Than Swing Speed
As golfers get older, it can be tempting to make distance the primary measure of fitness. But a strong golf fitness program has a broader purpose.
Strength, mobility, balance, endurance, and coordination all contribute to your ability to move well and participate in the activities you enjoy.
Research supports this broader approach. In one randomized study, golfers aged 55–79 who completed an eight-week strength and flexibility program improved strength, several range-of-motion measures, and clubhead speed compared with a control group.
In another randomized study involving older male golfers with an average age of approximately 71, an eight-week program combining flexibility, core stability, balance, and resistance exercises improved clubhead speed and several measures of functional fitness.
The takeaway is simple:
Build the body that supports the game, rather than training only the swing.
Strength and Mobility Work Together
Mobility is not simply about stretching farther, and strength is not simply about lifting heavier.
Useful movement requires the ability to move through an appropriate range while maintaining control. For golfers, that means combining mobility work with strengthening, balance, and regular physical activity.
Current guidance for older adults similarly emphasizes a combination of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and balance activities.
You do not need to perform every exercise every day. Consistency and gradual progression are more important than creating a complicated routine.
Don't Chase Maximum Range of Motion
Golf requires rotation, but more movement is not automatically better movement.
Perform mobility exercises within a comfortable range and focus on control rather than forcing your body farther than it naturally wants to go.
Your goal is not to achieve an extreme range of motion. It is to maintain useful movement that you can control and use confidently.
Build From Where You Are Today
A 55-year-old who exercises regularly and a 75-year-old returning to activity after years of inactivity may need very different starting points.
Begin at an appropriate level of difficulty. Use a chair or counter for balance when needed. Start with bodyweight exercises before adding resistance. Gradually increase repetitions, resistance, or duration rather than making large changes all at once.
NIA guidance recommends choosing activities that match your fitness level and needs and seeking professional guidance when you are unsure how to perform a movement safely.
Don't Forget the Walking
Golf can be an enjoyable way to stay active, particularly when walking the course is appropriate for you.
Research reviewing golf and physical health suggests that golf participation may contribute to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, although the evidence is mixed and outcomes depend on factors such as how the game is played, the golfer's characteristics, and the activity involved.
But golf does not have to carry your entire fitness routine.
Walking, resistance training, mobility work, balance exercises, cycling, swimming, gardening, and other activities can complement time on the course and help create a more complete active lifestyle.
Your Best Golf Exercise Program Is One You Can Maintain
You may want to walk 18 holes, play nine holes with friends, spend more time at the range, or simply feel more capable during your next round.
Your exercise routine should support those goals.
Think beyond the swing:
Strong legs. Mobile hips. A capable trunk. Strong shoulders. Good balance. Enough endurance to keep moving.
That is a practical foundation for an active golf lifestyle after 50.
Medical Disclaimer
This article provides general educational and wellness information and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition.
Exercise should be appropriate for your individual fitness level and abilities. Perform movements in a controlled, comfortable range and stop if you experience sharp or worsening pain, dizziness, unusual shortness of breath, chest discomfort, or other concerning symptoms.
If you have an injury, significant mobility limitation, balance concerns, cardiovascular or other health conditions, or are returning to exercise after a prolonged period of inactivity, consider speaking with your physician or a qualified physical therapist before beginning a new exercise program.
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