Fitness for Golf - Hill Sprint and Shoot Par

Watching Tiger Woods this past week (pre knee surgery)reminded me that golf season is about to start for many people out there.

This is the time of year that I often get questions about how to best train to improve your golf game. Questions like this one:

"Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway. I am a 45 year old male, and I live in the Northeast. I am currently amassing information for me to devise my off season fitness program for the glorious sport of...(please sit down before continuing)...GOLF!

Currently, my winter program is going to be extremely eclectic, with a combination of weights, kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, stretching/yoga/pilates, and, up till now jogging.

Enough background...my question is this... will hill sprinting help with my golf game? Intuitively, I would say anything that burns (the blubber) off my body is going to be beneficial to all aspects of my game and life, and further, the strength built in my leg muscles through your program must help as well, but I want to hear what you think.

I hope I haven't wasted too much of your time, and again, if this is a stupid question, feel free to say so.

Cheers,

Brian

No question is stupid Brian. Although I admit I had to do some research to match hill sprint training with the game of golf. Here goes.

Yes, hill sprints will help your golf game - and here's 7 ways they'll do it:

1. Dynamic warmups and static stretches done on the hill will increase your flexibility. This can lead to longer backswings which will generate more club head speed - in other words, you'll hit the ball farther and straighter.

2. Hill sprints will strengthen your abs - this will help prevent lower back injuries which are common in golf.

3. Hill sprints will strengthen your upper leg muscles which can improve your balance during your swing.

4. Hill sprints will strengthen your hips - more power and speed in your swing.

5. Hill sprints will strengthen the muscles in your lower legs... perfect for push-off power in your down swing.

6. Sprinting up hills will strengthen your core and trunk. These muscles are essential for the twisting motion of your golf swing.

7. Hill sprints will increase your stamina and endurance. Most golfers see a major decline around hole 13 due to a lack of endurance. Better stamina will improve your consistency on that back 9. Increased stamina will also help you stay consistent in your putting - fatigue can lead to the loss of fundamentals.

Hey, I found even more links between hill sprinting and golf than I originally thought of... again, goes to show you that working out using the right kinds of exercises will transfer to almost any activity that you want to improve in.