Don't Just Dust Off Your Clubs—Prepare Your Body to Play Better

Summer golf season is here.

Across the country, golfers are pulling their clubs out of storage, heading back to the driving range, and looking forward to more rounds with friends. While many players immediately focus on swing mechanics, equipment, or lessons, there's one critical element that often gets overlooked:

Your body.

Before you can make a great golf swing, your body needs to be prepared to move efficiently. Mobility, stability, balance, and ground force all play a major role in helping you swing better, generate more power, and avoid injury.

At Hit It Great, we always say:

Get your body in the game first.

While we always recommend starting your 7-Day Free Trial with the Hit It Great app and doing our Dynamic Warmup workout, here are four other simple ways to prepare your body for summer golf.

1. Improve Your Turn and Rotation

One of the most common issues golfers face is a restricted turn during the backswing.

Many players think they're making a full turn, but in reality, they've stopped rotating and simply lifted their arms. This creates compensation patterns that lead to inconsistency, loss of power, and poor ball striking.

A simple drill is to place a lightweight training shaft across your shoulders or use a light resistance band across your chest. Get into your golf posture and practice rotating your body while keeping your spine angle intact.

Focus on:

• Turning your back toward the target

• Allowing your hips and torso to rotate together

• Maintaining posture throughout the movement

The better your body turns, the easier it becomes to make an efficient golf swing.

2. Activate the Lower Body

The lower body is the engine of the golf swing.

Yet many golfers head straight to the first tee without ever activating their glutes, quads, and hips.

A resistance band placed above the knees can quickly wake up these muscles. Pull the knees apart against the band's resistance and perform controlled squats.

This simple movement helps:

• Activate the glutes

• Engage the hips

• Improve stability

• Prepare the body for rotation

A few reps before practice or a round can make a noticeable difference.

3. Wake Up the Quads and Glutes

You don’t always need equipment to get your golf body ready.

Another simple way to activate the lower body is to split your stance and use your own bodyweight. From that position, bring your arms up overhead and move up and down in a controlled motion.

This helps activate the:

• Quads

• Glutes

• Hips

• Lower body stabilizers

Make sure you do the movement on both sides. What you do to one side, you should do to the other.

These simple movements help create awareness of your lower body before you swing. That awareness can lead to more distance, better feel, and a stronger connection to the ground.

When the lower body is active, energy can move kinetically from the ground up through the body — and that is a very good thing for your golf swing.

4. Rehearse Your Golf Swing

One of the easiest ways to prepare your body for summer golf is to grab a large exercise ball and use it to rehearse your golf motion.

Simply hold the ball and make several slow swings toward the backswing position. Then swing the ball through to the follow-through position.

This simple drill helps:

• Encourage full-body movement

• Promote better rotation

• Activate golf-specific muscles

• Prepare the body for the golf swing

The added weight and size of the exercise ball create awareness throughout the movement and help your body feel the positions needed for an effective golf swing.

You don’t need a lengthy warmup routine. Just a few repetitions can help get your body in the game and prepare you to play your best golf this summer.

Simple. Easy. Effective.

Make This Summer Your Best Golf Season Yet

Golf is a movement sport.

The better your body moves, the easier it becomes to create speed, maintain balance, and play your best golf.

Before your next range session or round, spend a few minutes preparing your body. Improve your turn, activate your lower body, learn to use the ground, and add a few dynamic warm-up exercises.

Your swing—and your scorecard—will thank you.

Get your body in the game and get ready to Hit It Great this summer.

— Coach Joey D