How much benefit do you think strength has for your swing?

[OldandStiff]

One of the first things you often hear from people wanting more out of their golf swing is that they need to start working out. Get fit (the other kind). I mean I work out, obviously , but some of it applies to golf and some definitely doesn't. I was just working with a kid that swings his weight with a 7 iron. 140 ball speed, 140 lbs soaking wet, but probably can't bench 140. And there's a lot of sides to this discussion, but how do you think your strength relates to your swing.

 

[That post]

Great question and honestly I’m not sure I’d like the answer. I’m in the gym 4-5x a week and I definitely think there is some benefit but then you see a 140lb guy with tons of flexibility and good sequencing just bomb one and it destroys my whole world view.

 

[USAF Retired]

I think you have the move to produce speed or don’t

But, at age 58, I feel could benefit from working out/lifting to slow the loss of speed and distance.

In 2012, the 52° wedge was my 115-120 club…remember because I holed out twice that summer from 120

11 years later, my 48° wedge is my 110-115 club

 

[BigMac]

I think speed and sequencing matter a lot more than pure strength. Bubba Watson was one of the longest drivers on Tour for a while, I don't think that body has ever seen the inside of a gym and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be anywhere near the top of the leaderboard in a powerlifting contest.

I think there are a lot of advantages to being physically fit in a generalized sense, but I would include cardio, flexibility and balance in that equation more than just pure strength.

 

[jjjgolf500]

Not sure if I am answering the question correctly but.......

I am legit weak as hell and hit the ball farther than 99% of people I play with.

Edit: Ill also add that I think my strength/fit level probably hurts me in some scenarios. Forces me into positions that aren't ideal, because my body just doesn't work that way.

 

[OldandStiff]

Great question and honestly I’m not sure I’d like the answer. I’m in the gym 4-5x a week and I definitely think there is some benefit but then you see a 140lb guy with tons of flexibility and good sequencing just bomb one and it destroys my whole world view.

The kid is unreal. I mean part of that is just genetics, but he knows how to generate and where to use the little strength that he has.

 

[OldandStiff]

I think you have the move to produce speed or don’t

But, at age 58, I feel could benefit from working out/lifting to slow the loss of speed and distance.

In 2012, the 52° wedge was my 115-120 club…remember because I holed out twice that summer from 120

11 years later, my 48° wedge is my 110-115 club

I like that. I do a lot of gym work to not lose what I have. I still do, but I fight the good fight. For all things, for living, but also for golf.

 

[OldandStiff]

Not sure if I am answering the question correctly but.......

I am legit weak as hell and hit the ball farther than 99% of people I play with.

I think you did.

 

[Kmench]

I think strength would be more beneficial to prevent injury than swing speed. Being fast and flexible can be done without being super strong.

 

[WLG1952]

For me strength, especially in my legs is very important to my swing. Leg strength allows for more balance, which allows for a faster swing, which leads to more usable distance.

Currently my leg strength basically sucks due to couple of medical issues.

 

[Just_Brad]

Strength wise, I don't know that it relates directly to performance,

Things like leg strength I believe correlate directly, but the ability to curl/bench weight, I don't think it is as beneficial as overall flexibility and "looseness" within the swing.

Really though, WTF do I know. I can't hit the ball for distance to save my life. I know nothing.

 

[PatsFan]

I think as you get older and less flexible staying physically strong is important.
Watching some young guys coil during their swing makes my back hurt. If I tried that I would be on the ground.

Getting old sucks and if you don't keep up with your conditioning you will see performance drops.

 

[camden_kid]

Not much. It's just getting more confidence in changing the swing that will give me more distance.

 

[That post]

The kid is unreal. I mean part of that is just genetics, but he knows how to generate and where to use the little strength that he has.

Now I just want to drill sequencing the rest of the winter instead of killing myself at the gym. But then I couldn't eat as much ice cream and unicorn bars, soooooooo.....

 

[Raiderboost]

I think strength can be beneficial to all parts of the game but the individual and their swing probably change how much benefit there is to certain areas. Everyone is probably thinking about it from a speed and distance point of view but one area where it's just as if not more beneficial is hitting from the rough/bad lies. More strength in the fingers, hands, wrists, and arms allow one to better hold/control the club head as it's going through thick grass. This will help lessen those misses when the grass grabs the club.

 

[OldandStiff]

Now I just want to drill sequencing the rest of the winter instead of killing myself at the gym. But then I couldn't eat as much ice cream and unicorn bars, soooooooo.....

Sounds like a 6 days gym plan to me!!

 

[blugold]

A person doesn't have to be strong to swing fast, mechanics are much more important. But, being strong helps being able to swing fast over and over.

Also, generally speaking, weak things break. Weak things hurt.

Also, this guy is one of the most decorated long drive competitors ever...

And regardless of golf, strength and muscle mass is one of the best predictors are longevity and vitality. Everybody should want more strength.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

When I started golfing in 2020 I was consistently getting 140 yards out of my 7i. After two years of swing training, last year, I was surprised to find I'd lost about 20 yards, despite a better swing resulting in better, more consistent ball flight. (Which would imply better, more consistent contact, no?)

Now it could be I simply hadn't become 100% comfortable with my new swing, so I wasn't giving it as much as I had my old swing. But, it occurred to me, another difference might have been that, back when I'd started playing in 2020 I'd been working out regularly since 2005. By the time I was testing my new swing in 2022 I'd hardly worked out at all for two years.

There's a lot that goes into an effective swing, but, I have to believe that, all else being equal, better foundational strength will result in greater potential CHS.

I've been back in the gym since October of 2022. Providing I stick with it I guess we'll find out this coming season, when I give my new swing a go again. (Didn't happen this season because a couple stubborn flaws in my developing new swing put me back into my swing training studio for the rest of the season.)

 

[Raiderboost]

The kid is unreal. I mean part of that is just genetics, but he knows how to generate and where to use the little strength that he has.

Just think about once he matures a little and gains more strength. I have a good friend who is well into the + side for his index. I saw the gains he had from hitting the gym. He wasn't a bean pole by any means but he added about 30 pounds over 2-3 years and gained a fair amount of distance. Some of that was muscle growth from hitting the gym and some was just maturing from a 21 yo to a 24 yo.

 

[1860VS]

Depends upon how you define strength. I have always made sure to maintain a good balance of type I and type II muscle fiber. For golf all you really need is predominantly type II for speed. It's not like you are swinging a sledge.

 

[blugold]

Depends upon how you define strength. I have always made sure to maintain a good balance of type I and type II muscle fiber. For golf all you really need is predominantly type II for speed. It's not like you are swinging a sledge.

Strength is defined as the ability to produce force against an external resistance. Strength is a yes or no question.

 

[echico]

Functional strength is important. I did some heavy lifting and was doing TKD at the same time. It became a hinderance because there are not that many people that spar with me that I need to do a squat motion or bench motion with. Same thing with golf. I can work out but I need to also understand how I will use the new strength gains in my swing.

 

[MWard]

I’ve picked up some horsepower without speed training as I’ve gotten stronger, but I haven’t measured to see just how much. I backed off the speed training, because my body wasn’t strong enough to support it.

I’ll give it a go again in a couple weeks and see how numbers compare, and then see what I can do starting from then.

 

[PPFour12]

Not sure if I am answering the question correctly but.......

I am legit weak as hell and hit the ball farther than 99% of people I play with.

Edit: Ill also add that I think my strength/fit level probably hurts me in some scenarios. Forces me into positions that aren't ideal, because my body just doesn't work that way.

And I’ll go along with this. I’m pretty strong if we’re just keeping it real. I don’t think it correlates much to golf for me.

 

[Paladin]

The golf swing is predicated on rate of force production, which is a function of acceleration, which can be improved by two things: proprioceptive timing (getting your body in the right position at the right time in your golf swing) and strength (as muscles are needed to accelerate and decelerate your bones safely.)

Also, of the parts of your body that are used in physical movement (bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscle) only muscle actually stretches. Muscle safely controls your range of motion. Having more muscle protects your joints.