🏌️♀️ Why I Built My Golf Strength and Mobility Training Plan
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been steadily working on my health — a mix of cardio, strength training, and eating like I actually care about my body. I’ve lost around 75 pounds so far, and I’m proud of that. But here’s the thing no one tells you: losing weight doesn’t automatically mean feeling great.
I’ve also had to get honest about what my body’s working with. Years of desk work have left my shoulders, neck, and chest tight. I’ve got flat feet, knees that have dislocated more times than I’d like to admit, and a lower back that occasionally flares up badly enough that I have to whip out my cane — the real one, not metaphorical. It’s not constant, but it’s real.
So when I put together a strength and mobility plan, it wasn’t about lifting heavy or chasing aesthetics. It was about creating a body that can swing a golf club, three times a week, without breaking down. I’m not training like a tour pro. I’m training like someone who wants to keep enjoying the game — and maybe even play better doing it.
🔧 Program Priorities
This isn’t a gym hero routine. It’s a real-life plan for real-life golfers — with real-life joints.
- Mobility over max weight: If I can’t move well, I can’t swing well.
- Core strength over crunches: It’s about rotation, not six-packs.
- Stability over soreness: I need glutes and hips that hold up under pressure, not deadlifts for ego.
- Machines > barbells: Safer for my knees, kinder to my back.
- Mat-based Pilates > gym-floor misery: I get better posture and better control, with fewer regrets.
- Recovery counts: I don’t want a plan that makes golf harder — I want one that makes it easier.
Meet My Trainer
Leia is a German Shepherd with a strong background in floor supervision, distraction techniques, and unsolicited motivational barking. When she’s not monitoring my form from the yoga mat, she’s napping in the sun to recover from her own very demanding rest schedule.
📆 My Golf-Focused Weekly Plan
Day |
Focus |
Details |
|
☀️ Mon AM |
🧘 Mobility + 🙆♀️ Core |
Foam rolling, hip openers, and a Pilates-based core routine |
|
🌙 Mon PM |
⛳️ League Round – Fellows Creek |
Real-world movement test #1 |
|
☀️ Tues AM |
🏋🏼♀️ Full Body Strength |
Resistance machines, cable rotations, pull-downs, and press variations |
|
🌙 Tues PM |
🏌🏼♀️ Range Practice |
Full swing, short game, and putting |
|
☀️ Wed AM |
🎾 Tennis |
90 minutes of chaotic footwork, unplanned sprints, and questionable backhands |
|
🌙 Wed PM |
🏌🏼♀️ Backyard Short Game Practice |
Trying to hit more lawn flags than windows |
|
☀️ Thurs AM |
⛳️ League Round – UM Womens Golf Club |
Real-world movement test #2 |
|
🌙 Thurs PM |
🧘 Mobility + Stretch (Recovery) |
Home-based flow session, band work, foam roller, and chest openers |
|
☀️ Fri AM |
🍑 Glute + Hip Stability + 🙆♀️ Core |
Bridges, mini band walks, side planks, superwomans, and mat-based ab work |
|
🌙 Fri PM |
🏌🏼♀️ Backyard Short Game Practice (optional) |
60-minute wedge work (with bonus steps fetching balls) |
|
☀️ Sat AM |
💪 Light Upper Body Strength |
Focus on form, tempo, and posture using machines and resistance cables |
|
🌙 Sat PM |
🏌🏼♀️ Range Practice (optional) |
Focused on tempo, contact, and dodging “helpful” commentary from men I didn’t ask. |
|
☀️ Sun |
⛳️ Practice Round |
Wherever I can get a tee time and a fresh lesson in humility |
How I Stay Consistent
This plan only works because it actually fits my life. I’m not spending two hours in the gym or grinding through brutal workouts just to say I did them.
Here’s what helps me stick with it:
Bookend each day with movement
10 minutes of mobility in the morning to wake up my hips and spine, and 10 minutes at night to loosen up everything that’s tightened from sitting all day. It’s not intense, but it makes a difference.
Golf Fit, Not Golf-Obsessed
I didn’t overhaul my routine to train like a golfer — I just adapted what I was already doing. A few smart adjustments, and now my workouts support my swing without taking over my whole life.
Keeping It Fresh
(And Focused)
To keep things from going stale, I rotate through playlists and podcasts. Some days I need music to stay engaged, other days it’s just background noise so I don’t bail early. Whatever works, as long as I show up.
Measuring Success by Feel, Not Reps
I don’t chase numbers. If I finish 18 holes without back pain, if I feel grounded on tee shots and loose on approach swings — that’s progress. It’s not just about building strength, it’s about making sure I can use it.