How to build a body for golf

Adam Scott hitting driver

To understand how to build a body for golf, it is necessary to identify the key muscle groups that are utilized in the golf swing.

The golf swing is a complex, total body movement pattern that has some similarities to throwing a baseball, discus or shot put.  It is also similar to a slap shot in hockey.

In the case of most of these movements, you tend to find that the top athletes in those respective sports have strong legs and mobile hips.

MyTPI has identified the glutes as the most important muscle group in the golf swing since it helps to maintain lower body stability throughout the swing.

Other muscle groups that are critical to the golf swing include the lower back, abdominal muscles, lats, shoulders, upper back, forearms and even the pectoral muscles of the chest.

Given the fact that virtually the entire body is involved in the golf swing, it makes sense to employ exercises that incorporate as much muscle as possible to train most efficiently.

I discussed these exercises in my article Strength Training For Golfers.

The fear among many golfers is that they don’t want to get too bulked up from lifting weights for fear of losing flexibility.

That fear has proven to be overblown as the world’s top competitors in long drive are not only built like NFL safeties, but they are very flexible.

Obviously, the game of golf is not just about hitting massive tee shots.

There is a tremendous amount of skill involved with many shots requiring a great deal of feel and touch.

Therefore, most golfers do not want to spend hours in the gym every day.

Balance is key.

How to build a body for golf

If there is a prototype golfer these days, I would point to Adam Scott, who stands at 6 feet tall and weighs about 180 pounds.

At 45 years old, he has been able to elevate his swing speed to well over 120 mph, and ball speed to upwards of 190 mph.

So far in 2026, his average swing speed is just under 123 mph, and he is averaging two mph faster than last year.

Last year he was in position to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont, arguably the toughest golf course in the world.  Therefore, he still has extreme levels of skill in all areas of his game.

I didn’t mention Scottie Scheffler first since he is 6’3″ and is therefore much taller than most golfers.  He’s obviously the best player in the game right now but has more physical size to work with than most of us.

Rory McIlroy in the gym

Behind Adam Scott, I will point out Rory McIlroy, who at 5’9″ is right about average in height.

Rory is also much stronger than the average golfer, and his swing speed is almost exactly the same as Adam Scott’s in 2026.

Now that we’ve identified the prototype golf bodies at around average height and a little taller, let’s talk about how to build a body for golf.

I would start with a very basic strength training routine that I outlined previously.

You want to train the four basic compound movements…

• Low bar squat
• Deadlift
• Bench Press
• Overhead Press

Train these for a couple months and then start to swap out the deadlift for another pulling movement such as chin ups or lat pulldowns.

These exercises hit all the major muscle groups and if you train them properly, you will gain a significant amount of strength over a matter of a few months.

A proper program will have you training these exercises three days per week with the following workouts…

Workout A                            Workout B

Barbell Squat                       Barbell Squat

Bench Press                         Overhead Press

Deadlift                                 Deadlift

These workouts are alternated so if you do workout A on Monday, you follow with Workout B on Wednesday, and then back to Workout A on Friday.

The following week you start with Workout B.

You train each exercise with three working sets of five reps, with the exception of the deadlift, where you only do one working set of five reps.

You start out conservatively with your weights, so that you can complete each set fairly easily in the beginning.

You then add weight to the bar each workout, usually at increments of five pounds.

After about a month, you can start to swap out the deadlift with chin ups or lat pullowns so that you just train the deadlift every other workout.

Over time, as you get stronger, adjustments to the programming will be made.

Lose extra weight

You’ll note that neither Adam Scott nor Rory McIlroy have much body fat.

Carrying extra baggage will sap your energy on the golf course and that can lead to poor shots and bad decisions.

When you are not training for strength, you want to do some cardio work…but not too much.

Too much cardio exercise will result in an interference effect for your strength training.

In other words, on your off days, you don’t want to go run five miles at a fast clip.

You can consider two types of cardio exercise which will be performed over different durations.

Zone 2 cardio is a great way to build your overall work capacity and burn fat.

This is low intensity and needs to be done for a longer period of time (45 minutes or more) to get the most benefit.

Higher intensity cardio exercise, such as interval training, is done for shorter periods of time, usually under forty minutes.

I like to employ both in my training for variety.

When you combine strength training, a bit of cardio exercise, and proper diet and nutrition, you will develop a proper golf body… lean and muscular.

The last piece of the puzzle

Within your overall fitness program, you need to work on mobility.

Yoga is an excellent way to become more flexible so that you can maintain or increase the range of motion in your golf swing.

Many tour players involve a variety of mobility exercises prescribed to them by trainers and these are fine.

However, yoga training is helpful for work on the breath and learning how to relax.

I also find it to be more useful with balance training as well.

A solid stretching routine that hits all of the major muscle groups is also helpful.

Final thoughts on building a golf body

The golf swing, particularly when performed at high speeds similar to professional tour players, can produce significant wear and tear.

To reduce wear and tear and to get the most out of your game, it is advisable to embark on a fitness program that hits all of the key areas…

• Strength
• Conditioning
• Mobility and Balance

Many golfers reading this will suggest that they may not have the time.

Well then time management becomes a critical component as well.

If you want to reach your potential as a golfer, you need to get to work on your body in addition to your game.

You now should have a better understanding of how to build a body for golf.

If you want a complete program to help you do just that AND take your golf skills to a higher level, consider my Samurai Golfer program.