PT-Approved Exercises for Golfers and Summer Athletes

We recently received a great question on social media: 

“What exercises should I be doing now to prepare for golf season and other summer sports?” 

As we look ahead to 2026, we thought now is a great time to start discussing how to get sports and outdoor-ready for the spring and summer months. 

After all, Eagle and Summit County are known for offering tons to do outdoors, so you’ll want to make sure you are ready to tackle any old and new hobbies when the temperatures finally start to rise!

Here’s our comprehensive guide to PT-approved exercises that will have you playing stronger and injury-free when the snow melts. 

We’ll break it down by different body areas, so you’ll have a complete picture of what your body is capable of for any type of outdoor activity.

As always, these exercises are general guidance and not a replacement for individualized PT care. Contact our team at Axis Sports Medicine to learn more about personalized PT and athletic training guidance.

The Rotational Power Zone: Core and Thoracic Spine

Exercise: Pallof Press with Rotation

The Pallof Press is known as an “anti-rotation exercise” and helps build the trunk stability you need to control your swing on the golf course. This one is especially helpful for areas where the elevation changes and you need more precise control. 

Tennis and pickleball players can also benefit from the same rotational stability during serves and groundstrokes, and hikers can benefit from the added core strength for balance on uneven surfaces.

How to do it: 

1. Anchor a resistance band at chest height. 
2. Stand perpendicular to the anchor, holding the band with both hands at your chest. 
3. Press straight out, hold for 2 seconds, then slowly rotate away from the anchor point for another 2 seconds before returning to center.
4. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps each side.

Exercise: Kneeling Thoracic Spine Rotations

Thoracic mobility is your best secret weapon for mastering a full backswing without straining your lower back. 

But it’s not just for golfers. This same mobility helps swimmers reach further in their strokes without added strain, and it can give mountain bikers better bike handling on technical descents around Keystone’s summer trail system.

How to do it: 

1. In a tall kneeling position, place a golf club across your shoulders.
2. Keep your hips facing forward while rotating your upper body as far as comfortable to each side. 
3. Hold each end position for 3 breaths. 
4. Perform 10 rotations in each direction.

Lower Body Foundation: Hips and Glutes

Exercise: Single-Leg Deadlifts with Reach

Golf is essentially a single-leg sport during weight transfer. Single-leg deadlifts with reach help you build hip stability and posterior chain strength needed for optimal drive distance.

We also encourage this type of exercise for trail runners, as the same single-leg strength can help navigate technical terrain.

How to do it:

1. Stand on your right leg, holding a light weight in your left hand.
2. Hinge at the hip, reaching the weight toward your right foot while extending your left leg behind you.
3. Keep your back straight and hips square.
4. Return to standing.
5. Complete 3 sets of 10 per leg.

Exercise: Lateral Band Walks with Golf Posture

This exercise targets those often-neglected hip abductors. If you’re going to maintain your posture through 18 holes, you need your abductors to be in top shape and able to keep up for hours at a time.

How to do it:

1. Place a resistance band around your ankles.
2. Assume your golf address position – knees slightly bent, hips hinged, spine neutral.
3. Take 15 steps sideways, maintaining this posture, then return.
4. Complete 3 sets in each direction.

Shoulder Stability and Upper Body Resilience

Exercise: 90/90 External Rotation

This exercise set is key. It protects the rotator cuff from the repetitive stress of golf swings, and is also great for tennis serves and swimming strokes. 

You’d be amazed at how much benefit you gain from consistent shoulder stability work, both on the course and in daily life.

How to do it: 

1. Lie on your side with your top elbow bent 90 degrees, upper arm along your body. 
2. Hold a light weight and rotate your forearm up toward the ceiling, keeping your elbow against your side. 
3. Lower slowly. 

Exercise: Scapular Wall Slides

Proper scapular control helps prevent what’s known as “shoulder impingement”, which is common in overhead athletes. Think of it as your shoulder blade guiding your shoulder joint, instead of the other way around.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your back against a wall, arms in a “goal post” position.
2. Slide your arms up the wall as high as possible while maintaining contact.
3. Hold at the top for 2 seconds, then lower. 
4. Complete 3 sets of 12.

Dynamic Warm-Up Sequence

Exercise: Walking Lunges with Rotation Over Front Leg

Many of these exercises have focused on building strength, but priming your body with dynamic warmups is just as important – and can help you prevent many of the most common injuries we see in our clinic.

Walking lunges can prime your body for rotational sports while activating the entire kinetic chain. Use this before teeing off at the course or before hitting Summit County’s hiking trails.

How to do it: 

1. Step forward into a lunge, then rotate your torso toward the front leg.
2. Push off to standing and repeat on the opposite side.
3. Continue for 20 total reps.

Your Action Plan for Summer Strength & Mobility

These are just a few of the many exercises that you can easily incorporate into your fitness routine. Even doing a few of them a couple times per week can lead to huge benefits when you hit the course (or mountain) this summer.

Start working on these exercises now, and by the time the course opens for the season, you’ll have built the strength and stability needed for your best performance yet. Here’s a sample month-by-month guide for getting these into your routine:

Winter Foundation Phase (January-March):

• Focus on mobility and strength building
• 3-4 sessions per week
• Higher volume, moderate intensity

Spring Power Phase (April-May):

• Add explosive movements and sport-specific patterns
• 2-3 sessions per week
• Lower volume, higher intensity

Summer Maintenance (June-September):

• Maintain gains with 1-2 sessions weekly
• Focus on recovery and movement quality

Remember, consistency always beats intensity. Even 20 minutes, three times per week, will yield better results than more sporadic, intense sessions.

Want to learn more? If you’re experiencing pain or have specific performance goals, our team at Axis Sports Medicine can create a personalized physical therapy program tailored to your sport and fitness level. 

Reach out to us today and let’s build a plan to help you achieve your goals this year!

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