Best Golf Exercises for Seniors to Improve Your Game

Golf is one of the best sports to enjoy as you get older. It keeps you active, social, and sharp well into your golden years.

But if you’ve noticed your swing getting shorter, your balance feeling less steady, or your body feeling sore after a round, you’re not alone. As we age, we naturally lose strength, flexibility, and stability — all of which are critical to playing good golf.

The good news? With just a few targeted exercises, you can regain mobility, add distance to your shots, improve your balance, and stay pain-free on the course.

In this guide, we’ll cover the best golf exercises for seniors — simple, safe, and effective movements designed to help you play better golf and enjoy the game for years to come.

Golf Exercises for Seniors

Our bodies change as we age — and those changes can show up in our golf games. Strength and muscle mass decline, joints become stiffer, and our balance and coordination can fade.

But that doesn’t mean your best golf is behind you. 

In fact, the right exercises can help you maintain your swing speed, improve consistency, and keep you healthy enough to play the game you love. I’ve had countless podcast listeners in their 50s and 60s add distance, improve strength, and play better than ever. 

Here is why senior golfers should do targeted exercises:

• Maintain or regain swing speed and distance.
• Prevent common golf injuries (back, hips, shoulders).
• Improve balance and stability to avoid mishits and falls.
• Build stamina and recover faster between rounds.
• Keep playing your best golf well into your later years.
  

A few minutes a day of smart, golf-focused exercises can make a huge difference on the course — and in how good you feel off it.

Five Pillars of Fitness  

When it comes to golf exercises for seniors, the goal isn’t to lift heavy weights 5X per week or punish your body. It’s to improve and maintain the key areas that matter most for your swing and your health.

Here are the five most important areas to target:

✅ Mobility & Flexibility: Maintaining a full, pain-free range of motion helps you make a complete, efficient swing without strain.

✅ Core Strength: A strong core protects your back, improves balance, and powers your swing.

✅ Balance & Stability: Helps you stay centered through impact and consistent on uneven terrain.

✅ Light Strength Training: Builds and maintains muscle to support posture and add distance without stressing your joints. Two or three times per week, focusing on full body compound movements will help you get the most bang for your buck. 

✅ Endurance & Stamina: Helps you walk 18 holes comfortably and finish strong on the back nine.

Best Golf Exercises for Seniors (Free & Structured Options)

Focus on these five areas, and you’ll see and feel the difference every time you play. Here are some of the most effective exercises senior golfers can do to improve your fitness levels. 

🧘 Mobility & Flexibility

• Hip Openers (Figure 4 Stretch): Lie on your back, ankle over opposite knee, and gently pull your knee toward your chest. Great for loosening tight hips.
• Thoracic Rotations (Seated or on all fours): Rotate your upper body side-to-side to keep your spine mobile and improve backswing rotation.
• Hamstring & Shoulder Stretch: Use a towel to stretch hamstrings while lying on your back, and open up shoulders gently against a wall.
  
  

💪 Core & Stability

• Wall Push-Offs: Stand facing a wall, hands on wall at chest height. Engage your core and push your upper body away from the wall slightly, hold for 10–15 seconds. Less strain than a plank but strengthens the core.
• Standing Torso Rotations: Hold a club or stick across your shoulders, rotate slowly side-to-side to improve rotational strength and control.
• Seated Knee Lifts: Sit on a chair, tighten your core, and lift one knee at a time — great for lower abs and balance.

⚖️ Balance & Light Strength

• Single-Leg Stand: Stand near a chair or counter, lift one foot slightly off the ground, and hold for 20–30 seconds per side.
• Tandem Stance: Place one foot directly in front of the other (heel-to-toe) and hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
• Step-Taps: Step up onto a small step or sturdy book and back down, alternating legs, to improve balance and leg strength.

💪 Full Body Strength Training 

• Dumbbell Squats: Hold light dumbbells at your sides or chest and perform slow, controlled squats to strengthen your legs, hips, and core.
• Modified Push-Ups or Assisted Pull-Ups: Use a wall or countertop for push-ups, or an assisted pull-up machine or resistance bands to strengthen your upper body and back without strain.
• Leg Press or Step-Ups: If you have access to a gym, use the leg press machine for safe, controlled lower-body work. At home, step-ups on a sturdy step are a great alternative.

🚶 Endurance

• Brisk Walks: Walk at a steady, moderate pace for 15–20 minutes, 3–4 times a week. Add incline on a treadmill or choose a hilly route to challenge yourself and strengthen your legs. Don't forget, power comes from the ground up! 
• Swimming: A gentle, joint-friendly way to build cardiovascular fitness and improve full-body mobility.
• Cycling: Stationary or outdoor biking is an excellent low-impact option to strengthen your legs and build endurance while being easy on the joints.

These simple exercises—when done in just 10–15 minutes, 3–4 times a week—help seniors regain mobility, preserve strength, and protect against injury.

Why GolfForever Is the Best All-in-One Strategy

If you're serious about your fitness and prefer a guided, structured plan tailored specifically for golf, GolfForever is the top choice:

• All-in-One Platform: Combines mobility, core, strength, balance, and recovery in one app tailored for golfers.
• Safe & Smart: Designed by golf and movement experts—especially ideal for seniors managing joint health.
• Custom Progression: Auto-adjusts workouts as you build capacity, while ensuring variety and safety.
• No Guesswork: All workouts are demonstrated with video, avoiding the vagueness of written descriptions alone.
• On-Course Carryover: Designed to directly improve swing mechanics, distance, stability, and stamina.
  

While many free sources (like those “8 golf exercises for seniors” blogs) offer great individual exercises, GolfForever wraps them all into a cohesive, programmatic plan—with guidance, tracking, and recovery tools built in. It’s a modern fitness coach in your pocket. Read my full review of GolfForever to see why it's such an effective golf app. 

Tips for Success & Conclusion

• ✅ Do something every day: Even a few minutes of stretching, walking, or light balance work each day can add up to big improvements over time.
• ✅ Don’t overdo it: Start slow and listen to your body. Quality and consistency are more important than pushing yourself too hard.
• ✅ Always warm up first: Begin each session with a short walk or a few mobility exercises to get your joints and muscles ready to move.
• ✅ Start small: Focus on just two or three exercises per session, done 2–3 times per week, and build from there as you feel stronger.
• ✅ Track your progress: Use a fitness app or simple notebook to record your exercises and keep yourself motivated.
• ✅ Stay active on off days: Add walking, gentle hill climbs, or even tempo practice on your non-practice days to keep moving and build endurance.

Closing Thoughts: Get Started with GolfForever

Don't let age stop you - the right exercises and dedication to fitness can do wonders. A few targeted exercises done consistently can dramatically enhance mobility, balance, swing speed, and injury resistance for senior golfers. 

Check out GolfForever for your complete golf fitness solution as it's clearly the best golf fitness app. Start feeling stronger, playing longer, and enjoying better scores.

Use code "WICKEDSMART" and you'll save 15% on your investment too. Act now - your health and golf game depend on it!