Improving your golf swing doesn’t start with buying new clubs or copying your favorite Tour pro’s move—it starts with how well your body can move.

Flexibility is the foundation for power, consistency, and longevity in the game. Without proper mobility in your hips, shoulders, thoracic spine, hamstrings, and lats, your swing becomes a series of compensations. That’s when inconsistency, loss of power, and even injury start to creep in.

This guide breaks down the 10 best golf flexibility exercises every golfer should incorporate into their routine. These movements are carefully selected to improve rotational ability, hip mobility, balance, and golf-specific movement patterns that directly impact your swing mechanics.

Each stretch includes step-by-step instructions and a visual reference so you can perform them correctly right away.

Why Flexibility Matters in Your Golf Swing

Before we jump into the exercises, it’s important to understand why flexibility is such a major driver of performance.

Golf is a rotational sport powered by the sequence of your body moving from the ground up. To maximize distance and maintain consistency:

●     Your hips must rotate freely.

●     Your T-spine must turn without over-torquing your lower back.

●     Your shoulders need enough external rotation to create width and a strong top position.

●     Your hamstrings must allow you to stay in athletic posture.

●     Your lats must be loose enough to avoid early extension.

Without mobility, your body finds “workarounds” that create swing faults such as swaying, sliding, casting, flipping, early extension, and inconsistent strike patterns.

These 10 golf flexibility exercises directly target the mobility restrictions that cause those issues.

The 10 Best Golf Flexibility Exercises

1. 90/90 Hip Flow

Primary target: Hip internal + external rotation
Benefits: Better hip turn, improved swing sequencing, and more stable lower body in the backswing and follow-through.

Most amateur golfers massively lack hip rotational mobility, which makes it difficult to load into the trail hip and clear the lead hip during impact. The 90/90 Hip Flow is one of the most effective ways to improve that.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Sit on the floor with your right leg in front, bent at 90° at the hip and knee.

2.    Position your left leg behind you, also bent at 90°.

3.    Sit tall and square your chest over your right shin.

4.    Lean forward until you feel a deep external rotation stretch in the front hip.

5.    Hold for 2–3 breaths.

6.    Rotate your torso toward your left leg to stretch internal rotation on the back hip.

7.    Pause and breathe.

8.    Switch legs and repeat the flow.

Continue flowing between positions for 8–10 reps on each side.

Why this improves your golf swing:
Better hip mobility means more coil going back and more space to rotate through the ball without sliding.

 

2. T-Spine Rotations

Primary target: Thoracic spine (mid-back) rotation
Benefits: Bigger shoulder turn, reduced lower-back strain, improved posture

Your thoracic spine is responsible for rotation in the upper body. If it’s stiff, your lower back tries to rotate for it—which is one of the biggest causes of golf-related back pain.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Start on your hands and knees.

2.    Place your right hand lightly behind your head.

3.    Rotate your right elbow toward your left hand.

4.    Reverse the motion by rotating your elbow toward the ceiling.

5.    Keep your hips from shifting.

6.    Perform 8–10 slow reps.

7.    Switch sides.

Why this improves your golf swing:
A mobile T-spine creates a fuller turn, smoother sequence, and a steeper or shallower plane as needed—without compensations.

3. Cat–Cow Stretch

Primary target: Entire spine
Benefits: Smooth rotation, reduced stiffness, improved setup posture

This popular movement is a mobility staple because it opens up the entire spine, helping you stay in posture throughout the swing.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Begin on hands and knees.

2.    For Cat: round your spine upward and tuck your pelvis while pushing your hands into the floor.

3.    Exhale as you draw your belly in.

4.    For Cow: tilt your pelvis up, drop your chest, raise your eyes slightly while arching your back.

5.    Inhale as your spine opens.

6.    Alternate for 10–12 slow breaths.

Why this improves your golf swing:
Cat–Cow lubricates the spine and improves your ability to rotate without collapsing.

4. Frog Stretch

Primary target: Adductors (inner thighs)
Benefits: Stable stance, deeper hip load, reduced sway

The inner thigh muscles help you maintain width and pressure shift during the swing. If they’re tight, your hips can’t move independently of your lower body.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Start on all fours.

2.    Slide your knees outward until you feel tension.

3.    Align your ankles with your knees.

4.    Drop your forearms to the floor.

5.    Push your hips slowly backward.

6.    Hold the stretch for 30–60 seconds.

7.    Rock gently if comfortable.

Why this improves your golf swing:
The Frog Stretch enhances side-to-side stability and allows for a deeper turn into your trail side.

5. Pigeon Stretch

Primary target: Glutes + hip external rotation
Benefits: More rotational power, better balance, reduced lower-back compensation

If your glutes are tight, your hips can’t internally or externally rotate—two of the most important motions in the golf swing.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Begin in a plank or kneeling position.

2.    Bring your right knee forward behind your right wrist folding your shin underneath your chest.

3.    Position your shin so that it is resting on the ground and parallel to your shoulders.  If you are tight, it is ok to have it at an angle as well.

4.    Extend your left leg straight behind you.

5.    Keep your hips square.

6.    Lean forward to deepen the stretch.

7.    Hold 20–40 seconds, then switch sides.

Why this improves your golf swing:
Looser glutes help you maintain posture and rotate more efficiently.

6. Hip Flexor Stretch

Primary target: Hip flexors
Benefits: Improves your ability to fully clear your hips and post op on your lead leg in the follow-through.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Kneel on your right knee with your left foot forward in a lunge position.

2.    Maintain an upright, tall torso.

3.    Gently push your hips forward, rotating your pelvis underneath you.

4.    Engage your right glute to deepen the stretch.

5.    Avoid arching your lower back and instead use your glute to push your hips forward to deepen the stretch.

6.    Hold for 20–30 seconds.

7.    Switch legs and repeat.

Why this improves your golf swing:
A free-moving hip flexor improves transition, sequencing, and impact stability.

7. External Rotation Shoulder Swimmers

Primary target: Shoulder external rotation
Benefits: Better top-of-backswing position, more width, smoother transition.

The shoulders must externally rotate to generate width and maintain structure at the top of the swing.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Lie face down with arms overhead.

2.    Lift your hands slightly off the ground.

3.    Sweep your arms wide and down toward your hips.

4.    Rotate your palms upward while bending your elbows and reach as high up on your back as you can.  To deepen the stretch, feel like you roll your shoulders inward.

5.    Reverse the motion back overhead.

6.    Perform 6–10 controlled reps.

Why this improves your golf swing:
Improves your ability to shallow the club and maintain a powerful arm structure in the downswing.

8. Hamstring Stretch

Primary target: Hamstrings
Benefits: Strong setup posture, better hip hinge, improved weight loading

Tight hamstrings pull your hips under you, making it hard to stay in golf posture.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Stand with your right foot forward.

2.    Lift your toes or keep them gently on the ground.

3.    Hinge forward from the hips with a straight spine.

4.    Slide your hands down your leg.

5.    Stop when you feel a stretch—don’t round your back.

6.    Hold 20–30 seconds, then switch legs.

Why this improves your golf swing:
Allows you to maintain your spine angle through the entire swing.

 

9. Lat Stretch / Lat Foam Roll

Primary target: Lats
Benefits: Improved turn, reduced early extension, better arm pathway

The lats influence your ability to raise and rotate your arms. Tight lats = swing inconsistencies.

Lat Stretch Steps

1.    Kneel or stand in front of a bench or chair.

2.    Place your forearms or hands on the surface.

3.    Drop your chest toward the ground.

4.    Keep your spine long.

5.    Hold for 20–30 seconds.

Foam Rolling Steps

1.    Lie on your side with the roller under your armpit.

2.    Extend your top arm overhead.

3.    Roll slowly along the side of your ribs.

4.    Pause on tight areas.

5.    Switch sides after 30–60 seconds.

Why this improves your golf swing:
More lat mobility gives you better path control and more consistent ball-striking.

10. Single-Leg RDL to Airplane Rotation

Primary target: Balance, hip hinge, rotational stability
Benefits: Better ground reaction force, improved sequencing, stronger lower body control

This dynamic movement ties strength, mobility, and balance together.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.    Stand on your right leg with a soft knee.

2.    Extend your left leg behind you as you hinge forward.

3.    Keep your torso and left leg aligned.

4.    Once balanced, rotate your torso open to the left like an airplane wing.

5.    Pause briefly.

6.    Rotate back to center.

7.    Return to standing.

8.    Perform 5–8 reps, then switch sides.

Why this improves your golf swing:
 Helps you learn to control rotation from the ground up—exactly what happens in the downswing.

 

How to Use These Golf Flexibility Exercises

To maximize results, follow this structure:

Daily Routine (10–12 minutes)

●     90/90 Hip Flow

●     Cat–Cow

●     T-Spine Rotations

●     Pigeon or Frog Stretch

●     Lat Stretch

Pre-Round Routine (5–7 minutes)

●     T-Spine Rotations

●     90/90 Hip Flow

●     Single-Leg RDL to Airplane

●     Shoulder Swimmers

Post-Round Routine (5–8 minutes)

●     Hamstring Stretch

●     Hip Flexor Stretch

●     Pigeon Stretch

●     Lat Foam Roll

Final Thoughts: Build a More Powerful, Pain-Free Golf Swing

These 10 golf flexibility exercises target the exact mobility restrictions that hold golfers back. By improving rotation, hip mobility, shoulder flexibility, and balance, you’ll notice:

●     A fuller backswing

●     More effortless rotation

●     A more stable impact position

●     Increased clubhead speed

●     Less pain and stiffness

●     Better consistency round after round

Mobility creates opportunity. It allows your swing to work the way it’s meant to—smooth, efficient, and powerful.