Golf Exercises for Seniors: A Joint-Friendly Routine (With Printable PDF)

You don't lose distance because of the number on your birth certificate. You lose it because your hips stop turning, your upper back stiffens up, and your legs stop driving the Swing. Every one of those is trainable — at 60, at 70, and well past it.

This is a joint-friendly routine of golf exercises for seniors: eight moves, about 15 minutes, no gym and no equipment beyond a sturdy chair and a wall. Four moves build the strength and balance that hold your Swing together. Four stretches give you back the turn. We've also put the whole routine on a printable PDF so you can stick it on the fridge and get your reps.

Download the Senior Golf Routine Free

Print-ready PDF. Two pages: the routine, plus a four-week tracker. No email required.

    ⬇ Senior Golf Routine (PDF)
 

One note before you start: check with your doctor or physical therapist before beginning any new exercise program, particularly if you have a joint replacement, a heart condition, or balance concerns. Everything below should be done in a pain-free range. Muscle effort is the goal. Joint pain is a stop sign.

What Senior Golfers Actually Need to Train

Most fitness advice for older golfers boils down to "stay active." That's not a plan. The Swing asks for three specific things, and these are the three that fade first if you don't train them:

Leg and glute strength. Your legs are the engine of the Swing and the thing that gets you up the hill on 16. Muscle mass declines with age unless you give it a reason to stay. Bodyweight work is enough of a reason.

Rotation. A shorter backswing is the number-one distance killer for senior golfers, and it almost always comes from a stiff thoracic spine (your upper and mid back) and tight hips — not from the shoulders themselves. Restore the turn and the speed comes back with it.

Balance. A golf Swing is a controlled weight shift onto one leg. Better balance means a more stable finish, more consistent contact, and more confidence on uneven lies. It also matters a great deal off the course.

You control what you can control. These three are firmly on that list.

Part 1: Four Golf Exercises for Seniors (Strength and Balance)

Move slowly and with control. Rest as long as you need between sets. If a move feels too easy, slow it down before you add reps.

1. Sit-to-Stand — 2 sets of 8–10 reps

Sit toward the front of a sturdy chair, feet hip-width apart, arms crossed over your chest. Lean forward slightly, push through your heels, and stand all the way up. Lower yourself back down slowly — take a full three seconds. The slow lowering is where the strength gets built. Make it easier: use your hands on the chair arms or your thighs. Swing payoff: leg drive and a stable base through impact.

2. Glute Bridge — 2 sets of 10 reps

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold for two seconds, then lower with control. Getting down to the floor is a worthwhile exercise on its own — but if it's not an option today, do these on a firm bed. Swing payoff: the glutes drive hip rotation and protect your lower back for all 18 holes.

3. Wall Push-Up — 2 sets of 8–12 reps

Stand an arm's length from a wall, hands on the wall at chest height, slightly wider than your shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line, bend your elbows, and bring your chest toward the wall. Press back to the start. Step your feet farther back to make it harder. Swing payoff: upper-body strength and shoulder stability without loading the wrists and shoulders the way a floor push-up does.

4. Supported Single-Leg Balance — 3 holds of 20 seconds each side

Stand beside a counter or the back of a chair with one hand resting lightly on it. Lift one foot an inch or two off the floor and hold. Stand tall — don't let the hip of your standing leg drift out to the side. As it gets easier, go from a full hand, to two fingers, to hovering your hand just above the support. Swing payoff: a balanced, held finish on your lead leg.

Part 2: Four Golf Stretches for Seniors (Mobility)

These four stretches target exactly where senior golfers lose their turn. Breathe slowly through each one and never force a range. On round days, run just this half as your warm-up — do it a little more briskly and keep the holds to 15–20 seconds.

5. Seated Thoracic Rotation — 8 slow reps each side

Sit tall on a chair, feet flat, arms crossed over your chest. Keeping your hips and knees pointing straight ahead, rotate your upper body to the right as far as is comfortable. Pause for a breath, return to center, and rotate left. Sitting locks your hips in place so the rotation has to come from your upper back — which is exactly what your backswing needs. Swing payoff: a fuller shoulder turn without strain.

6. Open Book — 8 reps each side

Lie on your side with your knees bent up toward hip height and a pillow under your head. Stretch both arms out in front of you, palms together. Keeping your knees stacked, lift your top arm up and over, opening your chest toward the ceiling and following your hand with your eyes. Go only as far as your knees stay together. Return slowly. Swing payoff: opens the chest and upper back for both backswing and follow-through.

7. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch — 30 seconds each side

Stand beside a chair or counter for support and take a comfortable step back with one leg into a split stance. Keep your torso tall, tuck your tailbone slightly under, and gently bend your front knee until you feel a stretch across the front of the back hip. No kneeling required. Swing payoff: hips that can actually rotate, and less pull on the lower back — a big one if you ride in a cart and sit for most of the day.

8. Seated Figure-Four Stretch — 30 seconds each side

Sit tall toward the front of a chair. Cross your right ankle over your left knee. Keeping your back straight, hinge forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in the outside of your right hip and glute. If crossing the ankle over the knee isn't comfortable, cross it over your shin instead. Swing payoff: frees up hip rotation in both directions — loading into the trail hip and clearing the lead hip.

How Often to Do This Routine

The full eight-move routine takes about 15 minutes. Here's the week that works for most senior golfers:

Three days a week (for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday): the full routine, Part 1 and Part 2.

Round days: Part 2 only, as your warm-up, before you hit a ball.

Every other day: a walk. It counts.

Give it four weeks. The printable tracker on page two of the PDF has a box for every session so you can see the work stack up. The scorecard doesn't lie — and neither does a full tracker.

    ⬇ Senior Golf Routine (PDF)
 

When You're Ready for More

After four weeks of consistent reps, this routine should feel noticeably easier. That's the point at which to progress rather than coast. Three good next steps:

For more mobility work, the complete golf stretching routine adds dedicated pre-round, post-round, and daily sequences, and the golf stretching exercises guide goes deeper on each area of the body.

For more strength, the 6-week off-season golf strength training program is the natural step up once bodyweight work feels comfortable.

And if you'd rather follow along than read, the DRVN app gives you video-guided sessions and progressive programming that moves forward as you do — built to help you play your best golf, on and off the course.

Frequently Asked Questions About Golf Exercises for Seniors

What are the best golf exercises for seniors?

The best golf exercises for seniors build the three things the Swing needs most after 60: leg strength, rotation, and balance. Sit-to-stands, glute bridges, wall push-ups, and a supported single-leg balance cover strength and stability. Seated thoracic rotations, open books, a standing hip flexor stretch, and a seated figure-four stretch cover mobility. All eight can be done at home in about 15 minutes.

How often should senior golfers exercise?

Three days a week is enough to make real Golf Gains. Do the full routine on non-consecutive days — Monday, Wednesday, Friday works well — and run the four stretches on their own before every round. Consistency matters far more than intensity. Get your reps, week after week.

Can stretching help senior golfers get distance back?

Yes. Most of the distance senior golfers lose comes from a shorter turn, not a weaker Swing. Restoring thoracic rotation and hip mobility lets you make a fuller backswing without forcing it, and that is where clubhead speed comes from. Pair the stretches with leg and glute strength work and the gains hold up over 18 holes.

Are these golf exercises safe with arthritis or a joint replacement?

Every move in this routine is low-impact, uses bodyweight only, and has an easier option. That said, check with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any new exercise program, especially after a joint replacement or with a heart condition. Work in a pain-free range — mild muscle effort is the goal, joint pain is a stop sign.

Is there a printable PDF of golf exercises for seniors?

Yes. The DRVN Senior Golf Routine is a free two-page printable PDF: page one lists all eight exercises and stretches with reps, page two is a four-week tracker. No email required.