Our fitness expert and personal trainer Shawn O’Neil on three things every golfer should have on their Christmas list
With the festive season upon us, and with fewer opportunities to play during the winter, here’s my top three picks for golf fitness gifts which can help you make great strides forward while indoors this winter.
First has to be a kettlebell. This is one of the most versatile bits of kit you can get. Not only are they small and easy to store, you also don’t need a lot of space to use them. If you look at golf fitness as a pyramid – with mobility and stability at the base, strength in the middle, and speed at the top – there are loads of things you can do with a kettlebell to engage your whole body at each stage. If you have a couple of different weight variations, you can do a whole programme without any other kit.
Second, I’d choose a weight shift or balance board. While you see these in swing coaching, I really like them for fitness too. A high proportion of golfers have issues rotating into their hips while loading pressure and stabilising simultaneously, without creating excessive lateral swaying, and this can cause all sorts of pivot problems. Add in that most amateur golfers don’t shift pressure anywhere near early enough, and the balance board can produce some great results with instant feedback. It can also be useful when you’re looking to gain distance, quickly showing where your weight is during the swing and helping you groove where your vertical force should be during the downswing to deliver the power, which you already have, most efficiently.
My final pick would be resistance bands. I could repeat what I said about kettlebells here, but bands are also great to have in your golf bag for a physical warm up – especially muscle activation and mobilising joints before swinging a club. Meanwhile, advanced mobility drills – especially for the hips – can use a band to distract the joint while taking it to its end range of motion. This is an excellent strategy to create permanent change. I also love to use bands for some swing drills as they allow you to feel more activation, which can speed up the process of bringing a movement into your golf swing.
These are just three examples of relatively cheap and simple things you can add to your gear this Christmas to improve your golf in 2025. As always, a TPI assessment will give you the best base to work from, and with some professional guidance you can make some noticeable improvements without leaving the house.
