20-Minute Daily Golf Glute & Hip Training Plan
The gluteal muscles (gluteus medius, maximus, and minimus) are key to a powerful and consistent golf swing. Strong, engaged glutes stabilize the pelvis during the swing – preventing swaying and providing a firm base for torso rotation. In fact, low-handicap golfers have significantly greater gluteus maximus/medius strength (and faster hip rotation) than high-handicappers. The golf swing also demands extreme rotational mobility, especially at the hips, so limited hip rotation can lead to swing flaws or even back pain. This 20-minute-per-day program is designed for competitive amateurs to build glute strength and hip rotation using only bodyweight and resistance bands. Each short session includes a dynamic warm-up, targeted strengthening (glute max, glute med, hip rotators), mobility/stability work, and golf-specific drills for sequencing and power. Perform this routine daily or near-daily (5–7 days/week) with proper form. Over time, progressively increase the challenge (more reps, tougher band, single-leg versions) to stimulate continued improvement. The result is a practical, time-efficient plan to improve your swing’s sequencing, rotational power, and consistency.
Dynamic Warm-Up (5 minutes)
Start each session with dynamic stretches to increase blood flow and prepare the hips and glutes. Avoid prolonged static stretches, as evidence shows static stretching can reduce immediate golf performance, whereas active dynamic warm-ups enhance it. Perform each of the following moves in a controlled, continuous manner (~30 seconds or 10–15 reps each side):
Leg Swings (Front & Side) – While holding a support, swing one leg forward/backward and side-to-side. This dynamically loosens the hip flexors, hamstrings, and adductors, promoting hip mobility in multiple planes.
Bodyweight Lunges with Twist – Step into a forward lunge and gently twist your torso toward the front leg, then switch sides. This opens the hips and warms up glutes and core in a golf-like motion (mimicking the trunk rotation over a stable lower body).
Hip Circles (High Knees to Open) – March in place, lifting each knee and then circling it outward (like “opening a gate”). This actively stretches the hip internal/external rotators and groin. Reverse direction (“closing the gate”) to mobilize both internal and external rotation.
Glute Bridge Warm-Up – Lie on your back, knees bent. Lift hips into a bridge, squeezing the glutes, then lower smoothly for 10 reps. Optionally place a mini-band around thighs for added resistance. This primes the gluteus maximus and medius before loaded exercises, activating the “powerhouse” muscles of hip extension.
(After this warm-up, you should feel warm and notice improved range of motion in the hips. You’re now ready for strengthening work.)
Glute & Hip Strengthening (8–10 minutes)
This strength block targets the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and hip rotator muscles – all crucial for pelvic stability and explosive hip rotation in the golf swing. A stable, powerful lower body allows the upper body to rotate forcefully without loss of posture. Perform 2 sets of each exercise (back-to-back circuit or straight sets) with minimal rest, aiming for ~10–15 controlled reps or 30–45 seconds per exercise:
Banded Glute Bridge – Place a resistance band above your knees and lie face-up. Drive through heels to lift hips until aligned with shoulders, squeezing glutes at the top, then lower. The band cue (pressing knees outward) activates gluteus medius along with glute max. Strong glutes generate the hip extension and lateral rotation needed for powerful drives. (Progression: perform single-leg bridges to increase difficulty.)*
Lateral Band Walks (Monster Walks) – Loop a mini-band around ankles or just below knees. Sink into a half-squat (athletic stance) and take 6–10 small steps sideways, keeping tension on the band, then return. This exercise strengthens the gluteus medius/minimus and hip abductors, which helps stabilize the hips and knees and prevent inward collapse. A stronger glute medius improves balance and prevents excessive lateral sway during your swing.
Clamshells (Hip External Rotation) – Lie on your side with legs bent at 90°, band around thighs. Keep feet together and lift your top knee upward, then slowly lower. Focus on using the deep hip external rotators and glute med. Do 12–15 per side. This builds strength in the muscles that rotate the hip outward, important for controlling hip rotation in the backswing and preventing the knees from caving in. (Progression: perform in a plank or add a pause at the top.)*
Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat (Optional alternate exercise) – Place your back foot on a step or bench, front foot forward. Lower into a single-leg squat and rise up, 8–10 reps each side. Emphasize pushing through the front heel to recruit the front glute. This unilateral exercise builds glute max strength and hip stability in a golf-specific weight-bearing stance.
Perform the above exercises with quality form, engaging the glutes intentionally on each rep. As you adapt, increase band resistance or reps for progressive overload (e.g. move from a light to medium band, or add 2–3 reps each week). Over time, these moves will enhance your ability to maintain posture and generate force from the ground in your swing.
Hip Mobility & Control (3–5 minutes)
Next, focus on hip mobility and neuromuscular control, especially internal/external rotation and single-leg stability. Adequate hip range of motion is critical – the golf swing requires large trunk and hip rotations, and restricted hip mobility can force compensations in the lower back. Include 1–2 of the following drills daily (rotate them through the week for variety):
90/90 Hip Rotations – Sit on the floor in a “90/90” position (front leg bent 90° in front, back leg bent 90° to side). Keeping tall posture, slowly switch sides by lifting the knees and rotating both hips to the opposite 90/90 position. Repeat for 5–8 smooth transitions. This dynamic stretch improves both internal and external hip rotation range. Greater hip ROM helps you achieve a full turn and proper X-factor (shoulder-hip separation) without strain.
Hip Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) – Stand holding a club for balance. Raise one knee up, then rotate the thigh outward, swing the leg back and down in a circle. Make a large slow circle with the hip joint (5 reps each direction per leg). CARs strengthen the end-ranges of your hip motion and enhance joint control. This builds active mobility, so you can dissociate your hips from your torso in the swing with better control.
Single-Leg Balance & Rotation (“Stork” Drill) – Stand on your lead leg (e.g. left leg for right-handed golfer), lifting the other foot off the ground. While balancing, rotate your pelvis and torso a few inches to the right and left (as if starting your backswing) without losing your balance. Perform 5–10 slow rotations, then switch legs. This improves hip and core stability on one leg – key for maintaining posture and balance through your swing. If needed, use a band around your hips held by a partner for added resistance, as in the Stork Turn drill, to train resisting or assisting rotation.
Internal Rotation Stretch – From half-kneeling, drop your front knee inward toward the ground (foot stays planted) to gently stretch the lead hip’s internal rotators; hold ~20 seconds and repeat other side. This targets the often-tight internal rotation of the hips. Improved internal hip rotation will allow a fuller turn into the lead hip in the backswing and a smoother follow-through, reducing stress on the spine.
By dedicating a few minutes to mobility each session, you’ll gradually increase your usable hip range and stability. This means you can coil and uncoil in your swing more freely, rather than compensating with your lower back or arms. Remember, hip muscle strength and flexibility work together to stabilize the lumbopelvic region; deficits in either can be a risk factor for injury. Consistently working on hip mobility will not only improve performance but also help protect against low back pain common in golfers.
Golf Swing Integration Drills (4–5 minutes)
Finally, integrate your strengthened and mobilized hips into golf-specific movements. These drills bridge the gap between the gym and the golf course, training proper sequencing and explosive rotation using bodyweight/bands. Focus on initiating the downswing with the lower body (hips) before the upper body – a hallmark of efficient kinematic sequencing. Perform 1–2 drills for a few minutes total (e.g. 2 sets of 5–8 quality reps each):
Band-Resisted Rotation Swing – Attach a resistance band to a stable object (or have a partner hold it) and loop it around your waist or hips. Assume your golf stance facing the target, with the band pulling you back toward the backswing side. Perform a slow-motion downswing and follow-through against the band’s tension. The band will resist your hip rotation toward the target, forcing your glutes and core to work extra to rotate. Emphasize starting the move with your hips, then shoulders, then arms (sequence). This drill builds rotational power and teaches you to fire the glutes to drive the swing. (For variety, also practice a band-assisted backswing: turn and coil with the band’s pull, then remove tension and swing through – training a faster hip turn.) By using resistance, you enhance hip rotational strength and “overspeed” once the band is removed.
Step-Through Swings (Step Drill) – Take a 5-iron or similar and set up normally. As you swing, step your back foot forward toward the target, finishing with your feet nearly together. This “Gary Player” style step-through forces a complete weight transfer and full hip rotation. It’s difficult to execute without leading with your lower body, so it engrains the feeling of the hips driving the downswing and carrying your momentum forward. Do 5–6 reps, focusing on a smooth transition: hips initiate, then shoulders/arms follow. Over time, this drill can improve your sequencing and prevent “hanging back” or an arm-driven swing.
Pump Drill for Downswing Sequencing – From the top of your backswing, rehearse a slight pump: initiate a small downswing movement with the hips (bump the lead hip toward target) while your arms remain at the top, then repeat 2–3 times before swinging through. This drill breaks down the transition to ensure the lower body leads. You can enhance it by holding a band or light tubing attached behind you to create resistance as you start the hips. The goal is to feel the separation – hips firing while the upper body is still coiled – creating a stretch reflex for powerful rotation. Do 5 slow practice pumps and swings.
“X-Factor” Band Drill – Anchor a light band under your lead foot and hold the other end with your hands as if at the top of your backswing. Begin your downswing by unwinding your hips while keeping your arms and shoulders back (the band will stretch as your hands stay back). Then let the torso and arms follow through. This drill accentuates the separation between hip and shoulder turn (X-factor), teaching you to store and unleash elastic energy from the ground up. It also strengthens the core and hips to handle that separation safely.
These golf-specific drills should be done in a slow and controlled manner at first. Emphasize correct sequencing (hips → torso → arms) and balance. With practice, your body will learn to efficiently transfer the strength and mobility gains into a more powerful, mechanically sound swing. According to sports science research, greater hip power translates to higher clubhead speed – more explosive hips enable faster rotational speed in the swing. By integrating bands and drills, you not only build strength but also train the coordination needed for a consistent swing.
Progressive Overload & Adaptation
Although each session is short, it’s important to gradually increase the challenge over weeks to keep making gains. In strength training, steadily increasing the workload (volume or resistance) stimulates continued muscle adaptation. Apply this principle here by making small tweaks as you get stronger:
Increase Resistance or Reps: For example, if you started with a light band on lateral walks or bridges, move to a medium band after a couple of weeks. Or increase from 2 sets to 3 sets of each exercise, or add 5 more reps per set. Only change one variable at a time and ensure you can maintain good form.
Exercise Variations: Introduce slight changes to hit muscles differently and prevent plateaus. For instance, on alternate days do single-leg glute bridges instead of two-legged, or replace clamshells with standing band hip rotations. Variation keeps the routine interesting and challenges your neuromuscular system in new ways.
Range of Motion and Tempo: As mobility improves, work to increase the depth or range in each exercise (e.g. deeper lunges, wider hip rotation in 90/90 drill). You can also slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase of exercises to increase time-under-tension, or add a pause to eliminate momentum – fostering greater control and strength.
Listen to Your Body (Recovery): Because this is near-daily, monitor fatigue. It’s okay to have an “easier” day or a rest day if you feel very sore. You might rotate slightly lighter mobility-focused days with more intense strength-focused days. Consistency is key, but so is recovery – your goal is to train almost every day without overtraining. Short, frequent sessions can be very effective for motor learning and strength as long as you progress wisely and avoid burnout.
By applying progressive overload and planned variation, you’ll continue to see improvements in glute strength, hip mobility, and swing power over time. This program’s high frequency (daily 20-minute doses) is advantageous for skill acquisition – you are essentially practicing the movement patterns (squat, hip hinge, rotational swing) every day, which reinforces neural pathways. Research in strength and conditioning shows that adhering to fundamental training principles like specificity, overload, and variation produces robust results. Here, our specificity is golf-oriented (glutes, hips, rotation), overload is applied gradually (harder bands, etc.), and variation is built in to keep progress coming.
In summary: Dedicating just 20 minutes a day to this structured routine will pay dividends in your golf game. With dynamically warmed-up muscles, stronger glutes, more mobile hips, and ingrained swing mechanics, you’ll generate more clubhead speed and consistency from a safer, more efficient body movement pattern. Strong glutes and flexible hips truly are the engine of a powerful golf swing – this daily plan will ensure you’re firing on all cylinders when you hit the course.
Sources: The exercise selection and recommendations above are supported by golf biomechanics research and training principles. For instance, studies have linked greater glute strength and hip rotation speed with lower golf handicaps, and emphasized that hip mobility and stability help prevent swing-compensations and injuries. Dynamic warm-ups are shown to enhance performance in golfers. The importance of gluteals in swing stability and power is well-documented by Titleist Performance Institute and others. By following the outlined progression (in line with established overload and variation principles), competitive amateurs can safely improve their glute/hip function and translate it into a better golf swing. Enjoy your training and expect stronger, more explosive hips that will drive your game to the next level!
ATX Golf Performance: Where Movement Meets Results
At ATX Golf Performance, we don’t guess at what makes a swing more powerful — we measure it, train it, and refine it.
This plan is built on the same biomechanical principles we apply in our coaching: strength from the ground up, movement that translates, and swing patterns that hold under pressure.
Whether you're training for more speed, more consistency, or simply to protect your body, we help you:
Build strength that supports rotation
Improve mobility where it matters most
Integrate swing drills that sharpen sequencing
Translate physical gains into lower scores
If you're serious about your game — not just how it looks, but how it performs — we’re here to train with you.