The best golf exercises are not complicated; you don't need to be a member of a gym; and you don't need thousands of dollars in equipment. Yes, there are new golf fitness machines coming out in the market that look respectable, but they want an arm and a leg for them.

When you think of the best golf exercises, you've got to think like an athlete for a minute. Golf is an athletic sport, and thanks to guys like Tiger Woods, golfers are realizing they need to train like an athlete to see improvement.

Most athletes don't ever use machines. Machines guide you through certain ranges of motion that don't benefit the golf swing. The golf swing is a very dynamic movement, that is not like other movements.

The baseball swing is very similar from a mechanical standpoint, but two distinct differences. In baseball you ‘react' to a moving object (in golf the ball is not moving); and in baseball the ball is approximately waist high and in golf it's on the ground.

So in order to incorporate the best golf exercises, you've got to take a look at your body position and the muscles involved to maintain that position.

What is it?

We know at address you have a tilt in your spine, a bend at the hips and knees. And even a little ankle flex. That's a somewhat athletic position, similar to a squat, but not quite.

Now, not only are you in the position, but now you have to swing a long lever (club) at over 80 plus mph and stay in this position

(posture).

Impossible if you have weak and stiff golf specific muscles!

Here's is a quick test. When you are in your golf posture, just start touching the muscles in your body that are flexed. It will be the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves and even the lower back muscles.

So we know that the best golf exercises will hit those muscle groups (and preferably in a standing position).

Now add the very powerful rotation of your upper body (backswing) and you've got the core involved. So you'll need to do some golf exercises that incorporate core rotation and flexibility.

As you can see, the best golf exercises are NOT on machines and do not need to be done in a gym.

All you need is a pair of dumbbells, some inexpensive exercise tubing and maybe a weighted medicine ball and you can dramatically improve your golf swing right in your home in less than 30 minutes a day!

Hopefully you are motivated to take this approach to your golf improvement and you have a better understanding of what the best golf exercises are.

About The Author

Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country; Golf Magazine's expert at GolfOnline.com, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness manual and dvds at http://www.performbettergolf.com.