John Daly is far from a poster boy for fitness, but you have to hand it to him. This photo of him from the 2026 Senior PGA Championship (above) was taken 12 days before his 60th birthday. Look at that backswing!
He apparently still has the flexibility of a 12-year-old gymnast and somehow can still take the club back well past parallel without pulling, tearing, aggravating anything in his back. For most golfers, his backswing should come with one of those “don’t try this at home” cautions.Karen Palacios-Jansen, one of Golf Digest’s Best Fitness Trainers in America, sees a lot of aging golfers at her CardioGolf Studio in Mooresville, N.C. While the idea of staying fit is one of their motivations for training, better golf performance remains at the forefront of their goals. Training to make a better coil in the backswing can help.”The goal is not simply to make your swing longer [like John’s], it’s to maximize your body turn while maintaining your spine angle,” says Palacios-Jansen, a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer. “When golfers try to force a longer backswing, they often lift up or lose their posture. The extra length doesn’t come from a better turn—it comes from changing their body’s position.”Here, Palacios-Jansen offers a handful of exercises that will allow you to regain some of that coil you had in your 20s and 30s. The best part is that they require minimal equipment and can be done practically anywhere, even before warming up to play golf. Watch the videos to learn how to do them.
CHAIR HIP-HINGES Your browser does not support the video tag.
“Sit on the edge of a chair. Lengthen your spine, reach your chest forward and push your hips back. Do not tuck your hips underneath your upper body. Feel your chest move forward as your hips move back,” Palacios-Jansen says.
“You can even practice rotating your shoulders while holding this seated hip-hinge position. Turn your lead shoulder down and across as your trail shoulder moves back and up. This will help you feel the angled shoulder turn you want in your golf swing.”
TURN-AND-REACHES Your browser does not support the video tag.
“Hold the pole with your trail hand and extend that arm away from your body. Your elbow can remain slightly bent. Reach up first, making sure your trail hand is higher than your head. Keeping your trail arm in that position, settle into your golf posture. You should feel your entire trail side—your hip, shoulder, arm and hand—staying back and high.
“Now reach your lead arm down and across your body and then up toward your trail hand. As you reach, turn your back toward the target while staying in your golf posture. Do not lift your chest or stand up to reach higher. The goal is to gradually reach your lead hand as high as your trail hand by improving your turn—not by raising out of your posture. You can do this dynamically or hold the stretch.”
“Set up in your golf posture and swing one arm back. You can hold a light hand weight or do this without a dumbbell. As your arm swings back, feel your trail shoulder and trail hip move back and stay higher than your lead side. Make this a smooth, flowing movement—not a static stretch. Feel how your arm swing helps your body turn while your trail side stays back and high.
“Then swing through toward your follow-through. Feel your lead hip move back and high as your lead shoulder finishes high. This helps you create the side tilt and body position you need through impact. Alternate smoothly from side to side while maintaining your golf posture. This is a great dynamic back-and-body stretch to do before you play or practice.”
HEAD-ROTATION BACKSWINGS Your browser does not support the video tag.
“Set up in your golf posture and address the ball. Before making your backswing, turn your head and look behind you—away from the target. From that position, make your backswing. Then bring your eyes back to the ball. Notice how much more freely your shoulders and upper body have turned.
“Many golfers try so hard to keep their eyes fixed on the ball that they tighten their neck and restrict their shoulder turn. Their arms might bend or collapse as they try to make the club travel farther without turning their body. Repeat this exercise several times. Allow your head to move with your turn, return your eyes to the ball and feel a longer, freer backswing.
“Remember—the ball is not going anywhere.”
Click on this link if you’re interested in becoming a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
