Lexi Thompson has spent the vast majority of her life playing a sport that demands intense patience, unwavering control, and the ability to keep emotions strictly concealed between shots. For decades, her existence on the golf course has been defined by solitary focus, quiet execution, and the immense weight of carrying her
own score. However, her next competitive endeavor is set to ask her to reveal a little more of the personality she usually keeps hidden from the public eye.
This fall, Thompson will step into a radically different competitive environment as she represents the Detroit Motor City Golf Club in the newly formed Women’s Team Golf League (WTGL). The innovative league, a collaborative venture from TMRW Sports and the LPGA, is scheduled to launch on November 8 inside the high-tech, arena-style SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For Thompson, who lives just about 30 minutes away from the venue, the opportunity to participate felt entirely natural from the moment the league was introduced.
Her decision to join required very little deliberation. After getting a firsthand look at the TMRW Sports arena concept through the men’s TGL, what stood out most to Thompson wasn’t just the state-of-the-art technology or the immersive fan experience. Instead, it was the unique format’s ability to pull back the curtain and let fans witness the genuine personalities of the players—an aspect of professional golf that is often lost during traditional tournament broadcasts.
"It’s something different, and it brings out a different fan base that we need as well," Thompson noted, reflecting on the broader cultural impact of the league. "A lot of people don’t get to see our personalities. They only get to see what we do on the golf course."
The launch of the WTGL also arrives at a distinct transitional period in Thompson’s life both personally and physically. She is currently expecting her first child, a milestone that has naturally influenced her daily routine. While structured physical training remains a cornerstone of her everyday life, her approach to fitness has continued to evolve significantly. Moving away from the heavy lifting and maximum-effort weight room sessions she once gravitated toward, Thompson now focuses on a much more deliberate, sustainable style of conditioning.
After years at the pinnacle of professional golf, her primary objective is no longer proving what she can lift on a barbell. Instead, she is deeply invested in ensuring that her fitness regimen allows her to maintain functional power, optimal mobility, and long-term health, keeping her continuously prepared for whatever the future holds on and off the course.
WTGL Lets Lexi Thompson Compete Differently
Professional golf can often feel like an isolating exercise in individual responsibility. Even with a caddie walking alongside a player for 18 holes, the final number on the scorecard belongs entirely to one person. It is a reality that Thompson has lived with since turning professional at the remarkably young age of 15, shouldering the immense expectations of fans, media, and sponsors entirely on her own shoulders.
Team golf, however, introduces an entirely different dynamic to the sport. Thompson is no stranger to the team format, having represented her country and her peers in high-pressure environments like the Solheim Cup, the International Crown, and the Olympic Games. Even so, the specific structure of the WTGL offers a fresh element that deeply appeals to her: the chance to collaborate, strategize, and make collective decisions with teammates rather than spending an entire round locked in a battle with her own thoughts.
"I love team events in general," she explained. "Golf is so individual, so to be able to have teammates and talk strategy behind each and every shot, I think that’s what also is so great about this."
Beyond the camaraderie of a shared locker room and collective strategy, the WTGL brings unique technological and structural elements designed to accelerate the pace of play and heighten fan engagement. Players will be mic’d up throughout the competition, offering viewers unprecedented audio access to their thoughts and strategic discussions. Furthermore, the league incorporates real-time analytics and strict shot-clock pressure—features that might intimidate traditionalists, but which Thompson views as a welcome evolution.
Traditional golf tournaments often grant players generous amounts of time to gather data, reassess yardages, and overthink their approach, occasionally allowing a single strategic thought to fracture into several conflicting ideas. A strict shot clock eliminates that hesitation, forcing athletes to trust their instincts and make decisive moves.
"The shot clock is definitely something that’s very different, and I actually think it would be good in normal golf, too," Thompson said. "Sometimes we don’t really think about how much time we’re spending on each and every shot."
This accelerated, high-energy format is also expected to reveal a side of Thompson that standard tournament broadcasts rarely capture. Away from the intense silence of traditional leaderboards, she describes herself as remarkably bubbly and sarcastic around those who know her best. Growing up with two older brothers also equipped her with another competitive tool that she is more than ready to deploy if the situation calls for it.
"I’ve learned to trash talk quite a bit," she said with a smile. "We’ll see if that gets brought out here, but I think it’s just great for the fans to see all our personalities."
A Change of Mindset When It Comes to the Gym
Fitness has not always been the central, defining component of Thompson’s athletic lifestyle. Like many young prodigies entering the professional ranks, it took experiencing the relentless physical demands of a grueling schedule for her to confront an immutable athletic truth: raw talent alone cannot prevent fatigue.
During her first couple of years on tour, Thompson began noticing a steady decline in her energy levels down the stretch of tournaments. Recognizing the need for physical reinforcement, she hired a professional trainer and began taking conditioning seriously. What began as a targeted solution to a professional problem quickly transformed into a genuine passion.
"I got addicted to it," Thompson said of her relationship with training. "I love fitness and working out, and I plan my day around getting at least 30 to 45 minutes, if not longer, of a workout in."
Naturally, her workouts have adapted to her current circumstances as she prepares for the birth of her first child, yet consistent movement remains an absolute daily priority. Thompson still turns to spinning, incline walking, targeted core work, flexibility training, and resistance exercises. However, the intensity is now consciously geared toward lighter weights and higher repetitions rather than chasing personal records.
Years of competing at the highest level have taught her a vital lesson: strength must directly serve the golf swing. While Thompson’s renowned power off the tee is one of the definitive calling cards of her illustrious career, generating elite clubhead speed requires far more than simply building generalized muscle mass.
"A lot of the golf swing power is from the core and lower body, so making sure that I do a lot of the exercises that build and strengthen that," Thompson explained. "But at the same time, you don’t want to lose the flexibility."
To preserve that crucial balance, her training regimen heavily incorporates resistance band work and dynamic movements that closely mimic the explosive, rotational nature of a golf swing. Speed and technical efficiency take precedence during these sessions, ensuring that the strength developed in the gym seamlessly transfers to the golf course.
This mature, functional philosophy represents a distinct departure from her earlier years in the weight room. Not long ago, Thompson went through intensive phases where pushing heavy iron became a competitive challenge in its own right, divorced from the needs of her sport.
"I probably lifted a lot more weights than I do now," she recalled. "I went through spans where I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to try to hit the highest weight of my life,’ and it was just like, ‘I don’t know really why I’m doing this.’"
Today, cardiovascular health, core stability, resistance training, and swing-specific mobility are her paramount concerns, rendering the numbers on the barbell largely irrelevant. That evolution is a direct result of accumulated experience and profound self-awareness. Thompson notes that the longer she has trained, the more attuned she has become to her own anatomy, making it much easier to identify subtle dysfunctions before they turn into major problems.
Early in her fitness journey, professional evaluations and trainer-led assessments were necessary to expose hidden physical weaknesses. Now, she is capable of reading those internal signals independently.
"My body tells me a lot more," Thompson said. "Oh, this is weaker. I’m not seeing this part of my body firing, or like, ‘This is sore. This is hurting. Something’s lacking.’"
Recovery and Longevity Are Now Part of the Workout
To the casual observer watching from the comfort of a living room couch, golf rarely registers as a sport demanding extreme physical endurance or athletic prowess. The leisurely pace and pristine surroundings can easily project an image of effortless relaxation. What television cameras fail to capture is the immense, cumulative physical toll required to reach and maintain tournament-level form.
"I think the normal viewer doesn’t realize how hard it is day in, day out," Thompson said. "It’s a lot of time out practicing, a lot of hitting balls, rotating, putting our lower body and our backs through a lot of twisting and turning."
Beyond the sheer volume of practice swings, Thompson emphasizes another grueling element of the professional game that often escapes public notice.
"Walking seven miles of a golf course on top of that," she added. "Being in the Florida heat, going out there and practicing three to five hours a day. It’s pretty brutal in the summer."
Given the repetitive nature of these physical demands, comprehensive recovery has transformed from an afterthought into an essential daily requirement. Rather than leaning heavily on complex technological recovery devices, Thompson relies on foundational practices. She routinely stretches and foam rolls following her workouts, receives occasional professional massages, and ensures her schedule leaves adequate room to recharge for the next day’s obligations.
Sleep has likewise ascended to the top of her priority list. There was a time earlier in her career when Thompson believed she could function effectively on just four hours of rest. With years of elite competition behind her, she now views seven hours as an absolute minimum requirement for peak performance.
"Sometimes it’s just hard to really shut the brain off and get a good night’s sleep, especially with the quick turnarounds with tee times and everything," she admitted. "But I think it’s a huge priority because then your mind doesn’t function the way you need it to, and neither does your body."
In addition to post-workout recovery, Thompson integrates specific activation routines and breathing exercises prior to stepping onto the course. These movements prepare the exact muscle groups required for her powerful swing, while mindfulness and meditation help establish the tranquil mental state essential for high-stakes competition.
Post-round recovery functions as the necessary counterbalance to the intensity of play, helping her transition away from the hyper-focused mindset of an elite athlete.
"Being able to shut down your body and being able to let it recover is huge, because you don’t realize what you’re putting your body through for that amount of hours," Thompson said. "Meditation doesn’t hurt after, just to shut off the mind. That’s a part of the performance as well."
Ultimately, Thompson’s evolving perspective on fitness over the past several years reflects a mature athlete prioritizing longevity and well-being over personal records and aesthetic milestones. Working out is no longer about chasing arbitrary numbers in the weight room; it is about maintaining a healthy, resilient body capable of meeting the demands of her lifelong passion.
"Of course, waking up not having my body hurt helps," Thompson joked, summing up her current philosophy. "Being out here for so many years and golfing since I was five, you feel it a little bit more."
