How To Warm Up For Golf
Do you find yourself doing random movements on the range to “get loose” before you hit your first ball? I’ve caught myself many times looking down the range at the various “stretches” players like to use.
Next time you are at the course, look around. You will see that every player has their own warm up routine. Some may be doing overhead squats and lunges, some will be doing a standing hamstring stretch, others will do a few trunk twists and start wailing on balls.
Before any of my friends throw me under the bus, I’m guilty of walking to the first tee with my shoes untied trying to find a swing by the fourth hole.
My sins aside, there is no “perfect” golf warm up. But, there are ingredients that any good warm up recipe will have. The best warm-ups are dynamic (or active) and include the following:
intensity that gradually increases
light cardio
dynamic stretching
movements that mimic the activity you are prepping for
Intensity That Gradually Increases
A good warm-up starts slow and builds in intensity. Think about a chip shot versus a full swing with a driver. One is way more intense right?
This progression of intensity allows your body to ease into activity and prevent overexertion too early. Muscle strains are more likely to occur in movement when the muscle is “cold”, hence the WARM-up.
Benefits:
Prepares your muscles by increasing flexibility
Reduces the risk of injury by avoiding sudden, intense movements (yikes)
Increase blood flow to the muscles improves in preparation for activity
Light Cardiovascular Exercise
Activities such as brisk walking, jogging, or taking the stairs in the clubhouse are excellent ways to elevate your heart rate at the beginning of a warm-up. You are already walking across the parking lot and around the clubhouse.
Add an extra 5 minutes of brisk walking around the parking lot or hop on the bike in the clubhouse gym. This simple step could go a long way for those fragile hips of yours.
Benefits:
Increases heart rate, thus increasing blood flow to muscle
Enhances focus through the release of endorphins (fancy stuff, right?)
Reduces the risk of early fatigue by improving oxygen delivery (it sounds made up but it’s not)
The walk from the car to the clubhouse
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching involves full movements to prepare your muscles and joints for the range of motion required in golf. Dynamic just means you stretch using movement. The days of holding and counting to 30 are behind us. It isn’t as effective as we once thought.
The golf swing requires big ranges of rotation in the spine and hips. It demands a lot of movement in the shoulders and wrists. You even bend quite a bit at the knees and ankles. That old song was actually about golf warm ups: head, shoulders, knees, and toe — knees and toes.
Hopefully I didn’t lose you in this section. It’s important to select several movements so that you can cover most areas of the body involved in the swing. All it takes is about 10-20 reps of each movement but make sure you create BIG ranges of motion.
Eventually I’m going to post a blog covering my personal favorite movements in a golf warm up, but until then here are just a few examples:
· Arm circles
· Overhead squats
· Lunge with trunk rotation
· Standing overhead press with repeated side bends
Don’t get bogged down on choosing the perfect movements. Start with your favorite gym movements. Like I pointed out earlier, very few golfers share the same routine. Even at the professional level Brooks warms up differently from Scottie. But they both use dynamic movement as prep.
Mimic the Activity You Are Prepping For
Adding golf specific movements in your warm-up will help your perform better. I don’t plan on getting too scientific here but doing golf-like movements can prepare your neuromuscular system. (Huh?)
Basically, your brain will be better at telling your body how to swing on the course if you rehearse those patterns or movements beforehand (i.e. the range).
Yes, hitting on the range before your round may help you “find it” as some may say. But there is good reason for that. You brain operates better with repetition and patterns. Use the range as a means of warm-up both mentally and physically.
If you plan to hit balls before you play, follow the intensity principle from earlier. Start with low intensity shots like pitches and begin building up. Work into full wedges followed by short and mid irons. Save those longer irons and woods for last when your body is ready.
Benefits:
Activates key muscle groups and patterns
Further increases range of motion necessary for the golf swing
Improves coordination (brain-body communication)
Range session before a round - J. Nowlin / C. Walton
Crafting Your Perfect Warm-Up Routine
The best warm-up routine is one that suits your physical ability level, time constraints, and playing style. It doesn’t have to be the same as your buddy’s, but you do need one that fits you in order to play better and reduce risk of injury.
Planning ahead makes everything easier. Consider combining these elements before next round:
Start with light cardio to get your blood flowing.
Move into dynamic stretching and golf-specific mobility. Add resistance if you’d like.
Incorporate drills or hitting range balls to ingrain the swing pattern.
It’s hard to make time for ourselves. I want to challenge you, though. If you are already committing to a 4-hour round of golf, add 20 more minutes for a warm-up. It’s a drop in the ocean compared to the total time spent at the course, but your body and your score will thank you.
Are you still unsure of where to start? Our golf performance programming was designed for you. We want to see you succeed, shoot lower scores, and play pain free. Take advantage of our FREE phone consultations to discuss how a golf specialist may benefit your game.
