May
16
2007

Pre-Round Warmup

Posted by Double Eagle in Fitness, Mental Game

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Doing a pre-round warmup is important for shooting better scores and preventing injuries. This is something I need to get better at. Too often, it’s tempting to just check in at the pro shop and head right to the first tee. To perform optimally, we need to prepare our minds and bodies for the rigors of the game.

Physical Warm up

Getting the blood flowing and stretching out the muscles gets us loose and prepared to swing the golf club at peak speed and efficiency. This equates to power and consistency right off the bat. If we don’t stretch prior to the first tee, then it can take several holes to loosen up and get into a good swing groove. Trying to jump right into full swings also increases the chance for injury in muscles, tendons, and ligaments that are cold and tight. This can result in sprains, strains, and tears.

At the very minimum, it’s good to hit some balls at the range before teeing off. Start with some half wedges, focusing on slow, steady swings. As you loosen up, gradually increase the intensity and swing length until you’re making full swings. Try to hit a couple of balls with each club, progressing from wedge through driver.

Ideally, it’s also good to do some stretching exercises prior to that. Here’s a good pre-round yoga-based stretching routine that should only take a few minutes to do and will help to make sure that the major muscle groups are nice and warm before teeing off.

Mental Warm up

The mental warm up is just as important to the physical warm up for shooting better scores. A good way to start is by putting on the practice green for a bit. The point is to get a feel for the speed of the greens and to dial in your stroke. Make some longer lag putts. Then, try and build some confidence and fine tune your stroke by putting some three-footers.

Hitting some balls doubles as mental warm up as well as physical warm up. The idea is to put together some solid shots. Get a feel for where the ball is on the club face and try to make sure you’re catching the sweet spot. Do some fades and draws to get a feel for them. Get an overall feel for where your swing is and what your tendencies are. That’s the point where you should be putting together your course management plan. If you’ve been slicing the ball, it’s not time to work out the slice, it’s time to plan your round to make it work for you. Finish up with several shots with the club you’ll be hitting on the first tee to build a little confidence with it.

Next time you head out to the course, try and get there half an hour early (at least) and get yourself mentally and physically prepared. You’ll shoot better scores. It’s something that I’ve noticed in my own game and as I said at the top, it’s something I need to get better at. Give it a try with me.

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There are currently 6 responses to “Pre-Round Warmup”

  1. 1

    HappyRock said:

    Warm-up should also help avoid a lot of the post round aches and pains.

    I wonder if there have been studies to show how much this might affect your score?

    It is probably a reasonable routine to decide that you will never start a round without at least 15 minutes of prior warm-up. If you give your self an out, you will probably take it most times.

    Posted on May 16th, 2007 at 10:34 am

  2. 2

    HappyRock said:

    Also here is a nice warm-up article:
    http://golf.about.com/cs/tipslessons/a/warmupbetter.htm

    It mentions that since golf is 43% putting, that is where you should warm up first. I would suspect that some visualization and mental imagery would be a nice part of the warm up routine.

    Posted on May 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am

  3. 3

    Double Eagle said:

    Good point about the post round aches and pains. When working out in a gym, it’s good practice to stretch before and after the session. Golf is no different.

    I have to agree with your point about giving myself an out, as well. That’s a problem I struggle with in life, even outside of golf. Generally speaking, when I give myself an out from something I might not want to do, then I take it. I’ve always recognized the benefits of pre-round warmup (enough to encourage everyone to do it). Now I need to make sure I do it myself, 100% of the time.

    I’m going to plan on a 30 minute (minimum) warmup routine for every round. Ten minutes of putting, ten minutes of stretching, and ten minutes on the range.

    Posted on May 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am

  4. 4

    keith said:

    I think warming up is over-rated. Some people have the ability to just show up and play a great round and beat the pants off his enemy\friend. You use up all your strokes needed for the course.

    Posted on May 16th, 2007 at 3:44 pm

  5. 5

    Double Eagle said:

    You’ve been spoiled because I’ve been hurt for so long. Wait until I get back into form. Savor it now.

    Posted on May 16th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

  6. 6

    Mike said:

    This is a great post! Here is a phrase that I have used on all of my sites and in dozens of golf fitness articles, “Prepare Your Body To Perform”. I should trademark this as I am the original owner of this phrase:)!

    Posted on September 11th, 2007 at 11:33 am

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