The Golf Warm-up

Dewey morning at the Country Club of Florida, 2022

Like most sports, Golf requires continuity in the perfecting of skills, the golf course is a laboratory of trial and error and the golf swing an eternal spiral of advancement and review. There is much athlete can do to prepare for their golf game before even entering the driving range. The proposal is a 15-20 minute movement session where we prime the body for the sport and quiet the mind, focusing our attention on the elements that will enhance your game. This will allow the athlete to have the freedom to play without the obstacles and aggravations that impede a decent golf swing and the enjoyment of the game.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Abraham Lincoln

Our Golf Warm Up consists of three elements: Muscle Activations, Dynamic Rotations and mental focus training. Keep reading for more information on these.

Muscle Activations

A beautiful golf swing is the harmonious combination of strength and release. We add resistance training to certain movements that will specifically train the parts of the body that will stabilize it during the golf swing. This stability will in turn, enable the parts that need to be flexible to transmit force throughout the body. The regions that should be trained for stability are the glutes, the core and the rotator cuff.

Dynamic Rotations (WHATS)

Neuromuscular training is an effective way to foster correct movement patterns in any activity we practice. This type of work is best performed in a quiet and private setting where one can concentrate on achieving the best form when practicing these new patterns. When we can feel the sensations elicited by these movements, we can better replicate them later on the course.

Taking the body through full range of motion rotations will enable the player to experience the best expression of each section of their golf swings (back swing, impact, follow through). Try to perform these rotations evenly and smoothly, we can tweak the tempo to match the demands of your current goals or challenges in the sport. When we learn how to move on the planes dictated by our anatomy we’ll be able to better absorb our golf lessons. That’s why it’s important to use the help of a trainer or a mirror to ensure the quality of these movements.

Also, these rotations are helpful for lubricating the joint by using this movement to help disperse synovial fluid throughout the area.

The WHATS acronym will remind you of which joints need rotation: Wrist, Hips, Ankles, Torso and Shoulders.

This video will take you through our most recent golf activations sequence.

Mental Focus Training

Static stretches, following the dynamic sessions of activations and rotations, are a great way to introduce a mindfulness practice into your warm up. There is vast research suggesting that positive visualization has a tremendous influence on performance outcomes, so why not dedicate a few minutes finding a relaxed state of mind, aided by stretches that will benefit make the enhance play. The stretches we will cover are spinal twists, the hamstring/iliotibial band and the hip rotators.

One method to this meditative practice is guided imagery, a relaxation technique based on visualization and body awareness to help people to create sensory-rich images in their minds to promote relaxation, concentration and body awareness (Abdoli, Rahzani, Safaie, & Sattarie, 2011). This article (like many) goes into detail on how it can positively impact sports performance. The following video will take you through a stretch and guided meditation:

Click here to watch the video!

John Prince, Jr. driving range in Lake Worth, FL

If you find any of these exercises hard to do, please let me know in the comments section and I can provide modifications. These are just a stepping stone onto which you can project your own goals and views. The key to making this warm up the most effective is consistency. Every golf game played should be preceded by a thoughtful and intentional warm up.

Tee times are usually scheduled pretty strictly so the real work begins in carving out the time to be able to take your body through this sequence, no easy feat indeed. This may mean waking up a little earlier or missing out on some extra lazy time on a day off. This is where the hardest work takes place, prioritizing a deliberate practice instead of falling into old habits. Once you get past that hurdle, I assure you these simple exercises will just be the lagniappe.