I know what you’re thinking—you don’t have time to warm-up. Or maybe you have time, but you’re not sure what is actually worth doing. Or maybe you don’t think you need to warm-up—a few swings on the driving range and you’re good to go.
The golf swing is such a specific and precise movement, yet so explosive and powerful, that a warm-up is essential to not only prevent injury, but improve your accuracy off the first tee. Your warm-up should be dynamic—moving through different positions, rather than static stretching with long hold times. But it doesn’t have to be long or complicated. I have put together a 5 minute golf warm-up that you can do right on the course. You don’t have to lay down in the grass, don’t need any extra equipment…just you and your golf club.
The main components of your swing that benefit from this exercise warm-up are:
- Your thoracic (upper back) rotation and your hip rotation—improving range of motion in both of these areas takes pressure off of your lower back to prevent injury here
- Dissociation of your torso and your pelvis—your torso and your pelvis need to be able to rotate separately from one another. This allows the force to be transferred from your backswing to contact with the ball and follow through. The better you are at moving these two parts individually, the more power and wind up you can create.
- Wrist and shoulder mobility—your main power should come from the core of your body, whereas your wrists and shoulders mostly need to be able to get in the right position to send that force out through the club.
- Lower body stability and balance—your lower body needs to provide a stable base around which your body will rotate. Improving balance and stability here will prevent sway or slide in your swing, both of which will cause loss of power and control.
Watch the 5 minute warm-up here:
Think you need more help with these exercises? Feeling like you need more than just 5 minutes? Click here to schedule a TPI golf evaluation with Dr. Elizabeth Dalrymple to dive deeper into your body swing connection and improve your game.
