If you're like me, your standard pre-round warm up routine is the spike in your heart rate as you run from the parking lot to the first tee at Poppy Hills! But if you're looking to elevate your golf game and improve your performance on the course these driving range tips can help.

Understanding the Components of a Successful Warm-Up Session

One of the best ways to prepare for a round of golf is by engaging in an effective pre-round warm-up session. With just 20 minutes before your round, incorporate these essential elements to optimize your warm-up routine:

Stretching for Mobility and Injury Prevention

By incorporating dynamic stretches into your routine, you can enhance your flexibility, mobility and overall game. It allows you to warm up your muscles, work on your swing mechanics and helps prevent possible injury.

With six minutes you can perform these three Essential Dynamic Stretches for Your Pre-round Warm Up Session

1. Split Leg Trunk Twists:

Start by standing with one foot out in front of you and one foot behind you. Take a club and hold it across your chest with your arms crossed. With your weight on your front foot and a slight bend forward from the waist you're going to twist your upper torso back and forth. Be sure that your chest points in both directions when twisting your upper torso. Do 30 seconds of trunk twists and then repeat with your other leg forward. This stretch will test your lower body's stability while engaging in upper-body rotation.

2. Wrist/Arm/Elbow Rotations:

Stand with your feet next to each other and hold a club in each hand by the grip. Put your arms straight down by your sides and lift the club up and down in front of you by hinging your wrists for 15 repetitions. Then switch to holding one club just below the grip with one hand.  Bring your elbow up to ninety degrees with your forearm pointed out in front of you and the club pointing up to the sky. Rotate the club from side-to-side slowly for 20 to 30 seconds. Switch hands and do the same exercise with your other arm for another 20 to 30 seconds.  As wrist and elbow mobility are key components in a successful golf swing, this particular stretch will aid in strengthening these targeted muscles.

3. Lateral Lunge with a Twist:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a club with both hands  extended out in front of you. Make a lateral lunge out to your left side with your left foot and once your foot lands twist your upper body to the left. Step back to your starting position and repeat the lunge to the same side for ten repetitions. Don't forget to do 10 more reps on your right side to even things out!

See these three stretches in action:

 

Incorporate these three stretches into your pre-round warm up to enhance your flexibility, mobility, and overall golf performance. Remember to listen to your body and only stretch to a point of mild discomfort, never pain. By preparing your body properly before hitting the course, you can set yourself up for success and a more enjoyable and effective round of golf.

 

Putting Warm-Up Drills

Now that you've finished your dynamic stretching routine, most players would head straight to the driving range. However, I suggest dedicating six minutes to the putting green first, and you'll understand why in the last section.

1. Path and Face Drill:

On the putting green hit some putts around a hole until you find a straight 3-4 foot putt. Place your ball down and set up with your putter behind the ball.  Place one tee on each side of your putter, one off the toe and one off the heel, no farther than an inch away from the putter head. Then just putt balls to the hole without hitting the tees on either side of your putter head. This will help ingrain your stroke path.

To aid with your face position at impact, do the drill above with only your right hand on the putter (left hand if you're left-handed). This will allow you to feel the putter head releasing after impact and will give you instant feedback if the face is open or closed at impact. Rolling in 10 to 15 of these short putts will help you groove your stroke and boost your confidence out on the course!

See this putting drill in action:

 

 

2. Speed/Lag Ladder Drill:

Speed-Lag Ladder Drill

Before leaving the putting green place one ball 20 feet from the fringe, one ball 30 feet from the fringe and one ball 40 feet from the fringe. Try to hit each ball as close to the fringe as you can without touching the fringe. Don't stress about reading the green for these putts; your main focus should be on assessing the speed of the green before you start your round.

Driving Range Warm up and Shot Visualization

We're now loose and our putting stroke is dialed so we're ready to hit the driving range to see what our swing is doing that day.

1. Wedges

Start with some wedge shots (5-8 shots) and try to notice what your ball flight is doing, is it going high or low, left to right, right to left.

2. Irons

After the wedges switch to either your PW or 9-iron and progress through your golf bag skipping every other club, so either PW, 8, 6, 4 iron, hybrid or 9, 7, 5, 3 iron, 3 wood. Hitting about 3-4 balls with each club. Each time, noticing what your ball flight is doing and how the wind (if any) may be affecting the golf ball.

Two things you don't want to worry about in your short warm up session: you don't want to change your swing and you don't want to worry about your technique. Remember you only have about 8 minutes before your tee time, so swing changes and technique are best left for your longer practice sessions or lessons with a head pro. Before your round you're just trying to figure out what swing you brought to the course that day.

3. Driver

Finally, we get to the driver, here is where you're going to use your visualization skills and why we save the range for last in the warm-up sequence. For the last shots on the range, visualize what the first hole tee shot looks like and hit that shot. Your final shot on the range should be a mirror image of the shot you plan to execute on the first tee, just 2 minutes away.  

In just 20 minutes you were able to maximize the short amount of time to  physically and mentally set the tone for a successful round of golf. So now all you have to do is ask the pro shop where's the first tee and what's the course record?

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Pre-Round Warm Up Steps

Looking for a quick reference for your new warm-up routine? Don't forget to keep our handy Warm-Up Timeline Cheat Sheet on hand before your next round of golf!

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