Pre-Round Stretching...A Simple and Effective Routine

The importance of stretching for your golf game cannot be stressed enough.  Since a good golf swing requires that your body be in a relaxed, tension-free state, you'll want to release some of that tension before you ever pick up a golf club.  I have a few exercises below that are easy to do and only take a few minutes.  Most golfers don't have a lot of time to prepare before a round of golf and I'm sure many of you show up to the first tee without hitting any practice balls at the driving range or spending some time at the chipping and putting green.  The good news is that if you follow these simple exercises, you can effectively stretch right before you start your round, no matter how early or late you are to the first tee.

For the first exercise, take your driver and place it across your shoulders behind your neck.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and wrap your arms around the club at either end.  Bend slightly back to stretch your back muscles.  Bend side to side so that you loosen up your side muscles and shoulders.  Bend forward to extend your back.

Next, perform a partial squat with your driver in hand.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the club in front of you at shoulder height, holding with both hands for balance.  Lower your body by bending the knees, not the hips, and raise the club up with both arms at the same time.  Raise back up and repeat this ten times.  During this whole stretch, you need to keep your upper body very erect in order to obtain the full benefits.  This exercise will increase your blood flow and circulation throughout your body.  This is a great total body warmup to allow your body to make a relaxed, comfortable first swing.  It also increases the range of motion in your hip which encourages a more synchronized swing from the ground up. 

Finally, you can do a standing rotation twist stretch.  Hold a golf club chest high out in front of you and grip the club at either end so that your arms are shoulder-width apart.  While keeping your feet and hips fairly stable, rotate the club to the right and the left.  Try to breathe out on every turn in order to release tension.  Repeat each side ten times.  By doing this stretch, you'll be preparing specific muscles of the trunk to make an aggressive move.  This also prepares proper sequencing of the swing while warming up the muscles.  This exercise will improve body movements during the swing from the beginning so you won't sacrifice any strokes on the first couple of holes.

I hope this simple routine helps to improve your golf game.  It only takes a few minutes to complete and will go a long way to helping you prepare for a round of golf...especially if you don't leave yourself much time to practice before heading to the first tee.