Tip: Warm-up your swing before you hit the golf course

Many people mistakenly think stretching is a warm-up to play golf. I always cringed when I see people stretching their arms over their heads and behind their backs, thinking that they are warming up their muscles, when they are potentially harming themselves. The worst thing you can do before you play golf is start to stretch muscles and joints cold before they are warm-up properly.

You should warm-up muscles and joints before you stretch. To increase your blood flow, which brings needed oxygen to muscles and joints, you can jog in place, do jumping jacks or take a brisk walk. If it always takes you two or three holes to start hitting the ball solid, it is because it is at that point that you are finally starting to warm-up your muscles so they loosen and stretch better. Take the time to warm-up before you stretch before you play.

I like to swing two clubs gently back and forth, gradually increasing the pace. Walk the few hundreds yards to the driving range instead of hoping in the golf cart. For younger players the ideal is to break a sweat; for older golfers, it’s to become slightly winded. To save a few strokes at the start of your round, do yourself a favor and warm-up before you swing.