One of the most misunderstood aspects to golf is how to prepare the body before playing or practicing. For years players would preform a series of stretches in order to prepare themselves for a practice session or even a round of golf. On top on this, players require hitting golf balls in order to warm up the body. The
downside to ‘hitting balls” to warm up is that golf is a one-sided sport. What this means for the right right-handed golfer is that on the back swing we stretch certain muscles while on the downswing we strengthen the opposite muscles. This over time can cause a serious imbalance of strength and mobility. Eventually an imbalance of strength and mobility will lead to poor performance and possible injury to the weaker and less mobile body parts.

Here is where a proper warm up will start to reverse this trend. Before each round try to perform a complete equal-sided warm up. In other words warm up the left side of the body just the same as the right side of the body. Areas to target for golf are the hips, shoulders, thoracic rotation (upper body turn), as well as hamstring and quadriceps. Try to get a light sweat in before each round or practice session. This way the player will be equally activated on both the left and right side of the body before the act of hitting begins. If you can incorporate this into your pre-round routine, not only will you feel better, but over time your performance will improve. Your susceptibility for injury will also decrease. I hope this helps your golf game.

Brad Ott
Associate Golf Instructor

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