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Warmup Routine

Golf Chick

Golf Chick

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Before playing the course, do you warmup, stretch first? Is it best to hit balls first at the range to warm up? Chip, putt??

What's the best way to warmup?
 
There is no best way to warm up. It will be different for every person. My routine is quite simple.

I hot a small bucket on the range. 4 balls with each club starting with my Niblick. It is a heavier and shorter club so it stretches me out and also keeps me from picking up. Then I go to the putting green and chip and putt for a few minutes and then I am ready to tee off.
 
I agree with JB there is no set way to get ready for a round. At the very least it is a good idea to get the muscles loose and moving with some streching. Don't want to get hurt out there.

In a perfect world it would be great if every round we all would have time to hit 20-40 balls to get loose then hit some putts and do some short game work prior to the round. Just doesn't seem to work out that way every time.
 
I always warm up before a round - no matter what (that's a rule).

I start with a wedge and for the first few minutes, I just swing it back and forth with each arm and then I make several "baseball" swings with both arms and after several of those, I begin to angle down until I'm swinging "like a golfer". After that I pull a ball toward me and I just take a lazy, easy swing and hit it - just to make contact and let my elbows and wrists know that I'll be hitting "real" shots pretty soon.

Once I'm loose, I hit mostly wedges and work my way upwards; usually 8i, 5i, 3i and then maybe a few hybrids or fairway woods and then I'll finish with whatever club I intend to use from the first tee.

When I'm warming up, I'm not looking to hit any "career" shots or "swing for the fences". I just hit nice, smooth shots mainly to get a feel for where the ball wants to go that day and what my "150" club is doing (whether it's a little tired or feeling tip top).

The goal in all of this is just to loosen up and get a feel for what to expect from my body and my swing and I don't "work on" anything. Pre-round warmups are not the venue for trying to fix anything. Pre-round warmups are just that - warmups.

When I'm done with my warmup (and even if there are a few balls left in the bucket), I'll go to the practice green and roll several putts from various distances and directions and maybe I'll chip a few balls around as well.

After that, it's off to the first tee!



-JP
 
I usually start with a few windmills to get my blood flowing. Then grab two wedges and make a swinging motion a dozen times. If I have time to hit a few balls I will but I usually always at least chip a few before I tee off.
 
It just depends on the time of year, the weather, and what I have been doing prior to showing up at the golf course as to how I might warm up. The one thing I always do is this; what ever club I am going to hit off the first tee is always the last or only club I warm up with.

I see these two scenarios all the time. A persons walks from the putting green, bags his putter, pulls out their driver, a couple of practice swings and then proceeds to send their first couple of balls O.B. The second are the folks who are just sitting in their carts in the first tee line up, who, when it is their turn to hit, jump out of the cart, grab their driver, and send their first tee shot(s) into the great wide open. They may have been sitting in their cart for 20-30 minutes waiting their turn with not so much as a thought to swing a club. :confused2:
 
ive been playing most of my life and i have a range jinx going... everytime i hit full shots on the range before a round i tend to suck when i play... of course the range balls fly nice an straight...

my warm up routine that works for me is to hit the chipping/pitching area... that gives me a much better indicator of how my ballstriking will be than when i take full shots on the range...
after chipping/pitching a few... if i have time... i go to the putting green just to get the feel of the speed of the greens
 
I prefer to hit a few range balls before I play but I don't get to as often as I want. Usually it's some stretching followed by some chipping and putting. Then some more stretching before playing.
 
I usually mix it up. Sometimes I will go to the range, sometimes not.

I will always stretch on the tee box though. and Usually I do not putt before a round. Just chip.
 
Generally my routine is this...


I fire a cigarette up after leaving the clubhouse on the way to the starter / caddy yard...I go in the caddy yard and take out a couple of balls from my bag, shake hands with the starter and caddy, hold the stretch while taking a glove out of a bottom pocket and a couple of tees, take a wedge and go hit chips and pitches until I'm done with the cigarette or the starter tells me I gotta move to make the window on X tee...I swing whatever club that I'm going to hit on the first tee no more than 4 practice swings and then we're off...


Maybe one day, but warmup is what the first few holes are for (stole that line from a friend)...
 
I'd love to say I always go to the range, work my way through this and that... just not what generally happens. There's usually several of us meeting at the course and if I can get there ahead of them I'll go to the range. If not, I'll break out a couple clubs and swing together to stretch out a bit and go. What I don't do is try to kill my first tee shot. If I can get that one in the middle I good to go for the day.
 
My warmup routine solely relies on where I'm playing. Not every course here has a driving range so I've gotten used to warming up without access to a driving range. Personally, stretching is pretty key to me. I usually stretch for 10-15 minutes and then head to the pitching/putting green.

When I practice pitching/chipping I focus on a couple of things: stable base, shoulder turn, holding the finish. If i do those things well before the round then all of my swings for the day should be technically sound.

I don't spend a lot of time putting. I like to get a feel for the speed of the greens but putting's more of a visual/feel thing for me. I never take practice strokes on the putting green when I'm playing. I spend more time visualizing the putt and finding that line.
 
Get out of truck, load clubs in cart, check in at pro shop, tee up, hit the ball, hit another ball. Maybe this is why my handicap is 25.
 
Arrive 5-10 minutes before tee time.I go in.Pay my green fees and get a large fountain drink.Put bag on cart and get about a half dozen balls to put in pocket.Pull up to 1st tee ,get out,take ball out pocket.Glance around for tee on ground.Find one.Tee up.Let her rip.OOB.Take another ball out of pocket.Tee up .Let her rip.OOB.Get the picture?
 
jefffann said:
Arrive 5-10 minutes before tee time.I go in.Pay my green fees and get a large fountain drink.Put bag on cart and get about a half dozen balls to put in pocket.Pull up to 1st tee ,get out,take ball out pocket.Glance around for tee on ground.Find one.Tee up.Let her rip.OOB.Take another ball out of pocket.Tee up .Let her rip.OOB.Get the picture?
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My kind of golfer!!!
 
jefffann said:
Arrive 5-10 minutes before tee time.I go in.Pay my green fees and get a large fountain drink.Put bag on cart and get about a half dozen balls to put in pocket.Pull up to 1st tee ,get out,take ball out pocket.Glance around for tee on ground.Find one.Tee up.Let her rip.OOB.Take another ball out of pocket.Tee up .Let her rip.OOB.Get the picture?
Click to expand...

I wonder how the foursome behind you feels about you taking all those practice shots on the first tee instead of the range.
 
I warm up and stretch by swinging while holding 2 clubs at the same time. The heavier weight of 2 clubs forces your muscles to work a little harder, which stretches them out better.
I also find that with the added weight of swinging 2 clubs it helps me to make a smoother swing because its more difficult to do sudden/jerky swing movements with 2 clubs.
 
bigvivec said:
Generally my routine is this...


I fire a cigarette up after leaving the clubhouse on the way to the starter / caddy yard...I go in the caddy yard and take out a couple of balls from my bag, shake hands with the starter and caddy, hold the stretch while taking a glove out of a bottom pocket and a couple of tees, take a wedge and go hit chips and pitches until I'm done with the cigarette or the starter tells me I gotta move to make the window on X tee...I swing whatever club that I'm going to hit on the first tee no more than 4 practice swings and then we're off...


Maybe one day, but warmup is what the first few holes are for (stole that line from a friend)...
Click to expand...


I'm glad you mentioned the cigarette aspect because that's an important part of my warmup as well.

I use my cigarette as a sort of "timer" for my initial stretching and even for my first few light hits on the ball. After the 5 to 7 minutes it takes to finish my cigarette I'm sufficiently warmed up so that I can now get serious and start hitting some real shots, so the cigarette definitely plays a key role in my pre-round preparations.

Thanks for bringing up this rather important (and often overlooked) point.


-JP
 
at my home course i tend just to stretch and have a few practice swings

if im visiting somewhere i always make sure i get to the practice green to get a read of the greens..along with my stretching.
 
I try to do the same warm-up prior to every round. First I take about 7 low baseball-like swings with my 8-iron to get my blood flowing and to loosen up the muscles a bit. I then do a few quick stretches that focus on lumbar, shoulders and back. Then, with a small bucket of balls, I hit a few shots with my 8-iron (this is the club that gives me the best indication of what my swing is like for the day). Then I hit a few balls with a wedge, then a 6-iron, then a hybrid and end with a few swings of the driver. I make my way over the the practice green and do a few chips and putts. And then I tee-off.
 
JPsuff said:
I use my cigarette as a sort of "timer" for my initial stretching and even for my first few light hits on the ball. After the 5 to 7 minutes it takes to finish my cigarette I'm sufficiently warmed up so that I can now get serious and start hitting some real shots, so the cigarette definitely plays a key role in my pre-round preparations.
-JP
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Good idea, I think ill take up smoking again. :act-up:
I smoke cigars at the course now so I always light them up after I warm up but cigs were always a great way to tell time.
 
Diane said:
I wonder how the foursome behind you feels about you taking all those practice shots on the first tee instead of the range.
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Practice shots? round has started.That's 7 shots before I even get to fairway.Typical opening hole at least a snowman but a +5 to start the round isn't unheard of.The foursome behind me hates me even when I practice before a round.I'll break 130 this summer I hope.
 
lol... remind me to book a teetime wayyy before you...

back on topic... the past few rounds its been cold... so im having to warm up more... heck i need to warm up for every shot... brrrr... i think i might have to buy a cart heater
 
bogey_russ said:
lol... remind me to book a teetime wayyy before you...

back on topic... the past few rounds its been cold... so im having to warm up more... heck i need to warm up for every shot... brrrr... i think i might have to buy a cart heater
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A cart heater?

Why not just hire someone to play the round for you? :laughing:

Seriously though, why not walk in the colder weather? It keeps the blood flowing, the body warm and the muscles loose. I can't imagine riding in a cart when it's cold; to me that would be like driving down the highway in January with the windows wide open.


-JP
 
JPsuff said:
I can't imagine riding in a cart when it's cold; to me that would be like driving down the highway in January with the windows wide open.


-JP
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I wish we had the carts you guys have in New York! Ours don't go fast at all!
 
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