Looking to get better in 2023? How about drop five shots in 2023? That seems like a good place to start. Here, as we creep closer to the New Year, we’ll use this five-part series to explain how you can kiss those five strokes (and possibly more?) goodbye in no time.
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If you’re hoping to play your best golf, it’s never a good idea to head straight from the parking lot to the tee, which can be a recipe for disaster in several ways. You’re far more likely to have an inauspicious start to your round, to be sure — but you also run the risk of injury.
While a full warm-up that incorporates stretching, half- and full-swings and rolling some short and long putts on the putting green is ideal, sometimes you simply can’t avoid the last-minute arrival to the tee. So what’s the best way to warm up when you’re super-short on time? A few quick shots on the range? Lag putts?
I asked Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose at GOLF’s recent Top 100 Teacher Summit at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz., what she thought would be the best solution, and she didn’t hesitate.
“Stretch,” she said.
And not just any random stretch. Rose said you need to specifically prepare your body to rotate — that’s the key. And she suggested a move you can do that kills two birds with one stone.
The perfect stretch for a 5-minute warm-up
First, put your spine into a forward bend, Rose recommends. Next, rotate your shoulders to 90 degrees, then turn through to reach 90 degrees on the other side, as though you’re mimicking your golf swing, back and through. Rotate your hips to these positions too. (Reference the main photo above.)
Here’s how major-winner Anna Nordqvist warms up before a round
“That way, your upper body and your hips are getting warmed up at the same time,” she said. “Spine angle and rotation are the primary things you need to warm up to start your round.”
One other thing to keep in mind, Rose says, is to make the movement a fluid one.
“It’s important that it’s a dynamic warm-up, as opposed to static, where you’re just stretching and holding it,” she said. “A dynamic warm-up is more like what you’re about to do on that 1st tee.”
Above all, there’s a final thing Rose suggests golfers remember as they prepare to play with minimal prep time:
“You’re basically going to perform a violent act on your spine,” she said with a smile. “So get ready for that.”
For more tips from Trillium Rose, click here.
