10 minutes to tee time: Get your golf game ready in a flash with this one quick trick

Your pre-round warm-up isn’t the time to be working on your game. Nor do you want to leave yourself only enough time to hit a few balls and rush to the first tee. I know that’s what a lot of you do, but it’s a recipe for inconsistency.

I’ll give you a much better way to incorporate the physical and mental preparation you’ll need to play your best golf—and all it takes is 10 minutes.

Grab the towel hanging on your bag and tie it around the hosel of your driver. It will give your club extra weight and add resistance to help you limber up. First, take three continuous swings with your natural tempo to get your muscles loose. Then remove the towel, hold the club upside down and take three more swings. Notice that the club is a lot lighter and it swings faster with the same smooth tempo. Not only are you getting stretched and loose, you’re also improving your timing.

Now play the first three holes of the course on the range. If No. 1 is a long par 4, pull your driver, then hit whatever iron you might expect to have left for the approach. If the second hole is a par 3, take the club you need for that distance. And so on.

Go through your regular pre-shot routine for each swing, preparing your mind and body to play a competitive round. Lastly, hit one shot with the club you plan to use off the tee on the first hole. It’s a simple routine to get you loose, limber and—most importantly—prep your mind to keep you on your toes.

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