Top 100 Teacher: This split-handed stretch will get you ready without a warmup

Weekend golfers don’t always have time to properly stretch and warmup before their round. The good news is that you don’t always need to.

If you have to skip the range to make your tee time, the following quick stretch can help you get loose (and longer) in a hurry. With the club you’ll be using for your first swing of the day (usually your driver), place your left hand in its normal grip position. Next, wrap your right hand around the shaft near the middle of the club, about a foot below your left hand (as shown below).

Get in your golf posture and make a complete backswing turn. You want to feel your right knee flex, your weight shift into your trail hip and your body rotate. That’s where the split-hand grip comes into play. By splitting your hands, you can’t cheat your turn by using the momentum of the club to do the work for you.

You’re activating the muscles in the upper body to create the turn yourself, which will help you load up your right side and give you the power you crave. It may feel as though your upper and lower bodies are resisting each other, but that’s okay. It means it’s working. You’re stretching your muscles—muscles you can tap for a powerful strike right off the bat.