Interested in improving your golf game? Before you consider investing your money into new gadgets gear, consider investing a little bit of time before your next game to warm-up. A small investment of just 5 minutes of warm-up time has been shown to improve clubhead speed and carry distance¹.

With golf being a sport so focused on power, however, you must not only warm-up but do so effectively. It is important that your warm-up is involving dynamic movements. A dynamic warm-up includes movements that “maximize active ranges of motion at different movement-specific speeds while preparing the body for the demands of sport training and competition”⁵. Typically, dynamic movements include roughly 10-12 repetitions moving through the ranges of motion that mimic the movements involved in the sport to be played. This is opposed to static movements, where we are holding a stretch for a predetermined length of time (for example 30 seconds or longer)⁵. From a power and strength perspective, we want to avoid static stretching before sport as static holds in stretches can decrease these measures⁴. Alternatively, as stated earlier, a dynamic warm-up can improve golf performance in the areas listed above.

Some movements you can consider in your golf pre-game warm up are listed below. As always, consult your team of health professionals to see if these movements are appropriate for you.

• Monster Walks ^1,2
• Speed Skaters ^1,2
• Shoulder blade retractions ^1,2
• Lunge with torso rotation ^1,2
• Controlled articular rotations in both directions of upper and lower limbs ^1,2
• Wide stance thoracic turns ^1,2
• Standing internal hip rotations ³

… and if you are too shy to warm-up at the course, feel free to do a dynamic warm-up at home before you head out. Research has shown that power output is increased to a degree even 24 hours after a dynamic warm up when compared to a control group that performed no workout!¹

We hope you see improvement in your game – and health – when you add a dynamic golf warm-up to your next round!

 -Dr. Sara Brand, DC

1. Langdown, Ben. The Science Behind Golf Warm Up. 2016. https://www.mytpi.com/articles/fitness/the_science_behind_a_golf_warm_up Accessed 2022-05-28
2. Cannon, Robbie. How to Warm Up Before Your Workout. How to Warm Up Before Your Workout. https://www.mytpi.com/articles/fitness/how_to_warm_up_before_your_workout. Accessed 2022-05-28
3. Coughlan, D. et al. The impact of warm up on youth golf speed and self-reported golf shot quality. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2018 Aug; 13(5): 828–834.
4. Simic L Sarabon N Markovic G. Does pre-exercise static stretching inhibit maximal muscular performance? A meta-analytical review. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2013;23(2):131-148
5. Introduction to Dynamic Warm-Up. https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/kinetic-select/introduction-to-dynamic-warm-up/ Accessed 2022-05-28