by Mike Pedersen (golf-trainer.com)

As a golfer, you may have often hit off the first tee without warming up and you know what happened. Typically, you bogeyed or, worse yet, double-bogeyed the first hole and maybe the next ones too. Now you can prevent that kind of poor start and better prepare yourself for optimal golf performance with this easy-to-do golf-specific warm-up.

If you do the Golf-Trainer.com (GT) First Tee Warm-Up before you play, I guarantee you will shave strokes off your score! Be consistent in using it and you will consistently play your best!

GT is pleased to provide you with this free golf-specific warm-up. It includes all the instructions you need to be well prepared each time you practice or play.

Arm Circles

Instructions:

  • Raise arms out to side
  • Start with small circles with your hands and gradually increase
  • Hands should feel light
  • Keep speed of movement moderate
  • After 15 seconds switch directions and repeat
  • Complete each direction twice

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Warm up and increase blood flow to shoulders
  • Prepare shoulders for a full range of motion in swing
  • Allows golfer to make a fluid, easy swing on first tee
  • Promote relaxation and fluidity in shoulder for effortless swing

Overhead Extensions

Instructions:

  • Grab club just outside shoulder width
  • Hold club over head with arms extended
  • Feet shoulder width apart
  • Bring club down to legs and raise again
  • Repeat movement for 15 seconds

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Prepares shoulders for better top-of-backswing position
  • Improves functional range of motion in finish position/or follow through
  • Increases leverage on downswing from the top

Overhead Side Bends

Instructions:

  • Grab club just outside shoulder width
  • Feet shoulder width apart
  • Hold club extended overhead
  • Lean body to one side feeling stretch on opposite side
  • Hold for brief moment and go immediately to other side and repeat
  • Repeat each side 3 times each

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Greatly improve range of motion of trunk on back swing and follow through
  • Reduce any limitation in trunk rotation, improving full back swing
  • Create more club head speed and power with bigger coil
  • Reduce stress on lower back in both extreme take away and finish

Golf Rotations

Instructions:

  • Place club over shoulders behind head
  • Grab at each end of club
  • Assume golf posture and rotate upper body back and through
  • Keep lower body quite still and feel the stretch in mid section ("core")
  • Repeat each side 10 times

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Prepare golf specific muscles of the trunk to make an aggressive move from the first tee on
  • Also prepares proper sequencing of swing, while warming muscles
  • Will improve body movements during swing from the beginning, not sacrificing strokes of the first couple of holes

Modified Good Mornings

Instructions:

  • Slightly flexed knees
  • Grab club and bend at hips
  • Let arms hang relaxed in front of legs
  • Stretch hamstrings and lower back by lowering club down legs
  • Return to starting position and repeat 15 times

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Increase circulation in lumbar (lower back) area to withstand the high torque from initial swings
  • Allow for a more relaxed posture position through out swing
  • Reduce chance of injury to lower back early in the round

Partial Squat

Instructions:

  • Feet shoulder width apart
  • Place club in front of you and hold with both hands for balance
  • Lower body by bending at the knees not hips
  • Raise back up and repeat 15 times
  • Keep upper body very erect

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Increase blood flow and circulation through out body
  • Great total body warm up to allow body to make a relaxed, comfortable first swing
  • Increase range of motion in hips encouraging a more synchronized swing from the ground up

Side Lunge

Instructions:

  • Hold club behind neck, looking straight ahead
  • Step directly out to one side feeling a little pull up inside of leg
  • Go directly the other direction and repeat
  • Stay very upright

Benefit to Golf Swing:

  • Warm up and improve range of motion in hips and groin area
  • Allow a fuller back swing with out tension in hips or inner thigh
  • Be able to stay in shot longer on follow through with shifting off the right foot (for a right handed golfer) too early