Warming-up for Your Round When Time is Short

Every professional sport participant is well-known for executing a variety of flexibility exercises and drills to playing. Golf is no exception. Many PGA Tour players undergo a series of golf flexibility exercises that are not visible to the general audience, and this is prior to hitting the driving range or putting green. It is the process of preparing the body's muscles and joints to swing a golf club. The importance of a warm-up regimen in getting the body ready to play golf, or any sport for that matter, is well understood by almost every golfer on the world.

Unfortunately, we often do not have the time to do a comprehensive golf warm-up routine that includes golf flexibility exercises. Time constraints don't make this a feasible option. 

For example, say we scheduled a 1:30 p.m. tee time on Saturday. "I'll get to the course at 1:00, hit a few putts, chip for 10 minutes, head to the range, and be at the first tee with a few minutes to spare," we often say as we leave the house. Unfortunately, our plans do not always turn out as we had hoped.

We get trapped on the phone with a client, a conference call goes on forever, and we get stopped in traffic. Whatever the reason, we find ourselves hurrying to the golf course, arriving with 10 minutes to spare, jumping out of the car, tying our golf shoes, arriving at the first tee with 5 minutes to spare, having yet to play a shot or putt....See the picture I'm painting?

It's a scenario that affects us all, and I'm just as culpable as you are. Even while I strongly recommend doing a decent warm-up and getting in the right frame of mind for the round, life sometimes does not enable us to do so.

What should we do in such circumstances?

First and foremost, if you get at the first tee without warming up, I would advise against following John Daly's "grip and rip it" approach. I've seen this (including myself) lead to a slew of issues from the start.

I've had to do this before with mixed results. One of the last rounds I played was with my dad. I ended up making it to the course with about 5 minutes to spare, pay for my round, and get in my cart to go. My dad, on the other hand, beat me to the course, and had plenty of opportunity for warm-up. Guess who had the better round? Guess who the (much) better player is? 

First and foremost, do not worry if you find yourself in this circumstance. Let's devise a strategy to get the round off to a good start and keep you in a positive frame of mind.

My first piece of advice is to not try to hit three putts in a row. Instead, bring out your driver, take a few hacks, and then tee it up.

Let's use the five minutes we have to warm up the body and get it ready to swing a golf club. How are we going to do it? To "loosen" yourself up, simply put together a sequence of golf stretches. Golf flexibility exercises will release your body's muscles and joints. Getting them ready to hit a golf club.

They're easy to do and can get your body and mind in better shape for the game than a few practice swings with the driver. This will take a few minutes, but it will assist you in getting your body ready to swing the golf club.

Let's get the head in the right place once we've gotten the body "loosened up." When a golfer lacks the time to properly warm-up, the tempo of his or her swing is frequently out of whack. Relax, take a few deep breaths, and allow your body to calm down a bit. This should help you establish a better tempo in your swing right away.

Take your time as well. Take a little extra time when it's your turn to hit. Take a few more practice swings, relax, determine your tempo, and match the tempo of your practice swing to your first swing. I learned this from Dean Reinmuth (top 50 Golf Digest teaching pros).

If you're not at ease over the ball, take a step back and practice swings until you discover the "correct" swing, then apply that swing to the golf ball. It'll pay huge dividends for your game.

I'd also recommend continuing to take additional time on each stroke until you're comfortable with your swing. It's possible that this won't happen until the second or third hole, but that's fine. It allows you to unwind, swing well, and hit a nice stroke.

Finally, I believe that course management can be really beneficial when you are pressed for time. Consider that for a moment. Even though it's a par five, why not use your 3-wood instead of your driver on the first tee? Lay-up and play for par after hitting a good ball into the fairway? Starting with par or even bogey is much better than a double or triple, both in terms of your scorecard and your emotional state.

So, before you hurry to the first tee to start your golf game, review the protocol. First and foremost, let us be sensible and make the most of the time we have. Let's use the five minutes we have to warm up for the golf swing. This will be accomplished by implementing a series of golf flexibility exercises. These golf drills will prepare your muscles and joints for swinging a club. The second stage is to take your time once your body is ready. Take a couple more golf club strokes for practice. This will help you determine your golf swing's tempo. Finally, let us use our course management talents wisely. Consider what the finest golf shot is to make and practice it until our body and mind are ready to go.

What are your practice tips when time is running out?