1. Don't squander the few minutes you have before tee time
2. Warm up vertically and rotationally
3. Bring an activated body to first tee instead of trying to find it there
The evolution of golf fitness over the last couple of decades has been exciting to see -- and participate in.
We've come a long way from the old and arcane thought that "you can't lift weights or it will mess up your golf swing," to the current view of most players that "if you're not working as hard as the guys behind you, you're going to get passed up."
Gary Player was one of a small handful of players in the early days to put a focus on optimizing his body for golf to play his best. He helped pave the way for guys like me to have a career helping golfers get their body in the game, play better and help prevent injury.
One of the topics I always stress is value of a proper warm up before you practice or tee off.
I know. You've heard it before. We've discussed it in previous articles. But the numbers don't lie. You can still see it at every course, every day.
Most golfers don't do much more than right ankle extensions over the accelerator pedal on the way to the course, a few toe-touches, or take a couple extra cuts at the first tee. And away they go.
But whether you're playing for skins or competing in a club tournament, if you don't warm up and activate your body ahead of time, your body will do it over the first 5-6 holes. It's a huge advantage to take your "golf" body to the course instead of trying to find it there.
If you bring an activated body to the first tee, you have an edge over someone who does not. Period.
At our Sports Training Center in Jupiter, Florida, the first thing we do before every single golf training session is activate the body to prepare for the work ahead. And that's everyone. Tour Pros, juniors, busy business gals and guys, grandmas, grandpas. Everybody.
A proper warm up helps prevent injury.
We're all getting older. As we age we naturally become less flexible, lose some muscle mass, etc. You know the story. But what a lot of players don't think about is that the golf swing becomes progressively more violent to our system. Activating your body before you tee it up is not just about playing better that day. It's also an attempt to help prevent injury for the long run.
Next time you cut it a little close to tee time, take at least a couple of minutes and try the 3 low-impact movements in this video. You'll be surprised at how far a little hamstring activation and some rotational movements with get your body in the game before you get going.
© joeydgolf.com 2020
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