Do you warm up?

[whatwoodtigerdo]

If the best in the world hit a bucket before their rounds it's probably best I do too. It's where you groove your swing so you don't have to try to on the course.

[MS256]

If I have time I hit a few balls at home before I go to the course. If I have time when I get there I play a few holes before our game.

If I'm playing after work I get off the tractor, throw the clubs on the cart, go to the tee box, and swing away.

Funny thing is that I'm just as likely to play well and even start well if I do the latter and don't warm up in any way.

[newtogolf]

I always warm up when possible.  I really dislike when I play at courses that don't have a range to warm up at before the round.

[Pretzel]

When we go to high school tournaments as a team, we usually arrive sometime around 45 minutes before our tee time. Usually at the range we rotate out using one spot between the four or five of us, so we usually end up stretching in between which makes a large difference. When I'm hitting on the range though, I don't worry so much about where the ball is going as I do about hitting the ball in the center of the face. Once I'm loose and making good contact I'll worry about hitting to target and just making sure my ball is still drawing, but I don't change anything. Most of our time is spent on the chipping/putting green, where we hit a couple of pitches and then putt for around 20 minutes to get a solid feel of what the greens will be like that day.

Knowing the speed of the greens is crucial. It tells you which pin placements will be difficult (back pins are harder on soft days since shots will tend to suck back, front pins are tougher on firm and fast days since your shots will want to release as a general rule) and how careful you need to be with your misses. If the greens are sluggish you can be aggressive since an overcooked putt won't go far past, but you need to putt a bit more conservatively with good lag putting on faster greens.

[FooFader]

I usually warm up by stretching for a minute or so. I then hit putts for 5 minutes to try and get i feeling for the green speed that day, although we all know a lot of putting greens play nothing like the greens on the course... I'll then move over to the warm up nets just behind the first tee and take some easy swings with my gap wedge, working my way up to full shots. i'll only hit maybe 10 shots but without much time in between, it's not practice after all.

Then i feel ready to play. On the first tee, i'll usually take 5 practice swings or so though just to make sure I'm loose. I find that's plenty for me. If i go to the range and hit a bucket before i play it make either make or break me. By that I mean that if i hit the balls well then I will feel good on the first few holes and have confidence in my swing but if i hit some poor shots on the range I'll have zero confidence on the course. In that case I know I'm on for a high scoring round. That's why I don't like seeing ballflights right before I go play. I know that if I make good swings I'll hit pushdraws so that's what I play for the first few holes

[David in FL]

Have to. Just too old and creaky. Those first 5 or 6 swings are pretty ugly and painful until the joints and muscles start to loosen up. Then the pain goes away and only the ugly remains. ;-) I honestly don't think that I'd choose to play at a course that didn't have a range anymore.

[isukgolf]

Put me in the old guy category ... Need to get my barnacle bones to bend a bit Plus it allows me to know how far right I am hitting that day ...

[JP golf]

We all should warm up!!!   Even if it's hitting 5 or 10 golf balls on the range....  The main thing if you don't have time to hit a few golf balls is to make sure your back & forearms are loose.

Quick Tension/Forearm Stretch:  Put you hand straight out palm up to the sky and with your other hand pull your fingers towards the ground...   The roll your hand over palm down and pull your fingers towards you.  After that, just roll your wrist in a circle a time or two and shake your arms out....  It loosens your muscles...  helps with the tension in your arms a ton...

[ay33660]

I follow my message therapist's advice and do a LOT of stretching. We have an exercise room at the club so I will ride the bike to get my cardio going then do stretches.

I will then go to the range with my 7 iron and driver. I will hit 3/4 7 irons to get a feeling of making good contact (10 balls at the most). Then three or four drives. That's it.

Then I will putt and chip.

After my round I will stretch again.

[rob0225]

With my back fusion, I have to warm up.  I stretch for about 15 minutes before I leave the house and then I hit a bucket of balls starting with short small strokes and working up to full strokes.

[PJCdude]

Most of the courses near me (NYC) don't have ranges but there are usually ranges nearby. It's a pain in the ass to have to go to both places but if I have the time, I definitely take advantage of them. When I'm trying to squeeze a round in after work though, I can live with hitting the first tee, doing a 5 minute stretch and a few practice swings. If I get there 10 minutes before twilight starts, then I might hit the practice green. As I gain more experience, I find that hitting the range isn't always the best thing but stretching, and hitting the putting green for some putts and chips is essential.

[vangator]

We all should warm up!!!   Even if it's hitting 5 or 10 golf balls on the range....  The main thing if you don't have time to hit a few golf balls is to make sure your back & forearms are loose. Quick Tension/Forearm Stretch:  Put you hand straight out palm up to the sky and with your other hand pull your fingers towards the ground...   The roll your hand over palm down and pull your fingers towards you.  After that, just roll your wrist in a circle a time or two and shake your arms out....  It loosens your muscles...  helps with the tension in your arms a ton...

I just tried it. I think I pulled something... :-)

[vangator]

Just curious do PGA pros workout before going to range then to 1st tee?

You bet. All except Tiger. He's usually cruising for chicks.

[Fourputt]

If the best in the world hit a bucket before their rounds it's probably best I do too. It's where you groove your swing so you don't have to try to on the course.

It also nearly doubles the number of swings I have to make, potentially making me more tired during the last few holes.   I will stretch, make a dozen or so real swings, but just air swings, no ball.  I may or may not hit a few putts.  Even at age 67 with occasional lower back pain, this is all I've ever needed.  For me, range warmup has invariably led to some of my worst rounds.

[Grndslmhttr3]

The times I do warm up before my round (and they are few and far between), it's only for a few minutes, just to get loose. I figure I don't have too many good shots and that I shouldn't waste them on the range!

[k-troop]

I've found that spending 10 minutes doing some yoga-like dynamic stretches focused on warming the legs, back, and shoulders is much more effective (for me) than warming up by beating balls. Mix in a few dozen weighted swings and then finish with several focused practice swings. If I do this, hitting balls doesn't really have any impact on how I start the round. Practice chips, putts, and bunker shots are essential though if I'm playing a competitive round. [quote name="Mulligan Jeff" url="/t/76888/do-you-warm-up/0_20#post_1048417"]Just curious do PGA pros workout before going to range then to 1st tee?[/quote] I had a membership at a nice club in VA a few years back that had a fitness center. I got in the habit of doing a 20-30 minute circuit workout before playing and was shocked at how much better I hit the ball immediately after a moderate workout.

[phan52]

Sometimes I don't have time or sometimes I am walking across the parking lot and somebody on the tee will ask if I want to join them, but I almost always will hit some balls before a round. Not to work on my swing or anything, just to get warm. One thing I MUST do before I play is some basic stretching. I'm getting up there and I don't want to hurt myself.

[galunga]

I don't know if I will warm up any more.... went from car to tee on Saturday and went +1.