new player

[alomar123]

I just started to play golf. I went to the range thusday for the first time and it was alot of fun. I spent 2 and a half hours hitting 200 balls. I was tired after this but not sore, until the next day. I woke up with a very stiff neck, sharp pains on the left side of my lowerback and i may have pulled a hammie.lol. I think it was that i was jerking my back to turn my hips along with my neck. I going again tomorrow and my back and neck have healed but my right leg hasnt, any advice to help me swing my hips without doing all the work with my back and a fix for my right hamstring?

[Saint]

stretch before and after.

[MI Rob]

  Saint said:

stretch before and after.

Agreed. Whenever I forget to stretch I regret it badly.

[alomar123]

I do plan to stretch but i forget to with all sports.lol, but do you think i am whipping my back too much and if so how can i correct that?

[MI Rob]

Well you did spend a lot of time at the range it seems to me. Maybe your back muscles used in the golf swing arent used to what they need to do to swing?

[OzzDOA]

Warming up with a weighted club does wonders for stretching and strengthening the golf specific muscles. I made my own using a junky 7 iron and pouring sand into the shaft then sealing the grip. Thing has to be at least 7 lbs.

[Greg]

I didnt realize how much you use your back and shoulders swinging a golf club when I first started playing. Stretching/warming up first will help. I heard most pros start with the shorter clubs(wedges, short irons) then mid irons, long irons, and woods and driver last. Thats how i do it, hitting a few shots with each until i move up to the driver and spend more time with it as I havent been hitting it very well lately.

[prutkows]

stretching and warming up (starting with wedges and short irons) will help.

I think your main problem is just not being adapted to the muscle usage of a golf swing. also i'm sure you're trying to swing too hard (common problem in golfers of all levels) and could be overexerting yourself.

[squaddie]

  alomar123 said:

I just started to play golf. I went to the range thusday for the first time and it was alot of fun. I spent 2 and a half hours hitting 200 balls. I was tired after this but not sore, until the next day. I woke up with a very stiff neck, sharp pains on the left side of my lowerback and i may have pulled a hammie.lol. I think it was that i was jerking my back to turn my hips along with my neck. I going again tomorrow and my back and neck have healed but my right leg hasnt, any advice to help me swing my hips without doing all the work with my back and a fix for my right hamstring?

Be sure to pace yourself - 200 balls is quite a bit for a new player. When I was a new player I strained a muscle along my ribs from hitting at the range too much. Make sure to take a practice swing before every real swing, and always have a target you are trying to knock the ball to. Also, you may want to take a lesson, have a pro analyze your swing on video and look for any swing mechanics issues. If you can find issues now then you won't ingrain any bad swing habits. Don't expect to correct all issues in one lesson - first lesson should just be to find the faults, perhaps fix one or two.

[alf174]

  squaddie said:

Also, you may want to take a lesson, have a pro analyze your swing on video and look for any swing mechanics issues. If you can find issues now then you won't ingrain any bad swing habits. Don't expect to correct all issues in one lesson - first lesson should just be to find the faults, perhaps fix one or two.

+1

My advice, avoid the range before getting lessons. Otherwise, it'll take you longer to get rid of the bad habits once you learn the good ones. Practice putting instead.