What do you do before you tee off?

[Sean Dainty]

Hit the range?

Putting only?

No warm up?

Drink a few beers?

Share what your pre golf game routine is!

[ajschn06]

5-10 minutes of stretching and 5-10 minutes of putting(4-8 footers).  If I could afford a membership at a course that included unlimited range use I would hit a few balls, but I can't, so I don't.

[Kieran123]

Range for 15 minutes....get to starting tee.....pick a spot, waggle waggle waggle, BOOM! skyball......

[kpaulhus]

I usually get to the course 40 mins before my tee time. I get my cart and gatorade from the shop and warm up hitting about 8-10 shots with my 52* wedge, 6 iron, 3 hyrbid, then driver. Head to the practice green and chip/putt for about 10 mins then Im ready to play.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Small bucket of range balls.  Hit with a mid-iron first until I'm swinging well, then move to a hybrid, then a wedge, and the driver for the last 6 or 7 balls.  Then the first tee.

Putting doesn't need warm-up IMO, putting needs practice.

-Andrew

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Open-Faced Club Sandwedge

Small bucket of range balls.  Hit with a mid-iron first until I'm swinging well, then move to a hybrid, then a wedge, and the driver for the last 6 or 7 balls.  Then the first tee.

Putting doesn't need warm-up IMO, putting needs practice.

-Andrew

Whether or no i practice putting depends on the course. Sometimes the greens are especially slow or fast compared to where I played/practiced last. If the practice green isn't the same as the course greens (it hapens) then I just gauge how I'm seeing the line that day (visions issues).

[motteler621]

most of the local courses near me dont have a range, which is crap. I think warming up on the range before starting a round is mandatory but if I play those courses I can only stretch and putt a little before I tee off. When you play courses like that, it takes about 3 holes to warm up so that can effect score

[B-Con]

As as soon as I arrive, I get a little liquid into me. Then I stretch and practice my chipping/pitching. Then I warm up with a small bucket of balls (or just shag balls, if I don't have the time for a full bucket). Primary focus is mid-iron, then driver, hybrids, and short irons. I usually go at a slightly faster pace than normal, because my goal is to warm up and to hone my swing, not tinker with or improve it. I try to spend at least a couple minutes on the putting green. I hit a few 20ft lag putts to make sure I can read long lags (mis-reading long lags is an excellent way to three-putt), and a few <5ft putts to get used to the speed of the green and to practice holing out. Then I hit a few chips to get that feel down. Then I practice various putts of misc. distances to make sure I can read the green speed properly.

[saevel25]

If i got time, i will spend 5-10 on the putting greens

Usually i do about 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching, getting the basic motions down.

[JetFan1983]

A back injury that cost me the entire 2009 season taught me a very important lesson about always being warmed up and stretched before touching a golf club (not to mention learning how to actually swing a club). It's the only thing that I simply have to do before playing, whether it's at the range or the course.

- 2-3 minutes of jumping jacks or jogging in place to warm up the muscles and get them ready for stretching

- 10-15 minutes of stretching

I'll head to the putting green if I have a little extra time.

My home course doesn't have a range, but if that option is available to me, I do my best to get there early enough so I can hit a small, overpriced bucket as well.

Usually though it's just the warm up and stretch and then go.

I'll finish each round/range session with a quick warm down and stretch too before leaving.

[WUTiger]

if the course is close to home, I'll do some Swiss ball back stretches and related warm-ups in the  family room before I leave.

Then, at the course, I'll do this general sequence:

• A few short putts, chips and half shots to warm-up muscles, check my alignment.
• Some partial and full wedges, a couple of sand shots to test the texture, then every other numbered iron... driver, and fairway woods. In a small bucket, I'll probably have a half dozen balls left over. (Key with driver: how high to tee the ball given the turf that day)
• Put bag near No. 1 tee box, and practice lag putts and up-and-downs until tee-off (if chipping is permitted)

In years past when I played in multi-day tournaments, I would hit some shots after the round to straighten out "the headache of the day." On the second day I would do the short putts and chips to warm up, hit a dozen full shots, and spend rest of time on short game. Didn't want to be "too tired to swing" about hole 15.

If I ever joined a club, I would like to jump on the exercise bike for about 15 minutes to warm up the muscles, then go to the bulleted "general sequence" above.

[dsc123]

I've seen a direct and significant correlation between putting before the round and putting performance during the round.

I've been working to improve my putting technique a lot lately.  The first round after my Eurika moment, i spent probably at least 20 minutes putting before going out. I had my best putting round ever.  I played the next day, and the starter had an opening so I jumped on without the planned warm up--- 8 more puts than the day before.

Next time out I made sure to spend the time on the green, far more than my playing partners, and it showed, I ended up one off my record.  Played the very next day, same course, but slept late, had to rush my putting practice and putting significantly poorer than the previous day.

I think part of it is that if I commit to spending the time on the green before a round, its like i'm deciding right then that i'm going to really focus on my putting today, and that focus carries over into my round.

I start by just gauging speed.  I'll pull the putter back to my big toe and stroke it and see how far its goes.  hit a few like that, then increase the backswing, etc.  Then i start working on 3 footers, 6 footers and lags.

I try to hit the range too if I have time, but now I will only do that if I know I will have at least 15 minutes to putt afterwards.

My goal now is to get to the course an hour early, spend 20 min at the range, 20 min chipping, and 20 min putting.  (i know that doesn't add up, but i probably spend 20 min between each, and paying, etc.)

[Gerald]

Walk up the first tee and make a few practice swings with my 1000 cc driver and when the other guys are browsing their rule books I declare the club out of play tee up and hit with my normal driver 250 yds straight in the middle fairway .......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e37u0VHXXEA

[Stretch]

Coffee. Dump. Everything else is negotiable.

[timnsr72]

a few chips and putts, then i practice my full swing a few times before going to the first tee.

[awmgolfer]

This year I will be getting a range membership so if I can do a normal warm-up I will hit the range for about 15min. Starting with my 56 degree, pitching wedge, 7 iron, hybrid, 3 wood, then driver. Then I will go over to the putting green and do a few different chips and pitches and then finish up with some putts focusing more on feel. Otherwise, if I have to get going right away, a few stretches and practice swings going back and forth non-stop to get a nice smooth feel.

[ohiolefty]

My home course doesn't have a range...sooo

At my home course

1. Brief stretch - 1-3 mins.
2. Wedges (chipping, pitching etc.) - 25-30 mins.
3. Putting - 10-15 mins.
4. Comprehensive stretching at or before first tee - 5-10 mins. depending on how I feel that day
5. Tee off

At a course with a range

1. Comprehensive stretching - 5-10 mins.
2. Range - 15-20 mins
3. Wedges - 25-30 mins
4. Putting - 10-15 mins.
5. Tee off

[zeg]

Stretch a bit, then some 10-20 yard chips, a couple of short pitches, then a small bucket.  Usually 7I until I'm warm and hitting well, then a couple with 4 or 5 I, 3H, 3W, and a few with the driver.  For those, just enough to hit a couple clean shots, not trying to fix anything other than getting basic contact.  Any leftover balls I'll either hit with the 7I or maybe some full wedges.  Then I usually putt a few, a few short ones to remember my stroke, and then a few long ones to get a feel for distance control.  Then I tee up and shank my drive into the neighboring fairway and the horrors begin.