The First Tee

[stephenjm]

I coach a number of sports and what has always struck me as odd is how different golfers and racket sport players approach their games.

The tennis, squash and badminton players I know would all have a knock-up before starting. At the basic level this is to get their muscles warm to help prevent injury and to get the feeling for the court and environment. As they get better they realise that it is an opportunity to play each of the shots they would expect to use in a game.

On the other hand the majority of golfers that I know do very little in terms of preparation - most of them will have a few practise swings before the first tee. Very few would do as I would prescribe:

A gentle warm -up of the muscles first. Then hitting some drives, followed by shots will all of the clubs in your bag that you expect to use and then lastly onto putting practise.

What's your experience and opinion?

[ghalfaire]

I always try to get to the course early so I can warm up.  I'm on wrong side of 60 and need to do this so I don't hurt something on the first tee (this includes my ego).  I certainly recommend it even for folks on the good side of 60.  I spend about 10 minutes putting then hit maybe 20-30 balls on the range.  I don't just work my way through the bag like practice.  I hit about 5 balls with an iron just to loosen up some then I alternate between different clubs for the 20 balls.  Usually a driver, hybrid, mid and short irons and a fairway wood (not necessarily in that order).

[GaijinGolfer]

I dont go to the driving range before my round.  I go to the practice green and get a feel for the speed of the green and to get a feel for my putting stroke.  Then, when Im on the first tee, I do a few practice swings to get warmed up and then I let 'er rip.

[Zeph]

As long as I can help it, I'll hit some balls at the range before teeing off. My first shot is usually OK, I focus on making a controlled and solid swing. The alternative to a good shot is a thin one or something else stupid.

[clubchamp]

I live about 10 minutes from the club where I'm a member so I try to do a stretching routine at my home. If I don't have time I have a quick routine to loosen up the best that I can and it usually works well enough.

[mihi4]

When I'm at my homecourse, I often just go to the chipping green to loosen up and the putting green to get a feel for the speed. Since I can play as often as I want, I treat my first 9-hole-round as warmup round, and mostly use the course as training ground for my iron game (short Par29).

When I'm playing "fullsize" 18-hole courses, I try to get there at least 1hour, often more, before my tee time. Little warmup of the body, then I need to get my swing into rythm and shape, which takes about 40-50 balls (mostly half and 3/4-swings).

Then I'm up to the putting and chipping green, getting a feel for the greens. If time permits, I often will take another small bucket (about 20 balls) and get a groove with my wedges, then finish with the club I'm using on the first tee.

greetings

michi

[Lefty-Golfer]

unless i am late i always hit the range. i hit 10 or 15 1/2 or 3/4 with my PW then hit normal 5 to 10 each with 8, 5, H, Driver and i am loose...i don't believe in practicing before a round, just gettting loose. i then hit a few putts and or chips and i ready to go. 25 minutes is plenty if stay on task...practice time is entirely different.

[inthehole]

So far, I've played 9 courses near where I live & none of them have practice ranges ... don't have the option to loosen up hitting balls .... all I can do is loosen up good by stretching & taking alot of warm up swings..

[NI4NI]

Best case:  pre-game routine includes stretching, range time (for warm-up purposes; no ball count), chipping and putting (for feel and mental check).

Worst Case:  pre-game routine includes stretching and club swings (no range or putting).

[trickymicky69]

  stephenjm said:

Originally Posted by stephenjm

I coach a number of sports and what has always struck me as odd is how different golfers and racket sport players approach their games.

The tennis, squash and badminton players I know would all have a knock-up before starting. At the basic level this is to get their muscles warm to help prevent injury and to get the feeling for the court and environment. As they get better they realise that it is an opportunity to play each of the shots they would expect to use in a game.

On the other hand the majority of golfers that I know do very little in terms of preparation - most of them will have a few practise swings before the first tee. Very few would do as I would prescribe:

A gentle warm -up of the muscles first. Then hitting some drives, followed by shots will all of the clubs in your bag that you expect to use and then lastly onto putting practise.

What's your experience and opinion?

driving first?

that seems backwards to me.

small swings first, followed by big swings makes more sense

[zeg]

Warming up is critical to playing your best.  As far as I know, all pros do it, and it's just basic injury prevention before any athletic activity.

There's another thread on here where people were describing their pre-round range procedures, so I won't repeat everything from there, but my first goal pre-round is to get my body stretched out warm.  My second goal is to get my mind in good condition to play that day.  Practicing specific shots is important, but less important than either of those.

Getting the first point is easy, some stretching followed by light swings followed by full swings is all it takes.  For the second, getting psychologically ready, it's a bit trickier.  The key for me is to warm up with shots that will give me confidence out on the course.  To do this, I usually start with a mid iron, usually a 6 or 7, whichever I happen to grab.  Those are relatively easy to hit compared to longer clubs, so I'm likely to strike well, but they're not so precise that I'm bothered if I hit a bad shot like I would be with a 9 iron or pitching wedge.  Once I'm hitting well, I'll usually at least hit a few short irons/wedges, long irons, fairway woods, and driver shots, but if I'm not striking terribly well I may skip some of those, and usually once I hit one solid shot with a club, I move on to something else.

I don't usually practice any specialty shots except maybe low punches, because they're easy and I use them a lot.  Trickier shots I practice on days when I won't be playing because I don't want to flub the shot on the warm-up tee and then have that in my mind on the course.