Does exercise before a round help?

[chriskzoo]

So I played this past Saturday and because our tee time was not until 10:40 in the morning, I decided to get my exercise in and run 4 miles in the morning.  When I got in the car with my buddy I mentioned it and (thinking I would be tired) said I would find out if it was a good idea or not.  Lo and behold I go out and shoot my best round ever of 72 at a course where my previous best score was 85, 5 years ago (I'm an 8.3 index, BTW).

In thinking about the round, I was very calm all day, just making good shots and hitting a lot of putts close (5 birdies, another personal record).  I am wondering if somehow the exercise may have had a calming effect by maybe using up some adrenaline or something that putt me in that "zen" state of mind for most of the round.

Any thoughts?

[rehmwa]

the body likes its endorphins and will reward you for it

I suspect light workouts like that are great prior to a round

I suspect heavy weights, especially the large muscles, right before a round is not great.

Nor would straining your core or pulling your shoulder, but that's a different topic

I also suspect everyone is different, and those that are 'truly' fit (not 'golf' fit) will see a great benefit - couch potatos maybe not as much

all this is opinion - personally, I don't change my routine, If a workout is on the plan, I still workout.  Even if I have a round later that day.

[WUTiger]

I do a 5-part routine warmup with dynamic stretches, getting the muscles warmed up with purposeful motions that approximate those of the golf swing. See the full workout by Kevin Hensel at this site:

http://www.fitness-nutrition-weightloss.com/golf-warm-up-exercises.html

One research project * , however, cautions about doing excessive static stretching before a round of golf. Young male golfers with a 5 HDCP, who participated in golf-specific conditioning programs, were the subjects of the experiment. Two groups of n = 15 were given one of two warm-up routines:

1. Ten swings with a weighted Medicus club. (Active dynamic = AD)
2. Vigorous static stretching for 20 minutes (like before a football game), followed by 10 swings with a Medicus. (= SS)

After the warmups, both groups hit 15 shots with their own clubs, starting with short irons and ending with driver.

Results showed that the SS group had much wider linear dispersion (Left to Right error) than the AD group. The suggested reason: the SS had overstretched the group's tendons beyond what was needed for golf, therefore introducing undesired wobble into their swings.

(Good info for young 5 HDCP guys, but I'm not sure what it means for 60-somethings with a bad hip.)

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* Source article: Gergley, J.C. (2009). Acute effects of passive static stretching during warmup on driver clubhead speed, distance, accuracy and consistent contact in young male competitive golfers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23 (3), 863-7. (Journal has restricted access; I can't post the PDF).