Top 5 Warm Up Drills for Golfers Before Tee Time
The following blog post has been created in collaboration with the College of Staten Island, CUNY Department of Physical Therapy, Class of 2021
It’s July - the sun is shining, so you’re ready to break out the clubs and put them to good use! Golfers will perform best when they stretch the muscles and joints that will require the greatest range of motion during the golf swing. Dr. Paul Nasri, PT, DPT and the College of Staten Island Doctor of Physical Therapy program are here to help. They have assembled the top 5 warm up drills for golfers to implement before they tee off!
1. Golfer’s Lat Stretch
Purpose
The latissimus dorsi muscle (lat) is a large muscle that connects your arms to your spine. This muscle helps to stabilize your back and assists with shoulder and arm movement. Stretching this muscle is essential to improving range of motion in golfers. Flexible latissimus dorsi muscles allow for a fuller shoulder turn and trunk rotation during the backswing and follow through. This in turn allows greater power potential during drives.
Description of Exercise
Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Place the golf club vertically in front of you and place both hands (stack the hands) on top of the golf club handle with arms outstretched. Hinge forward at the hips while keeping the back flat as you go down. Keep the hands on the golf club with arms fully extended throughout the stretch. Keep your neck neutral as you hinge at the hips, looking straight down at the ground.
Special Considerations
Tight hamstrings could inhibit your ability to hinge forward with knees extended. You are free to slightly bend your knees, however care must be taken to perform a proper hip-hinge with a flat back.
Limitations in shoulder flexion range of motion (raising your arms in front of you) may inhibit a stretch of the lats. Common causes of this are a tight shoulder joint capsule, a tight pectoralis major and minor muscle (the chest muscles), or a tight subscapularis (a rotator cuff muscle under the shoulder blade).
Poor posture, commonly referred to as forward shoulder, may also inhibit shoulder flexion range of motion and in turn may inhibit stretching of the lats. It is important to maintain good posture (pull your shoulders back if they are forward, and down) prior to performing the stretch.
Compensations to Avoid
Do not extend or forward bend your neck throughout the stretch. This will cause strain on the upper back and neck muscles. Keep the neck neutral while looking straight down at the ground during the stretch.
Do not bend forward (round the back) or extend (arch) your back while performing the stretch. Extension or forward flexion of the trunk/back will not properly stretch the lats. Keep the back flat throughout the move by engaging your core and hinging at the hips only, keeping your back neutral.
Do not bend your elbows while performing this stretch. The lats attach to your arms, so it is important to keep the elbows extended throughout the move to allow for the proper stretch in the lats.
Sets and Reps:
3 sets of 30 second holds
2. Trunk Rotation & Side Bending
Seated Trunk Rotation:
Purpose
Rotating while keeping your hips fixed, will stretch your thoracic spine in the ranges of motion you utilize during your golf swing. You will also target muscle around your chest wall by keeping your elbows back, like the serratus anterior and pectoralis major. As it is important for every golfer to have adequate thoracic rotation in the spine, this stretch will improve range of motion for the wind-up and swing phase of your game. The stretch will also allow the golfers to activate their abdominal muscles helping them to better engage their core during the follow-through.
Description of Exercise
While seated upright with feet planted firmly on the ground and knees close together, place the golf club behind your head. Hold it there with elbows back to better open up the chest wall during this stretch. This stretch can be performed seated in the golf cart or kneeling on the ground before teeing off, as shown below.
Special Considerations
Some golfers may notice that they are able to turn more toward their follow-through side or non-dominant side. This is due to the fact that some golfers turn very little into their wind up but much more into their follow-through.
Compensations to Avoid
Feet and or knees flaring out - when this occurs, you do not isolate your thoracic spine with this stretch as you should be.
Scapulas protracting forward and not keeping elbows back - this will give you the appearance that you have more range of motion than you actually do because you are gaining range of motion from your shoulder blades (scapula) coming forward.
Not sitting upright and collapsing at the thoracic spine - this will limit the ability of the stretch by not allowing you to go through your full range of motion.
Sets and Reps:
3 sets of 30 second holds to each side
Seated Trunk Sidebending:
Purpose
This exercise also helps the mobility of the thoracic spine and can be beneficial in improving backswing. Increasing your side-bending mobility while learning how to time your side-bending movement during the range of the backswing will ensure that the biomechanics of your golf swing are up to par.
Description of Exercise
While seated with feet planted firmly on the ground and knees separated slightly, holding the club firmly with both arms raised above your head. Now we will be moving in a manner of bringing one end of the golf club closer to the ground at a time. First, side-bend to one side allowing your head to follow gently and bringing one end of the club closer to the ground with the other end pointing towards the sky. Now repeat in the opposite direction. This can be done seated in the clubhouse or kneeling on the ground before teeing off, as shown in the video below.
Special Considerations
It is important to slowly side-bend allowing each spinal segment to move independently of the other. If the golfers are unable to do this correctly this may clue them into an abnormality at that spinal level. Usually if a patient is lacking spinal mobility at a certain vertebral level and they participate in a sport with a swing component this may be affecting their rotary mechanics.
Compensations to avoid
Shoulder elevation on side opposite to sidebending - this will shorten the muscles that are targeted on this stretch, making it less effective.
Hip-hiking on side of sidebending - doing this may bring the spine out of proper up-right alignment needed for this stretch.
Collapsing onto the side of the side-bend rather than slowly flexing at each spinal segment following a cranial to caudal (head to toe) sequence.
Sets and Reps:
3 sets of 30 second holds to each side
3. W’s
Purpose
Your entire body generates a lot of power for your golf swing, and in each phase of your swing, power must be generated through your rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles responsible for keeping your shoulder stable and strong throughout your swing. If the rotator cuff is weak or not properly warmed up, it can be strained through a golf swing or over-time it will experience an overuse injury. Performing bilateral W’s with a band before your tee-off helps lubricate your shoulder joint, prepares and protects your rotator cuff, and ultimately leads to you swinging better, farther, and more consistently!
Description of Exercise
Stand up tall with your feet shoulder width apart
Lean forward slighting, hinging at the hips. Keep your core tight by sucking your belly button in.
Bring your arms slightly away from your sides and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees
Hold the theraband with your palms facing up. Make sure the band has some tension in it in the starting position.
Pull the band outwards while maintaining your arms in the same position and squeeze your shoulder blades together
Slowly bring your hands back to the starting position, but continue to maintain tension on the band. Repeat.
Compensations to Avoid
Do not shrug your shoulders up as you pull the band out to the side
Do not lean back as you pull the band out to the side
Keep your elbows bent throughout the whole exercise
Keep your neck straight, making sure not to bend your neck forward or backward as you bring the band up and out toward the sides. You can do this by performing a gentle chin tuck.
Sets and Reps:
1 set of 15-20 reps at a light resistance
4. Hip Hinge
Purpose
This exercise is important in order to prevent back injuries and set up proper alignment during your golf swing. It will also allow you to engage your gluteal muscles which are responsible for generating tremendous power during your golf swing.
Description of Exercise
Stand up straight with feet shoulder width apart. Hold your gold club horizontally out in front of you with both hands. Bend slightly at the knees. Slowly lower the golf club as if you’re trying to touch the floor while keeping your back straight and folding forward at the hips. Keep the gold club close to your body and shins.
Special considerations
It is important to squeeze your core to help keep your back straight. Be sure to squeeze your buttock on the up phase of the exercise to ensure proper engagement of the gluteals. This helps engage hip extension.
Compensations to Avoid
Rounding or arching your back
Straining your neck forward to look up
Not keeping your abdominals or buttock engaged
Hunching shoulders forward
Sets and Reps:
1 set of 15 reps
5. Hip CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)
Purpose
The Hip CAR exercise is focused on improving hip mobility in all three dimensions. As all great golfers know, hip motion (especially rotation) plays a pivotal role in producing power and control throughout both the backswing and follow through.
Description of Exercise
You will start this exercise by standing on one leg while holding onto a golf club to maintain balance. Bend the opposite knee and lift it as high as you can, without rounding your lower back. With this leg, pretend you are drawing a circle with your knee, moving through your hip’s full range of rotational motion. Circle forwards and backwards, making sure that your foot stays planted on the ground and your trunk stays upright.
Special Considerations
As you complete this exercise, try to keep your hips level and squared, facing front while keeping your trunk and arms still.
Compensations to Avoid
Common compensations include allowing your hips to rotate outward too much towards the side of movement, and allowing your trunk to flex in order to maintain balance. Make sure to perform the exercise slowly, and control your hip’s motion throughout the entire range.
Sets and Reps:
Complete 10 circles forward / 10 circles backward. Repeat on opposite side
If you or a fellow golfer need help perfecting your swing, getting more flexible or gaining strength, please feel free to reach out to us at 347-560 6920 or request an appointment here.
Dr. Paul Nasri, PT, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Sarrica Physical Therapy & Wellness
Staff Physical Therapist
Student Physical Therapist (SPT) Contributors: Anar Aliev, Bassem Aly, Justin Bommarito, Diego Buen, Christina Chiacchiero, Olivia Costello, Benjamin Darragh, Angelique DeMeo, Stephan DiGiacomo, Briana DiMartini, Nicholas Fasano, Monica Fining, Lai Huang, Tzipora Lamm, Brandon Lei, Zoe Ma, Mordecai Marshall, Lindsey Ottensen, Andrew Pearson, Gary Ye
