Question: Why do I always start off poorly then after 5 or 6 holes I improve? Answer: Not warming up before you play. You would not see Rory McIlroy jump straight from his car to the first tee, or see Harry Kane run straight on to the pitch without warming up first. I have spent a lot of time recently with Mike our onsite Sports Therapy and Golf Fitness looking at ways to warm up before you start your round. There are two key factors to consider when warming up for any sport, and golf is no exception. Firstly, the musculoskeletal system i.e. the body and its soft tissues (muscles, tendons, fascia etc). It is important to warm these tissues up in order to prevent injury and improve performance. Muscles are like blue tac. When cold, it becomes brittle and easy to tear. Once warmed up, it becomes stretchy and pliable, and very difficult to tear. Most of us know this to some extent from playing other sports earlier in life such as football or rugby. If you look back at your days playing these sports, you would never just jump on the pitch without a quick warm up first, and golf is no different. Did you know that the amount of force (torque) that goes through the spine during a golf swing is the equivalent to cornering at high speed in a race car!! So it becomes easy to see why people suffer with aches and pains whilst playing. Combine that with imperfect technique (something that Tim can sort out with you) and you have a recipe for injury on your hands (short or long term). Secondly, and equally as important, but often forgotten. The nervous system. Golf is a game of hand eye coordination, and coordinating several body parts to move in a specific sequence to achieve a repeatable movement i.e. A consistent and ideally powerful swing. So the question rises, how can you expect to turn up on the first tee, put two clubs in your hand, and wave it about for 20 seconds, and then rip it down the middle. Ever wondered why most golfers complain about “ruining their card” in the first 4 holes? Granted, it's a tough first few holes here, but the real reason is simple. Your joints and muscles etc are tight, and you haven't told your brain what you want it to do yet, and therefore the signals that are being sent from the brain to the body are slow and sloppy. So what's the answer? Well, a good warm up. I understand that most club golfers can't spend the time that the tour pros spend warming up. But does it need to take that long. You can realistically warm up over about 15-20 mins as long as you do something that is both dynamic in movement, and specific to the types of movements you are about to undertake. Something simple like this would work out great (I do this myself before playing): |