Stretching Exercises for Golf: Pre-Game Warm Up

Some of the best stretching exercises for golf include focusing on the hips, back, and shoulders which are the main joints and muscle areas we should be concerned about in our golf game.

FIRST, let's look at the hips.

If the hips are tight, especially the hip flexors, this can contribute to being bent or hunched forward at the waist.

Tight hips can limit your ability to achieve a full backswing due to the restriction in the hip flexors that allow the trunk to turn.

Tightness in this area contributes to the low back pain that some golfers feel after they play.

The best hip stretching exercises for golf in your pre-game warmup:

Hip Rotations:

1. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart and hands on your hips, begin to rotate your pelvis in circles.

2. Start small and progressively get larger for 12-15 rotations.

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SECOND, let's look at the shoulders.

If you have tightness or restriction in the muscles affecting your right shoulder and you are a right-handed golfer your follow-through will be distorted.

This will also affect the alignment of the clubface at impact which, in turn, will affect the direction of your ball.

If you have tightness or restriction in the muscles affecting the left shoulder your backswing may be disrupted.

The best shoulder stretching exercises for golf in your pre-game warmup:

Shoulder Clocks:

1. Standing or side-lying with your knees bent up towards your chest.

2. Extend both arms out to the side and pretend the top one is the hand on a clock.

3. Move your arm around in a circle clockwise and then counterclockwise.

Repeat 5-8 times each direction. If this bothers the shoulder joint with the arm fully extended you may bend it at the elbow.

THIRD, let's look at the back.

Restricted spinal rotation will result in excessive internal shift and rotation of the hips during the backswing and follow-through.

The shoulder is often overused to compensate for the restricted spinal rotation.

When the spine can't fully rotate, coil action is limited which results in overuse of the arms to compensate.

This can be a source of golfer's elbow.

The best back stretching exercises for golf in your pre-game warmup:

Spinal Rotation:

1. Standing with good posture, raise one arm in front of you.

2. Keeping your feet planted and hips facing forward rotate your trunk looking over your shoulder as far as you can.

3. Repeat on the other side moving slowly and continuously for 6-8 repetitions trying to rotate a little more each time.

Note: If you have spinal stenosis or degenerative disk disease in your spine you should allow your hips to rotate with you as you turn.