Here is an article by my friend, Dr. Larry Foster (aka Dr. Divot), on the importance of warming up. Dr. Foster's book, Dr. Divot's Guide to Golf Injuries is a really fun and informative book that all of us hackers should have.
All Hot Golfers Get “Warm” First!
Long thought of as a “cushy” pastime, golf actually causes an alarmingly high number of injuries. During the golf swing, our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints are stressed to near full capacity as we accelerate the golf club head to nearly one hundred miles per hour in less than half a second. In fact, the injury rate for recreational golfers is an astounding sixty percent—and even higher for golfers over age fifty.
And while the typical golf-related injury won’t put you in the hospital, it will result in an average of five weeks lost playing time—and some golf injuries can be season ending.
Golf injuries among amateurs are caused by a combination of factors, including overuse (excessive play or repetitive practice), poor conditioning, faulty swing technique, and improper warm-up.
Who warms up before playing golf? Unfortunately, most recreational golfers think that the first three holes of their round is the warm-up! Studies that only a few percent of recreational golfers take the time to stretch or warm up before playing a round or visiting the driving range. There rest of us? Well, a quick stretch here and one or two air swings and—wham—we’re off to the races. Big mistake.
Most folks wouldn’t dream of standing on a pitching mound and throwing a baseball as hard as they could, or running a fifty-yard dash without stretching or warming up first. So why do we think we can waltz up to the tee box and swing like Tiger without preparing our bodies for the task with a few minutes of warming up? Any serious athlete—professional and low-handicap golfers included—knows that there is a direct link between a good warm-up and injury prevention.
There are four facets to the optimum golf warm-up:
* Time
* Aerobic exercise
* Stretching
* Progressive swinging
Time
In order to get into the habit of warming up before golfing, you must
first allow yourself the time to do it. Get into the habit of leaving
the house or the office twenty minutes or so earlier than you are
accustomed. By avoiding that rushed feeling, you can spend time
preparing to be both mentally and physically ready to play.
Aerobic exercise
Once at the course, you should start
with a five-minute aerobic “sweat breaker”. Briskly walking around the
parking lot, jogging, running in place, or jumping jacks (my favorite
because it gets the shoulders going as well) will all suffice.
Remember to choose an activity that is appropriate for your age and
level of conditioning. If you have any questions, consult your doctor
first. Breaking a light sweat is a sign that our muscles are
sufficiently warm to beginning the next step of the warm-up.
Stretching
I prefer a “head-to-toe” approach to
stretching, because it provides me a way to remember to include all the
major muscle groups in sequence (there are lots of “golf muscles!).
Hold each stretch for fifteen to twenty seconds, and avoid stretching
beyond the point of pain. Stretch one side of the body, then the
other. Repeat the stretches three or four times for each side.
Illustrations of specific stretches are available in Dr. Divot’s Guide
to Golf Injuries—A Handbook for Golf Injury Prevention and Treatment.
Progressive Swinging
So far, you’ve given yourself ample
time, broken a sweat with your favorite aerobic routine, and performed
a leisurely head-to-toe stretch. Now you are ready to pick up a club
and start swinging. Avoid the temptation to take out that
titanium-platinum-molybdenum alloy Widowmaker III driver first.
Instead, start with a sand or lob wedge by first taking a few half and
three-quarter swings before working up to full swings. Next, go
through your bag using the same pattern of half to full swings with
each of your even- or odd-numbered irons, starting with the highest
number. Next come the woods, because they require an even more
strenuous swing than the irons. Hit your 7 wood a few times, then the
5 and 3 woods. Finish with your driver. After crushing your final
warm-up drive down the middle of the practice range, turn to your
playing partner (who is staring in slack-jawed astonishment at your new
found dedication to your body’s well-being) and say, “Let’s go, Sucker!”
While few of us will ever play like the pros, paying attention to proper stretching and warm-up techniques—just like the pros do—will prepare our bodies for the rigors of the game, improve our performance, and help prevent nagging injuries. It only takes a few minutes and will be time well spent, I promise.
Check out Dr. Divot's Book at www.DoctorDivotMD.com
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