Video:5 Stretches to Do Before Playing Golf

Transcript:5 Stretches to Do Before Playing Golf

Hey golfers, I'm PGA Teaching Professional Todd Kolb for About.com. I'm going to give you five stretches to do before a round of golf.

Before Playing Golf

Before we hit our first shot for a round of golf, we want to make sure that we're stretched out and loosened up a little bit. Now the reality of it is that a lot of us are running from the office or the house straight to the first tee, and we don't get a chance to hit a lot of golf balls. So I want to give you five things that you can do that will help you get loose and ready for that first shot of the day.

Stretch 1 Before Playing Golf

The first thing you want to do is make sure you loosen up your hips, especially if you've spent the whole day sitting at a desk. You're hips are going to be really tight, and they're an important part of the golf swing, so here's two things you can do. The first one is just kind of a lean-in stretch. You're going to do this on both sides; you're going to put one foot forward. For example, I've got the left foot forward, and I'm just going to lean into that. You're going to feel that on the left side, as I'm demonstrating here. You're going to feel it in the hip, of course; then I'm going to do it on the opposite side—once again—trying to loosen up the right hip.

Stretch 2 Before Playing Golf

The next stretch I want to you do for your hips is a simple one. I recommend that you use a golf club for this as kind of balancing. Take one leg, cross it over, place it on top of the knee, and just go ahead and sit down into it a little bit. You're going to feel this on the back side of your hip, almost in the glute area. It is a great stretch—once again—if you've been sitting all day at a desk. Of course, you're going to want to do that on the opposite side as well.

Stretch 3 Before Playing Golf

The next part of the body you want to get loosened up is the upper body; the torso. Simple thing: take a club, put it across your shoulders and just go ahead and rotate, and feel the stretch. Feel the club try to turn behind the back foot. You're going to do it on the back side, and then you're also going to go ahead and do it on the front side, or what we would call the “finish” position. This will get the upper body loosened up and get you going.

Stretch 4 Before Playing Golf

The next one we want to stretch out is the lats. If you work on a computer all day and you spend your whole day down like this, you've got to loosen up the upper body, specifically the lats and the shoulders. Once again, take your driver or any club, just lift it up above your head, and just stretch it to the back. You'll feel your chest open up; you'll feel your shoulders pull back. You're going to feel a good stretch up in those lats.

Stretch 5 Before Playing Golf

The last stretch I want you to do is simply make some swings from the opposite direction. So I'm a right-handed golfer, so I'm just going to make some left-handed swings, and make sure that the left side of my body is just as warmed up as the left side of my body.

So if you're running to the golf course, you need five quick things you can do to get loosened up before you get to that first golf shot. All five of these tips will help you, and help you get ready for that first shot of the day.

For more information, visit About.com.