There are many ways to warm up your physical game but here is a routine that many of my students have found to be effective. Stay disciplined to your warm up routine no matter how you’re hitting the ball.
Putting Warm-up (15 mins)
The first thing to warm up is your putting. The subtle movement of the ball rolling will get your visualization and feel working and warm up your senses.
- Putt to the fringe. Hit 5 putts – place them at 10-15-20-25-30ft from the fringe and putt to it, trying to get it as close as possible. The idea behind this drill is to get you focusing only on rolling the ball a certain distance, not to try and get it close to a hole. Hit one ball only from each spot. (3 mins)
- Putt to a tee in the 10-20ft range. Hit 6 putts going through your full pre putt routine and vary the distance and break with each putt. Putting to a tee means that you are not judging whether you are making or missing them, anything around the tee has a chance to go in. It also narrows your focus onto a small target which will help you perceive the hole as bigger on the course. (5 mins)
- Do the 3-4-5 Drill. Moving around a hole, hit 6 putts from 3ft, 4 putts from 4ft and 2 putts from 5ft. If you have time and you want to add some pressure, keep going until you make all 12 putts consecutively.
- Finish by hitting 5 putts into the hole from 1ft, a putt you can’t miss. Notice the look and sound of the ball going into the cup.
Short Game Warm-up (15 mins)
- Pick 5 spots around the green with varying lies (tight, fluffy and rough) and distance of green to work with. Play 3 balls from each spot to a hole on the green. Notice how the ball reacts from each lie and take mental notes about how you will play each shot if you are faced with it on the course. For at least one shot from each location, go through your full Pre Shot Routine. (10 mins)
- Play 3 long bunker shots and 3 short ones. (5 mins)
Driving Range Warm-up (20 mins)
The goal of your driving range warm up is to:
- Loosen up your muscles and be aware of any tension
- Find your Tempo
- Get your set up right (alignment and ball position)
- Get the feel for different shots you’ll hit on the course
- Practice your shot routine and get into game mode
Here’s how to achieve these goals:
Warm up your feel and find the bottom of your swing (5 balls)
In a Golf Digest interview, Jordan Spieth says that he starts his pre round driving range warm-up with a drill he calls “Walk The Dog”, which helps him find his strike, tempo and feel. He says:
“With the first ball, I kick off a game we call Walk the Dog. I hit a little pitch, and wherever that ball stops, maybe 20 yards away, becomes the target landing spot for my next shot—and so on. Each ball runs a few yards farther than the previous, and this is how I gradually, yet quickly, work toward hitting full lob wedges. Not only does this game loosen the joints, but it also puts you in the mode of reacting to a target instead of exploring mechanical thoughts.”
Once you’ve hit your first ball 20 yards, try to get 4 balls slightly further than the previous ball.
Limit the number of balls (26 or 39 balls)
To do avoid turning your warm-up into a practice session and making it physically taxing, limit the number of balls you hit. Colin Montgomerie says that he hits no more than 3 balls with each club, so a 39-ball warm-up. You could even limit it to 2 balls with each club (26 ball warm-up), depending on how much time you have. By doing this, it will help you get into the “one-shot mentality” that you will need on the course. It also means that you will have enough time to hit each club at least once. Put down an alignment stick and vary the targets that you aim at. With your wedges, hit a full wedge and then 2 shots that go in between yardages.
Find Your Rhythm and Notice any Tension
A consistent golf swing depends on consistent timing and your rhythm and tension are key factors in this.
As you work your way up your clubs, notice the tempo of your swing and any tension in your body. If you notice any tension, take a short break and do some diaphragmatic breathing, such as the 4-7-8 method, while focusing on the area of the tension. Make sure your grip pressure is where you want it to be.
What shots are you feeling today?
Use your warm-up time to see what shots comes naturally to you that day. As humans, we are continually changing from day to day, so if that draw shape that was there a few days ago has disappeared and now you are hitting a fade, don’t fight it – just play with it and find a reliable shot pattern. Too many players notice something different in their shots before a round and start panicking and go into “fix it mode” which is a bad place to be before starting a round.
Play the shots you’ll need on the course
What shots will the course require you to play? As you go through your warm-up, put shots into context with those you’ll need on the course.
Go Through Your Pre Shot Routine (5 balls)
Once you’ve gone through your 23 or 39 balls, hit 5 shots going through your full Pre Shot Routine. How do you want to feel as you hit each shot? It’s time to get into playing mode. Finishing by imagining the 1st tee shot and don’t leave till you hit one that finds the fairway.
Make sure you have plenty of time to get to the first tee from the driving range, so you don’t feel rushed. If you think it could be helpful, write all these shots down so you can refer to them while you are warming up.
Module 5 Exercises
Define your Pre Round Routine including what you will do the evening before and morning of your round.
Define your Process goals for each round and your Player Identity
Create a checklist for everything that you will need to have ready the evening before your round.
What will you visualize before your next round? Create a visualization script (using the process I outlined in the module), so you know exactly what you will imagine before playing.
Write out the shots you will play as part of your Pre Round Physical Warm Up
Module 5 Additional Resources
Study: The Psychological Effects of Music In Sport and Exercise