3 Easy Warm-Up Stretches to Improve Your Golf Game

Would you expect to hit a personal record in the gym without warming up?

Golf requires as much of a warm-up as any other sport. Yet most golfers rarely perform one. They walk directly to the range, hit a few balls, maybe chip and putt a little, but never spent one minute stretching the muscles they will use while playing.

Warming up not only helps you maximize distance because your muscles are prepared for stress, it also helps prevent injury to keep you on the course all season.

The golf stretches below focus on the major parts of the golf swing to help you drop your scores this coming season.

RELATED: The 2-Day Golf Swing Workout

Standing Twist

Begin with a Standing Twist while keeping your hips and legs stationary. Hug yourself and twist approximately 90 degrees to loosen your back. Repeat the twist bilaterally. Twist 20 times per side. Once you have done this a few rounds in a row, try adding a 9 iron and pitching wedge held across your upper body to add focus to the movement.

Overhead Triceps Stretch

Perform a static Overhead Triceps Stretch three times for 20 seconds per side to loosen up the largest portion of your upper arms. This will provide flexibility and strength to the biggest muscle group in your arms, assisting your power throughout the golf swing.

Dynamic Lunge With Twist

This is where you need to decide if you want to shoot your lowest score or answer probing questions from your golfing buddies. Perform a Dynamic Lunge and Twist. Do one set of 12 reps twisting toward the side of your lead leg. You can do this in place with your lead foot bringing you back to your starting position and then alternating. This movement continues the warm-up for the twisting motion of the swing, but it also adds firing of the leg muscles to give you maximum distance for 18 holes.

Try this short golf stretching routine. I guarantee you will record lower scores this coming golf season. Preparing your muscles before each round is part of the daily routine for most professionals to maximize their potential on the course, whether for a major tournament or a practice round.

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This article originally appeared on STACK.com: 3 Easy Warm-Up Stretches to Improve Your Golf Game