Ever find yourself hitting below-average shots the first few holes and getting a slow start to your round?
It may be because you’re not warmed up.
As a certified Titleist Performance Institute professional and avid golfer myself, I’ve seen how proper golf stretches can transform both your performance and prevent painful injuries.
Golf is a sport, and while it may not seem as strenuous as running around a soccer pitch for 90 minutes, it still requires a specific set of muscles to work well together for you to be your best.
Why golfers need to warm up
In almost every other sport, you see athletes from beginner to elite levels warming up without questioning why. Oddly, it’s not as common to see this in golfers.
What golf enthusiasts aren’t thinking about is that golf is an explosive sport. Just like sprinting, swinging a golf club is an explosive movement that transfers a ton of force through the body in a very short period of time.
You’d never catch a sprinter going into a race cold because they could risk poor performance and potential injuries. The same applies when you step up to the tee box.
The science proves warm-ups work
A 2018 study from the University of Birmingham by Dr. Bridge and Sean Graham showed that golfers who did dynamic stretches or used resistance bands to warm up had:
- Farther drives
- Faster swings
- Faster ball speeds
The average increase in driving distance was 37.5 to 44.5 yards. That could seriously improve your game!
What professional golfers know
Many professional golfers rely on chiropractic care, including comments of Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, and more regularly consulting their chiropractor.
It’s been reported by Dr. Thomas LaFountain DC, Director of Chiropractic Services for the PGA Tour, that up to 85 percent of the injuries on Tour relate to the spine, and that nearly 75% of professional golfers receive regular chiropractic care.
If it works for them, it could work for you.
The Titleist Performance Institute difference
The Titleist Performance Institute has spent millions of dollars researching golf biomechanics. They discovered something interesting: while the average golfer loses about 6 golf balls per round, they know that if golfers get hurt, they can’t play golf at all.
This motivated them to develop programs that keep golfers healthy and on the course. As a certified TPI professional, I use these research-backed methods with golfers here in Waterloo.
Your 15-minute golf warm-up routine
A good warm-up lasts around 15 to 20 minutes to ease your body into activity. If you’re wondering what stretches to do before golf, here are 5 great golf mobility stretches to add to your routine, plus my personal favorite rotational stretches for golf.
1. The stork turn (my #1 recommendation)
This is the absolute best golf warm-up you can do. It’s taken directly from the Titleist Performance Institute research and targets the hip mobility that’s crucial for a powerful, pain-free swing.
How to do it:
- Use a golf club or wall for balance as you stand on one foot
- Tuck one leg behind you like a stork
- Rotate as far as you can one way, then as far as you can the other way
- Do this at a nice pace, going back and forth
- Perform 10-20 rotations on each side
Why it’s amazing: This exercise gets your hips moving, which takes pressure off your low back. When your hips don’t move well, your low back picks up the slack, leading to pain over time.
For golfers, this grooves your swing perfectly. If you usually hook your golf swing, this is going to be perfect because you’re probably using too much upper body and not enough hip drive.
I gave this exercise to a patient with hip arthritis once. He came back two weeks later and felt absolutely amazing—he couldn’t believe the difference because it just gets your hips moving.
2. Toe touches
This dynamic movement prepares your spine for the rotational demands of golf while activating multiple muscle groups at once.
How to do it:
- Extend your arms out to your sides and bend at the waist
- Turn your upper body so your right hand touches your left foot
- Turn and touch your left hand to your right foot
- Repeat about 10 times on each side
Why it works: This helps warm up your back, core, and legs—all essential for a good golf swing.
3. Shoulder circles
Your shoulders are the engine that drives club speed, so preparing them properly is essential for both performance and injury prevention.
How to do it:
- With your arms out to your sides, swing them in vertical circles
- Do 10 forward and 10 backward
- To really increase the warm-up, hold an iron in your hand while performing circles one hand at a time
Why it’s important: Your shoulders help accelerate and decelerate your club during your swing.
4. Leg sweeps
This exercise targets the often-neglected lateral movement patterns that are crucial for maintaining balance throughout your swing.
How to do it:
- Use an iron for balance and stand on one foot
- Sweep the other leg side to side in front of your body
- Do 10 swings, then switch legs
Why it works: This is a great warm-up for the muscles of your thighs and hips.
5. Field-goal kicks
This movement pattern closely mimics the weight transfer and leg drive you need in your golf swing while improving overall lower body coordination.
How to do it:
- Balance with an iron at your side
- Stand on one leg while swinging the other backward and forward as if kicking a ball
- Keep both legs as straight as possible
- Do 10 kicks on each leg
Why it works: This warms the key muscles in your legs, improving stability and power.
6. Double-club swings (advanced)
This challenging exercise overloads your swing muscles and nervous system, making your actual club feel effortless when you return to single-club swings.
How to do it:
- Hold an iron in each hand with the handles about five inches apart
- Make five or six slow golf swings while keeping the clubs the same distance apart
Why it’s effective: This warm-up helps activate the muscles used to control your swing. When you go back to one club, it will feel much lighter.
Common golf injuries and how stretching helps
According to the Professional Golfers Association, lower back pain is a frequent golfer complaint. These injuries are often the result of playing too much, but back pain affects weekend golfers too—for the opposite reason. They don’t play often enough.
Many occasional golfers lack proper swing technique and don’t get enough regular physical activity. They tend to swing harder, and the muscles used in this type of swing get stressed.
The chiropractic advantage for golfers
Chiropractic care and physical therapy can improve your golf game in several ways:
- Many golfers suffer from chronic low back pain, which responds exceptionally well to chiropractic adjustments
- Chiropractic care helps improve posture and flexibility—two components of longer and more powerful drives
- We become less flexible with age and sitting at desk jobs. Swinging a golf club requires collaboration from many joints, and lack of flexibility contributes to repetitive motion injuries
- When combined with stretching and corrective exercises, chiropractic care is a cost-effective, all-natural way to improve mobility
As golf professional Jeffry H. Blanchard stated: “The chiropractor is the perfect choice to evaluate, educate, treat, condition and train those who choose to play golf.”
Golf assessment at Price Health
At Price Health in Waterloo, both Dr. Rob Green and Dr. Evan are certified Titleist Performance Institute professionals. Through the TPI protocol, we can identify common swing faults and examine how your body reacts to your swing.
What’s involved in a golf assessment
Video swing analysis: Using slow-motion software, you can see your swing and receive personal demonstration and instruction in proper alignment. You’ll learn what your body is doing that could create golf injuries and, more importantly, how to fix them.
Functional movement testing: Comprehensive tests examine how all parts of your body work and interact to affect your golf swing. An in-depth analysis can show you how a hip rotation restriction may be causing your low back pain or how a restriction in your mid-back may be causing you to pull left or block right.
Personalized recommendations: You’ll receive specific exercises and drills designed to correct your swing faults for a healthier swing and improved game.
Remember: good golf starts with a good warm-up
The next time you head out to the course, take 15-20 minutes to properly prepare your body. These simple golf stretches can help you:
- Start strong from the first hole
- Prevent common golf injuries
- Improve your swing mechanics
- Add distance to your drives
- Enjoy the game pain-free
Whether you’re dealing with golf-related pain or want to optimize your swing mechanics, our certified TPI professionals at Price Health can help you play better and feel better.
Don’t let poor preparation ruin your round or cause unnecessary injury. Your body—and your scorecard—will thank you.
Contact our team in Waterloo today to book your golf assessment and start playing your best golf yet.