Why You Want To Lose More Balls
What the heck? What golfer wants to lose more golf balls?? Of course no golfer wants to lose more balls but all golfers want to be able to play golf as long as they are able. Since the average golfer loses 1.3 balls per round (who is now sad that they are way “above average” in this category?), it stands to reason that the longer you play, the more balls you will lose. And the secret to increased golf longevity as well as improved distance, a more consistent golf swing, and preventing injury is...WARMING UP with dynamic, not static, stretches.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever pulled up to the golf course, jumped out of your car and into the golf cart and headed straight for the first tee. You may now be thinking, “I know better than that. I head to the range first”. Time on the range is, undoubtedly, critically important to a good golf game. However, it is equally important to warm up before you even pick up a club. In the golf program at It’s Working Out we like to say, “warm up to swing, do not swing to warm up”. The proper warm up technique will increase the number of rounds of golf that you can play injury/pain free which means more golf (and more lost balls!) for you.
Golf is hard on the body. The swing is one-sided, highly explosive and rotational. This combination creates the perfect storm for low back and shoulder issues. Add repetition to that and you can start to see why golf-related injuries are so common. For example, a golfer with a 15 handicap takes about 60 full swings per round, add in 2 practice swings and this golfer is swinging 165-180 times per round, not counting any driving range practice beforehand! Golf Monthly reports that, when analyzing the injury rate among players, golf is more dangerous than rugby or boxing and falls right behind football. How crazy is that?
So before you take that first swing, take time to incorporate a five minute dynamic warm up into your routine. This link will take you through a full body pre-range warm up. Challenge yourself to learn this warm up during the off season and practice it at home two or three times per week. Some of the moves will feel goofy at first (especially the pelvic tilt in this video), but you will feel results when you do pick up your clubs. You will be ready to go when the season begins!