What stretches should I do before golf?
Moving ones, using your club. Then half swings, building to full ones. Skip long held stretches first. In one study they cut driving distance. It was still down an hour later.
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What stretches should I do before golf?
Stretches that keep moving, with a club in your hands. Start by walking briskly or marching on the spot for a few minutes to raise your heart rate. Physio Med suggests 5 to 10.
Then work from your neck down to your waist. This routine comes from the Victoria state health service in Australia.
| Move | How |
|---|---|
| Neck rolls | Drop your chin to your chest. Roll your head gently from side to side in slow half circles. |
| Club overhead | Hold a club level, hands shoulder width apart. Raise it slowly overhead, pause, then lower it. |
| Club behind your back | Hold the club the same way behind you. Lift it as high as you can, pause, then lower it. |
| Side bends | Bend to one side, sliding your hand down your leg to take your weight. Then the other side. |
| Slow turns | Twist gently and slowly through your waist, from one side to the other. |
Source: Better Health Channel
Finish with practice swings. Start with gentle half swings and build to full ones over a few minutes.
Do it by the first tee before your next round.
Should I hold stretches before golf?
Not a long session of them. The study in the answer above used 20 minutes of held stretches.
It was small: 15 young male competitive golfers. The stretches came before a warm-up with clubs. Compared with the club warm-up alone, distance was still 3.5% lower an hour later.
An earlier study by the same researcher found much the same. Clubhead speed fell by about 4% and distance by about 6%.
| Time after stretching | Clubhead speed | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Straight after | 4.9% lower | 7.3% lower |
| 15 minutes | 2.6% lower | 5.2% lower |
| 30 minutes | 2.2% lower | 5.5% lower |
| 45 minutes | No clear change | 3.3% lower |
| 60 minutes | No clear change | 3.5% lower |
Source: Gergley 2010
A review of 23 golf studies agrees. Held stretching did worse than other warm-ups and may hurt performance.
So before you play, keep moving. Save the long holds for after your round.
What are the best stretching exercises for golf?
Moving stretches, and moves with a resistance band (a stretchy exercise band). In 23 highly skilled golfers, both kinds of warm-up made the ball leave the club faster than no warm-up.
Swinging a club alone may not be enough. In youth golfers, club swings by themselves did not clearly raise clubhead speed. Moving exercises first, then club swings, did.
A golf warm-up in three steps
- 1
Get warm
Brisk walking or marching on the spot for 5 to 10 minutes.
- 2
Stretch on the move
The five club moves above. Keep them smooth, never flung.
- 3
Rehearse your swing
Practice swings and reaching down as if for the ball, 8 to 10 times.
Sources: Physio Med; Better Health Channel
Physio Med, a UK physio provider, suggests hitting range balls after this routine, just before you tee off.
Got a band? Elite male golfers who added band moves to moving stretches hit the ball further and struck it more cleanly than with moving stretches alone. Their clubhead speed and accuracy did not change.
If you have a band, ask a PGA golf coach or physio to show you band moves to add after your moving stretches.
Does stretching stop golf injuries?
There’s no clear proof it does. Studies on golf warm-ups and injury are mixed and unclear.
A year-long study of 588 amateur golfers found the lower back was hurt most often, then the elbow and forearm. Warming up was not linked to fewer injuries. Playing more was linked to more.
Stiff in the middle of your back? Try these upper and mid back stretches.
Tight hips? Try our hip mobility exercises.
The NHS also says to do strength work on at least 2 days a week. That’s the same for adults aged 65 and over. Start with these back strengthening exercises.
What stretches should I do after golf?
This is the place for held stretches. The NHS cool-down holds each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds: buttocks, hamstrings, inner thighs, calves and thighs.
If you have an injury or a medical condition, or you’re pregnant, the NHS says you may need to change some stretches. Ask a physio or other health professional.
The study team behind the 20-minute routine agrees. They suggest golfers who lack flexibility stretch after practice or play, not before.
Your golf stretching routine
- Walk briskly or march on the spot for 5 to 10 minutes before you play.
- Do the five club moves: neck rolls, club overhead, club behind your back, side bends and slow turns.
- Build from half swings to full swings over a few minutes.
- Skip long sessions of held stretches before you play.
- Bend your knees to pick up your ball, lifting one leg off the ground as you lean over.
- After your round, hold each cool-down stretch for 15 to 20 seconds.
Sources: Better Health Channel; Physio Med; Gergley 2009; NHS: stretching after exercise
Practising putts for a while? Stand up straight and stretch regularly. For a gym warm-up instead, see our stretches before a workout.
When to speak to a GP
Stop if a stretch hurts. The NHS says to stop if back pain gets worse and see a GP for advice. In many areas you can also refer yourself to NHS physio.
- See a GP if back pain doesn’t improve after a few weeks of home care, stops your daily activities, or you’re worried or struggling to cope.
- See a GP if your back pain is worse at night or after rest, or worse when you sneeze, cough or poo. The same goes if you’ve lost weight without trying, there’s a lump or swelling in your back or it has changed shape, or the pain is at the top of your back, between your shoulders.
- See a GP if elbow pain lasts after at least 2 weeks of resting it and trying self-care.
- Get an urgent GP appointment or help from 111 if back pain is severe and sudden, or getting worse quickly. The same goes if you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell.
- Call 999 or go to A&E if you have back pain with chest pain, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. Also call if you lose feeling around your genitals or bottom, or notice changes in your bladder, bowels or sex life, such as erection problems. The same goes if it started after a serious accident. Do not drive yourself to A&E.