There are several helpful stretches for golfers you can do to help warm up before golfing. Golf can be one of the hardest sports on the back due to the rotation of the torso in each and every swing. Muscles in the back, hips, shoulders, and arms are used to create the force behind each of these swings. When you jump right into a round of golf without stretching, your muscles are still tight and at rest. Then, all of the sudden you expect them to perform.
Working these tight muscles without stretching can cause the muscles to pull on the tendons and bones, potentially moving them out of place. This can result in back pain, and other common golf ailments such as golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis). The good news is, many times these ailments can be avoided by proper warm up and cool down stretches.
Prior to a round of golf, it is best to warm the muscles up as opposed to simply stretching them. Instead of performing static stretches, do the following dynamic movements to warm your body up.
Stretches for Golfers
- 30-60 seconds of arm circles both forwards and backwards
- This will warm up your shoulder and arm muscles
- 30-60 seconds of hugging and releasing yourself
- This is a good warm up to loosen up the back as well as hitting the shoulders more
- 30-60 seconds of leg swings with both legs
- This will warm up the leg muscles as well as the hips
- 30-60 seconds of torso twists
- This is the most important of the dynamic movements to do prior to a round of golf
- This movement will warm up all of the muscles in your back, hips, and legs to get them ready for the rotation of each golf swing.
Afterwards, static stretching is extremely important to ensure your body properly recovers from the physical activity. The Stretching Institute provides a great 10-minute routine of stretches for golfers that can be found on youtube or through this link https://youtu.be/MozrkulgSy0. Instead of performing the sitting reach forward hamstring stretch as shown in the video, lay with your back flat on the ground and wrap a band around your foot, then pull on the band so that it lifts your leg perpendicular to the ground or as far as your body allows for a comfortable stretch.
If you would like to learn more about helpful stretches for golfers or need assistance recovering from a golf or sports injury, please contact us today to schedule a consultation.
