Stretching: basic warm up routine

Gain with no pain

Although golf is a non-contact sport, injuries can and do occur.  The most common cause of injury is straining a muscle because the golfer did not properly limber up his body before swinging the clubs. 

General physical fitness and good health can prepare a golfer’s body for the unusual body motion of the golf swing, but a good basic stretching routine can help also. 

There are three main areas of the body that you will want to warm up before swinging at golf balls: the back and torso, the arms and shoulders, and the legs.

Torso and back Stetching 

The most common injury that arises in golf is some sort of muscle pull to the back, shoulders or torso.  Before grabbing a club, you should bend at the waist and try to touch your toes, and hold that position for 20 seconds.  Repeat this as many times as you feel necessary to loosen the lower back.

Gain by coming home with no pain! Just do it, seriousely - you don't want to strain anything while you're supposed to be enjoying yourself and if you are like most people, who don't get a lot of exercise during the day, this is a very real risk.

Take a look at what this book has to teach you.

A Comprehensive Stretching Guide Perfect For Every Level Of Golfer. 

This book is on my top picks list because stretching is such an important issue. The twists that we sometimes make when swinging can jerk us into an injury and have us flat on our backs in an instant and in excruciating pain as well. By performing your stretches before you start playing, you reduce the risk of injury by over 60%. 

More Back Stretching

After warming up the lower back, grab a golf club and lock it behind your back with your arms.  Begin to twist your back from side to side.  Begin with small twists, and make the twists larger as you limber-up.  You may also bend forward at the hips gradually while twisting.

Shoulder and Arm Stretching
 

Finally, grab each end of the club, place it behind your neck, and begin making shoulder turns.  This twisting is similar to the previous exercise, but it should begin to further loosen the shoulders and arms.  You may also choose to stop the twist at its furthest point on each side, to really stretch those back muscles.

Arms and shoulders

To loosen the shoulders, take your left hand and lift it over and behind your left shoulder.  Take your right hand, place it behind your back, and interlock your hands together.  Hold this stretch for approximately twenty seconds, and switch hands.  Again, do this as many times as you feel necessary until you gain the desired flexibility in the shoulders.

Hands and Wrists Stretching

To loosen the hands and wrists, take two clubs in your hands, and waggle the clubs from side to side.  Then start moving the clubs up and down, and then all around.  Also, just shaking out your hands is a good way to loosen the fingers.

Legs

Hips and Legs Stretching

The hips are very important in the golf swing, so you should make sure they are loose before you swing.  Lie on the ground, lock your hands behind one of your knees, and pull that knee toward your chest.  Hold this stretch for twenty seconds, release it, and switch legs.

While you are on the ground, sit up, spread your legs apart, and reach out in front of you with your hands.  This should be stretching your hamstrings.  Again, hold this stretch for 20 seconds, and repeat as necessary.

This is a very simple set of stretches that will take no time to perform and will help loosen you up and warm up for a game, but look into getting a more comprehensive guide. prevention is way better than trying to cure severe injuries or putting up with the pain of minor ones.

So take a leaf from this book.

Comprehensive Stretching Guide For Golf. 

This is the listing of my pick of the best golfing books available online.
Petes Golf Book Picks