Is A Warmup Important?

[bull0120]

Food. If my blood sugar drops during a round, I get cranky. Crankiness gets me tight, tight leads to bad swings. I usually tee off at noon and don't eat breakfast, so on the way to the course I swing by Chick-Fil-A and get a spicy chicken sandwich for the parking lot and a 8 pack of nuggets for he back 9. Hahaha crazy as it sounds, that chicken has probably dropped several strokes off of each round for me after I started doing it.

 

[5150]

I warm up until the noises my body makes stop.

Same here. I'll be 45 this year and I find that if I don't stretch out a bit I'm hosed.

Generally I'll chip/putt a bit first to get a feel for the greens and surrounds.

Then some stretching, then I'll hit a small bucket... just a few half and 3/4 wedges first, no judgment, just make solid contact, then go up to 7i and hit a few balls with my full pre-shot routine. There's no set number, just until I feel loose and solid.

Once that feels good I will play whatever club/shot I plan to use on the first tee, including the full pre-shot routine, visualization, everything.

Then off to the first tee.

One other aspect, though - I'm not just warming up to stop the noises in my body, I need that time to stop the noises in my brain, too. Helps me transition from whatever I was doing (work, family time, whatever) into Golf Brain.

 

[chile]

Depends on my mood?

 

[tucsoncacti]

Usually my warmup is 3 advil and a cup of Joe 30minutes before tee off. If balls are free I will take the 8i and PW and take maybe 20 shots. Last Saturday I got a half bucket, and the pure **** I was hitting made me walk off the line and head straight to my cart. still had at least 25 balls remaining.

 

[HarlettoScara]

Up until this year I would have said not really, it didn't seem to make a lot of difference, leave all the good swings on the range etc etc. But the last few times I've played I've gone to the range half an hour or so before an just hit a couple of dozen balls. Haven't even really paid attention to distances, or where the ball was going, just get the body moving and swinging. Maybe a coincidence, but I've struck the ball better during the rounds by a country mile, so I'll be carrying on doing it.

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I prefer a warmup. Give me about 15-20 balls and I’m good just to loosen up. Chipping and putting I rarely warm up with. Only if the 1st tee is backed up

 

[Joshnoble01]

Yes, I play much better with a warmup.

I need to putt and chip for sure. I have learned that even for casual rounds I give myself an extra 15-20 minutes for that. I need to know how bad the chipping is going to be for the day. . Putting is usually to get a feel for my lagging and how I am lining up for the day. I like to get a speed read but as we all know the real greens often don't have the same speeds.

For full swings I need a short warm up. Honestly 10 to 15 max balls is plenty and only need to a few full swings. I like to hit a couple wedges, 7 or 8 iron, my hybrid, and a 3w and driver. It is more to know how I am striking that day and not that I need it to avoid a bad shot off the first tee. I find even if I have it then it still takes me a few holes to get going.

I don't have to have this part but prefer this as my final stretch getting the kinks out than some practice swings on the first tee box. But it is more so that I know what type of striking I will have for the day.

 

[xThor]

Yes, I love to warmup, not just because I feel it helps me prepare, but I generally love hitting golf balls.

I usually start with some putts, chips, then full shots, back to chips, then putts.
I grew up playing baseball, and then later hockey, so a warmup for me is ingrained in my prep to compete.

 

[MWard]

Getting to the point where I need a warmup of some sort, just to get moving around and blood flowing. If there's no range, then it's gotta be chipping and putting. Give me a range, I'll be just fine. Even if it's just irons only.

 

[ToohipGottaGo]

I'll throw out a hip if I don't. Sometimes even if it's just a few cuts before the 1st tee, it helps.

 

[OldandStiff]

I've been thinking about this thread. I'll admit I have a legit fear that going back to warming up will hurt my first hole scoring. Since I stopped warming up it's far and away my best scoring hole relative to par.

 

[leftshot]

Yes, I play better with a warm up. However, I haven't had that option locally for more than a year. COVID orders have closed all the short game practice facilities. Even the putting greens are closed, except for 10 minutes before your tee time.

In addition, one local course lost its range to high winds.

So warm up is currently restricted to stretching, taking a few imaginary swings and hitting a few putts before the round.

As far as the overall question. EVERY professional golfer has an extensive warm up routine before they play. I take that as a strong hint for what I should do to play my best.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

At 68 years old it certainly does! If I can I try to arrive at the course an hour early to chip, putt, and take some full practice swings. Also to just walk around a bit to warm the old legs up.

 

[annsguy]

I would rather not play than play without a warm up.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

Warmup as in some stretching then a few slow motion practice swings? As in literally warming up my body? Yes, very important. Especially in cold weather. I always allow 5-10 minutes to get warmed up before making any full-speed swings.

Warmup as in practicing before the round? Nope, never do it. Although I do like to roll a couple long putts on the practice green to get used to that day's speed.

 

[djt311]

Normally I play better with a quick warm up range session before a round so that is what I voted for. However there have definitely been times where I have gone out cold with no warm up and had some of my better rounds, but that is not the norm.

 

[ATRannals]

Yes, definitely need the warmup. Maybe as my swing keeps developing and I get more comfortable in my game I could skip it??? With my age, I DEFINITELY need the time to limber up and stretch.

I do miss my youth.

 

[Yukari]

My score or play does not seem to matter whether I warm up or not.
However, I do like to warm up just to loosen up a little before the round.

 

[mikeg_74]

No need to warm up. I’ll make sure I’m stretched and hit some putts before I worry about warming up.

 

[Paladin]

I'm 5'5" and swing the driver ~105mph. If I don't warm up to it I'll die.

 

[TheHeez]

I definitely prefer a short warm up routine. More than anything to get the body moving. I like to take a few cuts with the club I intend to hit off the first tee.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

Warmup as in some stretching then a few slow motion practice swings? As in literally warming up my body? Yes, very important. Especially in cold weather. I always allow 5-10 minutes to get warmed up before making any full-speed swings.

Warmup as in practicing before the round? Nope, never do it. Although I do like to roll a couple long putts on the practice green to get used to that day's speed.

You should never "practice" before a round. A buddy once remarked that he never saw pros use alignment stick and other aids when "practicing" before a round. I told that was because they were warming up, not practicing. They practice after the round.

I once read an article by Johnny Miller where he said that when he hit the range before the round, it was to find out what swing he had that day. His normal "Johnny Miller" swing featured string straight, very high long irons. His "Ben Hogan" swing had a slight fade, and his "Chi Chi Rodriguez" swing had a slight draw. This would tell him how to play the course that day.

The last thing you want to do before a round is load your head up with a bunch of swing thoughts!