Best Golf Stretches Before Playing
No matter how good your golf game is or what shape your body has, a pre-round golf stretch is essential to having the durability and the stamina to make it through a full 18-holes. Ideally, you’ve got a least 20 minutes to take some swings and maybe hit the practice range or green. But especially when pressed for time, take five minutes to do the best golf stretches before playing.
The amazing thing about human physiology is that even a quick stretch can do wonders for a five-hour golf game. While we are big advocates of full-body exercise and walking the course to improve your endurance, using a riding cart is easy. We get it. Still, walking with a Cart Tek remote-control golf cart puts you in the moment to center your concentration on your next shot and puts your clubs at your fingertip every step of the way to a great score.
So, follow along while we explain a few quick golf stretches to give you more vitality and resilience. To begin, grab a middle wedge and stretch away!
Golf Stretch #1 Forearm Stretch
Stand with your wedge and address an imaginary ball with your right hand, thumb pointed down. Then stand up straight and move your right arm to your side beyond your right foot. Move the club off the ground by raising your right arm forward.
With the club slightly off the ground, twist your grip inward so your thumb is pointed towards your toes, and raise your arm forward until the club head is belt high. Keep your arm straight. Do six reps and switch arms.
As easy as it sounds, you’ll feel the tug in your forearm immediately. The stretch and added strength help you hold your club with a lighter grip while adding distance to your shots. Use a heavier club and add a few reps next time if it's too easy.
Finally, hold the club in front of you – one hand on each end, palms down. Now move your wrists up and down a few times. Feeling the stretch?
Golf Stretch #2 Lower Back Stretch
Let’s go back to addressing the imaginary ball. Wiggle your hips, then lean forward with your hands on top of the club to balance, the club straight up. Bend as low as comfortable towards a 90% angle with your elbows bent. Then relax your legs and hips to feel a light stretch in your lower back.
Now push lightly with your arms, and stand back up. Repeat the process several times. You should feel mostly your lower back as you transfer down and your back and gluteus Maximus as you stand up.
Loosening your glutes is key to transferring your weight from the back to the front leg as you swing. If your lower back is loose, the transfer and twist are smooth, improving accuracy.
Golf Stretch #3 Quadriceps Stretch
If you are walking the course, it's good for you. You’ll get constant movement and keep your muscles warm. You’ll want to do a simple quad and hamstring stretch before the first hole.
Raise your right leg with your knee bent to 90% and stretch higher if comfortable. You can stretch while balancing with a mid-iron in your left hand and then switch legs. Do two or three reps.
If you are riding a cart, these stretches are even more critical and should be done before the first hole and somewhere near the turn.
For your quads, sit on a bench with one leg bent, and the other stretched out. Next, bend at the waist, stretch your arms toward your knee, and lower if you can. Point your toes down, then up several times, and switch legs.
Golf Stretch #4 Deltoid and Scapula Stretch
Most TV viewers have seen pro golfers hold a club over their heads, hands on either side like a weightlifter. But in golf, it’s not the weight they are looking for; it’s the stretch. And here’s the key: include your shoulder blades!
What you can’t see is the deltoid and scapula work. Raising the club above your head stretches the entire spine. It expands the lungs and forces the deltoid muscles connecting your shoulder to your upper arm to contract.
The final step is lowering the club behind your head to your shoulders by rolling your deltoids backward and pulling your shoulder blades together. Oh, what a stretch.
Doing a few of these shoulder stretches strengthens the scapula and deltoids and can help release neck strain and pain. Most everyone has tried this stretch on a shoulder press at the gym, but you don’t need the weight; you need the stretch!
Improving Mobility with a Cart Tek Golf Cart
Walking with a Cart Tek golf cart changes everything. Everyone from the Mayo Clinic to the PGA agrees that stretching and walking the course have health benefits.
Walking burns twice as many calories as riding and can help golfers avoid heart disease and high blood pressure by maintaining a healthy weight. Using an electric pushcart also improves the social and physical experience on the golf course, so everyone can enjoy the natural beauty around them and make new friendships.
As a bonus, the PGA says, “You shoot better scores than those riding in a cart.” Who are we to argue?