When you play golf, you tend to work out every part of your body. Your upper body, arms, and shoulders have to be in good condition to power through swings. Your hips and back have to be in good form to ensure stability and coordination. Your legs have to be strong enough to make those lengthy walks across a golf course.

And the best way to ensure everything is in perfect condition is to follow a stretching routine before a golf game.

Reasons to Stretch Before Playing Golf

1. Prevent injuries – having flexible muscles lowers your chances of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries. You need to perform the right stretching to make your muscles flexible.
2. Improve golf swing – golf involves different swing elements, such as the back-swing, down-swing, ball trike, and follow-through. Each element uses different muscles. The back-swing, for example, uses the upper back muscles for rotation. These muscles also help you keep your spine erect. Proper stretches help you get a relaxed swing and improve accuracy.
3. Keep the balance – stretching maintains your balance, which  allows you to [Office1] achieve accuracy and distance when making longer shots. A balanced form helps you gain better control of your club.
4. Boost confidence – stretching refreshes your mind and makes you physically fit, so you will be more confident and swing faster and harder.
5. Maintain proper posture – stretching before playing golf helps your overall posture throughout the swing. You’re likely to miss hits when you’re unable to maintain the angles of your spine.

But where do you start? What type of stretches should you do to achieve flexibility, balance, and strength?

Proper Stretch Exercises for Golfers

The right type of stretching is as critical to your golf game as doing them properly. Without the right stretches and proper execution, you may overly stretch a muscle or damage tissues.

Here are some routines and how to do them:

• Shoulder stretch – this exercise opens up your shoulder and enhances the range of motion in the shoulder. Perform this as a core stretch in the warm-up before a round. Repeat throughout the game as needed.
• Standing forward bend stretch – this is another exercise you should consider as core stretch. You need to bend forward at the waist, slowly, with your back flat while you lift your shoulders up to your ears and lift your hands away from your back.
• Standing quad stretch – this exercise focuses on your quadriceps, a group of muscles along the front of your thigh. You can do this stretch in different ways, like standing on one leg, while bending your knee and lifting your heel toward your waist height.

Your stretching may vary, depending on the muscles you want to improve more. But warm up first with a light activity, like walking, to prepare your muscles for stretching. You can also get guidance from a coach to ensure you maximize this routine and improve your game on the green.

Stretch with StretchSPOT

Keep your body in good shape to continue getting better in golf. As a health and wellness studio, StretchSPOT will help you improve your health and performance through stretching and movement. Our goal is to help you move freely and live a pain-free life without turning to surgery.

Contact us today for more information.

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