Pre-Round Preparation Program
Sean Cochran has developed a pre-round preparation program that you should use prior to each round of golf. The goal of this program is to get you ready physically, biomechanically and mentally for the round of golf ahead. A complete and concise pre-round preparation plan for the amateur can be completed in a time frame of 20-25 minutes. Part of this time (5-8 minutes) is spent preparing the body, 15-20 minutes are spent on the swing, and mental preparation is performed while on the range. Again, such a plan can pay huge dividends during your round of golf and have you walking into the clubhouse with a lower score rather than a higher one.
 | Sean Cochran Sean Cochran, is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with PGA Professionals, most notably two-time Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. He has been involved in the production of numerous golf fitness videos and authored books including; Stronger Arms and Upper Body, Complete Conditioning for Martial Arts, Your Body & Your Swing Golf Fitness, and One-up Advanced Golf Fitness. He has also authored numerous articles with publication credits including Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs, click here. |
Pre-Round Preparation - Part 1
It is a known fact that PGA TOUR professionals will utilize a block of time prior to their tee time for preparation. The purpose of this time frame is to prepare the golfer for the upcoming round. It presents a time to get the body, mind and golf swing ready to execute the shots from the tee to green for 18 holes.
Quite often much of the preparation process occurs behind "closed doors" and not in view of the public eye. What the professional does off the driving range, outside of the short game area, or away from the putting green goes unseen. As a result, amateurs are unaware of the purpose or modalities utilized in a pre-round preparation program. To provide you with some insight on what the pros do prior to a round and help you personally develop a pre-round preparation plan, our next series of articles is going to do just that: develop a pre-round warm-up to provide you with greater success during your round of golf.
As stated previously the purpose of a pre-round warm-up is to prepare the body, mind, and golf swing for the upcoming round. As it pertains to the body, this time frame is utilized to get the muscles and the joints ready to swing a golf club. To achieve this goal a series of warm-up drills and exercises are implemented. Looking at the mental side of a pre-round program, a golfer will begin to focus on the upcoming task. This process can be completed through some actual focusing techniques or through the physical steps (i.e. warm-up exercises and practice drills) taken before stepping on the first tee.
The final step of the pre-round warm-up pertains to the golf swing. This is the time frame spent on the range, at the short game area, or putting green. The purpose of is two-fold; number one is it develops "feel" in the body for the golf swing, and secondly provides feedback to the player on what their golf swing is doing that particular day. As you can see from the information above there is a great deal more to a pre-round warm-up than initially realized. We can see how it is an integral part of the professional's game and the effects it can have on the round. So it goes without saying, the implementation of a pre-round warm-up into your golf game can have a positive effect on how well you play.
To begin the development of a pre-round warm-up we start where the majority of pros begin -- the body. This is the portion of the program where the focus is upon getting the muscles and joints ready to swing a golf club. The time frame for this process can be anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes depending upon the individual and physical needs of that individual. Most amateurs do not have the time to spend 30 minutes on warm-up exercises, so for the purpose of our warm-up program we will look to make this section a 10-minute process. The first warm-up exercise we will use to prepare the body for golf is Torso Rotations. This is a simple exercise to perform and targets the hips and lower back. Both of these are body parts that are "tight" and cause movement restrictions in the amateur.
Begin this drill by placing the feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, torso upright, and hands in the small of your lower back. Start to slowly rotate the hips and torso in a circle to the left. Allow your ankles, knees, and hips to rotate. Continue to rotate the hips in a circle to the left for 10-15 repetitions. Once complete, perform the rotation again to your right. Begin the rotations slowly, increase the size of the circles as the hips and lower back begin to loosen.
Remember a pre-round warm-up program is an integral part of how a PGA TOUR player prepares for a round of golf. If we take a page out of their "play book" it should be a part of ours as well.
Pre-Round Preparation - Part 2
The time before a tee time on the PGA TOUR is an integral part of a round. This time frame is used by professionals to physically, biomechanically and mentally prepare for the round ahead. All too often the amateur is unaware of the importance of this time frame and has a tendency not to prepare for the upcoming round. The results on the course can be less than satisfactory if one is not prepared physically to execute the required shots on the course, unaware of their swing characteristic for that day and not mentally focused for the task at hand.
These are all questions about one's game for that day answered during a pre-round warm-up. The PGA TOUR players utilize the time frame prior to their tee time to: 1) physically prepare their bodies to swing a club, 2) become attune with their swing characteristics for the day on the practice range, and 3) mentally get "dialed in" for the round.
The goal of this pre-round program is to provide the amateur player with a meaningful pre-round game plan to do exactly as the pros do -- prepare for the upcoming round. The benefits for the amateur will be a body physically ready to execute the golf swing, a conscious awareness of their swing characteristics for that day and a degree of mental focus going into the round. The time frame allotted for the amateur's pre-round preparation is obviously less than that of a PGA TOUR professional, and for that reason the preparation plan from start to finish will be approximately 20-25 minutes in length.
The pre-round preparation routine begins with getting the body physically ready to execute the golf swing. This process will get the muscles and joints of the body "loose", active, and ready to swing a club. Once you complete the Torso Rotations exercise, described in Part 1, move immediately onto the second exercise in this section, Rotators. The reason this is such a great exercise to add to your pre-round warm-up is the following: this exercise dynamically stretches the hamstrings that are commonly "tight" on a golfer. This exercise loosens up the lower and upper back. All of which are "trouble" areas for many golfers.
To execute this exercise begin with your feet shoulder width apart, arms extended overhead, hands clasped together, and eyes looking forward. Slowly extend the hands towards the top of your feet. Extend downward to a level where a stretch is felt in either your hamstrings or lower back. Pause for one second and return to the starting position of the exercise. Rotate your torso, shoulders, arms and head to the right. Extend your hands downward toward the outside of the right foot. Pause for one second and return to the starting position of the exercise. Repeat the same exercise sequence to your left. Perform 5-10 repetitions of the exercise.
Pre-Round Preparation - Part 3
As we have stated previously, all too often the amateur will not get ready for their round of golf. Such an occurrence can have a negative effect on the ability for a successful 18 holes. The first goal of a pre-round warm-up is to prepare the muscles and nerves of your body to execute the biomechanics of the golf swing. Ignoring this portion of a pre-round program places you at a decisive disadvantage to execute the swing. The reason being is the golf swing is a very finite neuromuscular activity, requiring you to "fire" the muscles of the body in a specific order and sequence. Little room for error exists in this athletic action if the body is not loose and active before attempting to perform the swing. It will be very difficult to execute it with precision and power.
The second goal, as we have discussed previously, of a pre-round preparation program is to determine what your golf swing is doing on that particular day. We see this often on the PGA TOUR since, on certain days, professionals will strike the golf ball better than other days. This is just a fact of life as it pertains to the golf swing -- it will slightly change day-to-day causing different ball flights, etc. In order to counteract the slight differences in the golf swing on a day-to-day basis, the TOUR professional will take time on the range prior to a round to determine what their swing characteristics and ball flights are doing for that particular day. This will provide them with information to utilize during the round when they are required to execute certain shots. Again, if the amateur does not implement this portion of a pre-round preparation plan, they will be at a disadvantage on the course in terms of shot selection and scoring.
The final goal of the pre-round preparation program is to prepare yourself mentally for the round ahead of you. As stated previously this process can occur simultaneously with the physical preparation of the body and your golf swing, or through some focusing drills. The decision on which way to go about mentally preparing for a round is up to the individual. The point is to get your mind focused on the task ahead. Again, all too often the amateur will not be mentally focused on the course. This results in mis-hits, missed putts and higher scores rather than lower ones. We know the importance of a pre-round preparation program and what a negative effect not performing one can have on your round. We will continue to build you a simple pre-round program in this article.
The pre-round program begins with preparing the body to swing a club. To accomplish this task we will utilize a series of golf fitness exercises. The third recommended exercise is called Windmills. The goal of this exercise is to loosen the shoulders, lower back and upper back to execute the golf swing. To perform this exercise place the feet shoulder width apart, extend your arms straight out in from your chest, clasp the hands together, and keep the arms elevated to shoulder height. Begin by rotating your arms and shoulders as far as possible to the left, keeping the heels on the ground, pause for one second, and then rotate as far as possible to the right again pausing for one second. Perform 10-15 rotations left and right.
Pre-Round Preparation - Part 4
As we continue on with our series on the goals and benefits of a pre-round preparation program we are approaching the completion of your physical warm-up. As stated earlier, the goals of a pre-round preparation program are to physically, biomechanically, and mentally prepare you for the upcoming round. These goals are completed through the following avenues: a physical warm-up to prepare the muscles and joints of the body to swing a golf club; a session at the range, short game, and putting area to get a "feel" for your swing on that particular day; and finally, a mental preparation to work on focusing yourself for the upcoming round. The final segment (mental preparation) can be intertwined with the physical warm-up and swing drills or through separate focusing drills.
As you can see a pre-round preparation program accomplishes numerous tasks that benefit you throughout the round. In addition, a pre-round warm-up is an entity often forgotten by the amateur golfer for a myriad of reasons. The reasons for this can be related to time constraints or a lack of information. The goal of this article provide you, the amateur golfer, with a time sensitive pre-round warm-up program, giving you the opportunity to be prepared for your round of golf.
As stated above, pre-round preparation begins with preparing the muscles and joints of the body to swing a golf club. This goal is accomplished through a series of golf fitness exercises and drills. Up to this point in this articles series we have implemented Torso Rotations, Rotators, and Windmills into this section of the program. This week we will add the penultimate exercises into this portion of a pre-round preparation program. The fourth exercise in this series, Single Leg Turns, is a simple exercise to perform. The goal of this exercise is to dynamically warm-up the hips and lower body for the golf swing.
To perform this exercise, simply grasp the side of a golf cart or place a club in the ground. Extend the arms straight with both the hips and shoulders facing the cart or golf club. Slowly lift the left leg off the ground and tuck the left foot behind the right knee. Maintain your balance during this movement and keep the hips square. Slowly rotate your hips and lower body back and forth, attempting to keep your torso and shoulders stable. Rotate the hips and lower body for 15 repetitions. Repeat the exercise balancing on the right leg. Again, remember the goal of this portion of the program is to prepare the muscles and joints of your body to swing a club.
Pre-Round Preparation - Part 5
At this point in time you should understand the goals and importance of a pre-round preparation program. Again, the basic goals of the time before you hit the first tee are to physically, biomechanically, and mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming round. The end result of a pre-round preparation program will be a body, golf swing, and mind ready to tee up it for 18 holes.
A pre-round preparation program, as we've discussed previously, is split into three sections. Section one is your physical warm-up, which prepares the muscles and nerves of your body to swing a golf club. The second section of the program is preparing your golf swing. This section is completed at the range, short game area, and putting green. The goal of this part of the program is to get your golf swing ready to play as well as determine what your golf swing is doing on that particular day. Again, we are all well aware that our golf swing can be slightly different day-to-day, just like it is for PGA TOUR players. Understanding what your golf swing is doing on a particular day can be of great benefit during a round when deciding on what shots to play. The final section of your pre-round program is mental preparation. This is a process of centering and focusing on the upcoming round. This section of the pre-round plan can be completed in conjunction with preparation of the body and swing or through a separate set of focusing drills.
As we can see each section of a pre-round preparation plan has a purpose and as whole provide a solid foundation for you to be ready for your round. The first section, the physical preparation of the body, consists of a series of golf fitness exercises. Up to this point we have discussed Torso Rotations, Rotators, Windmills, and Single Leg Turns as the exercises involved in this section.
The final exercise I would suggest to implement in this section of your program is Full Turns. This is the last exercise to perform before heading to the range. To execute this drill, simply take your 5-iron address position with club in hand. While maintaining your set-up position place your right hand (right handed golfer) on the shaft of the club just above the clubhead, keeping the left hand in place. Adjust the club so that it is parallel to the ground and facing down the target line. Again, maintain your set-up position during this adjustment. Once in position slowly rotate to the top of your back swing while maintaining a set spine angle. Pause for one second at the top of your backswing, return to the starting position of the exercise, and repeat for 10-15 repetitions. Focus on creating a full shoulder turn during the entire drill.
The entire physical warm-up of your body should take no longer than 5-8 minutes. Once complete, move to the range, short game, or putting green to begin the process of preparing your golf swing. Having observed tour players week in and week out, it's obvious that they spend this time on a series of putts, short game shots, and full swings. The full swings begin with wedges, progresses to short irons, long irons, and finish with driver. Short game preparation and putts can be a variety of different shots/putts to get a "feel" for the greens as well as how the ball is going to react. Again, the goal is to prepare the swing for the upcoming round.
Mental preparation for the round can coincide with the first two phases of pre-round preparation or can be a separate entity. My point is, though, that the mind as well as the golf swing and body must be ready for the upcoming round. Leaving this process out of the equation can cause difficulties during your round.
A complete and concise pre-round preparation plan for the amateur can be completed in a time frame of 20-25 minutes. Part of this time (5-8 minutes) is spent preparing the body, 15-20 minutes are spent on the swing, and mental preparation is performed while on the range. Again, such a plan can pay huge dividends during your round of golf and have you walking into the clubhouse with a lower score rather than a higher one.
