We’ve all had those moments when we’re running late and are at risk of missing our tee time. After weaving through traffic and rolling up to the first tee box out of breath and anxious about the round ahead, there’s just one last thing you need to do: Actually get loose.
Problem is, your three playing partners have already hit their tee shots, meaning it’s your turn — despite not having swung a club all day. This is no way to play golf, especially if you’re hoping to see success.
While I’m notorious for cutting it close for my tee times, I’ve gotten much better over the past few months. The main reason? Because I see how much better I play after priming my body and stretching before ever hitting a ball.
It’s no secret that life gets in the way of golf. Meetings run long, traffic gets delayed or unforeseen conflicts pop up that require more of your attention than dialing in your stroke on the practice green. It’s unfortunate, but we’ve all experienced it.
But when you’re running a little behind and just need to loosen up your muscles (and get your mind in the right place before a round of golf), former LPGA pro Veronica Felibert has you covered.
In the video above, Felibert — who’s currently the director of fitness at Virginia CC — works with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jamie Mulligan to walk through some golf stretches that will prepare you for the grind ahead.
“I get into my golf stance as if I’m going to hit it, drop one leg back, and keep most of my weight on the lead leg,” Felibert says. “I then cross my arms [holding a club across my chest], and just turn. This allows me to feel the rotation and the separation between my lower body and my upper body.”
If you’re someone who struggles with balance, Felibert says you can always place the club in front of you to use it for support.
“If you put the club in front of you, you can then just open up and rotate up, feeling a lot of resistance through that lead leg,” she says.
Another golf stretch that Felibert likes to use is a lateral lunge, where she squats down and shifts from side to side, reaching toward the sky to maximize different muscle groups.
As she demonstrates how to do this stretch, Mulligan explains why this type of movement is so critical to the golf swing.
“What I’m watching you do there is what I see in the most dynamic players at the top of their backswing, and the way that they gather and load power — which is so important in our game,” Mulligan says.
“Another [golf stretch] that I really love is to put the club behind your back, dropping one leg back in-line with your hip bone, and then turning on the way down and square your shoulders on the way up,” Felibert says.
This type of stretch mimics the body during a golf swing, with the legs and upper body working in unison to generate both rotation and power.
“In the golf swing, the legs are doing one thing, and the upper body is doing another,” she says. “I’m really engaging my core in this just to keep myself really stable.”
Adds Mulligan: “What you hit on there is a really big key, not just separating different parts of your body, but using it effectively. I can see that your whole body is firing there.”
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