Five mistakes your making before your round?

That’s right… SO many golfers make golf even harder just based on their pre-round warm-up (or lack thereof).

But to improve your game and shoot better more often than not, you need a pre-round warm-up as much as a pre-shot routine.
If you’re like most golfers, you’re making at least one of these mistakes (if not more). Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.
Here are five mistakes that most golfers make warming up…

#1 - Don’t Arrive Early Enough

One of the biggest mistakes that most amateurs make is they don’t arrive early enough and get rushed.

Think about it, how many times have you not planned ahead the day before, arrived at the course, barely warmed up, and was stiff on the first tee box.

Then, you scrap it around the first 5-9 holes before finally feeling warming up and understanding your swing for the day. But at that point, you’ve likely already carded a few too many big numbers to shoot low.

Then, you’re just trying to not shoot a big number by having a miracle back nine.

Instead of getting yourself in this situation, plan ahead.

Make sure you get to the course AT LEAST 30 minutes in advance but preferably 45-60 minutes if possible.

With this much time, you can warm up, grab food/drinks, and enjoy your day without being rushed and get loose.

#2 - Not Stretching

Don’t you hate it when you’re stiff on the front nine and have to take an Advil every few holes just to keep your back loose?

Look, we’ve all been there and some days, your body will cooperate more than others...that’s just part of life.

But if you spend 10-15 minutes at the course or at home stretching or doing some basic yoga poses, you can hit better shots sooner in the round.

This way, you can play pain-free and get a full turn on your backswing to increase distance and avoid the trouble of wayward drives.

Find a short routine that works for you so you are loose and ready to go on the first tee box.

#3 - Hitting Too Many Range Balls

Let’s not forget, your pre-round range session has one purpose - to get you warmed up.
This is NOT the time to try a new swing tip that you just read about.
This is NOT the time to hit 80-100 balls and grind away.

Yet, so many golfers try out new tips and hit too many balls and by the back nine... they’re exhausted.

Instead, hit as many balls as you need to feel loose (between 15-40 at the most).
Don’t sit there and hit one after the other either.

Make sure you’re picking a target, imagining some shots you’ll likely face on the course, and focus on swinging smooth.

Hit a variety of clubs starting with your wedge and warm up to the big stick.

#4 - Not Hitting Enough Putts

Another huge mistake that so many golfers make is they don’t hit enough putts and instead, spend all their time on the range.

Please avoid this amateur mistake and spend the majority of your warm-up on the putting or chipping green.

Because don’t forget, most of your scores happen from 100 yards and in.

Spend your time getting familiar with the speed of the greens and building confidence by making a lot of short putts.

In fact, Phil Mickelson makes 100 3-foot putts before each round. While that’s overkill for 99.99% of players, even 15 to 20 in a row will help you feel better rolling the rock.

This way you’re more likely to feel confident on the greens and avoid those costly 3 putts.

#5 - Forgetting a Game Plan

Finally, most golfers go the first hole without any clear game plan for their round.

Instead, once your warm-up is complete, get clear on your goal today by setting your intention.
Please note, your intention shouldn’t be based on your warm-up session.

Just because you hit it poorly on the range doesn’t mean it will translate to the course.
Vice versa, if you do hit it well on the range... it doesn’t mean that you will stripe it all day on the links (as you probably know).

Your intention also is NOT a score you want to shoot for the day.

Because when you try to shoot a specific score, it’s easy to put pressure on yourself and play tight instead of playing relaxed.

Your intention is to adapt to the conditions and having an overall goal for the day.

Maybe it’s to have fun and not get angry.

Maybe it’s to have a plan for each shot and not lose focus late in the round.

Or, maybe it’s to go through your pre-shot routine on every shot and commit.

Whatever it is, set a clear intention and remind yourself of it throughout the round.

I’m confident that when you use these five tips, you’ll have more effective warm-ups that will correlate to better scores (especially on the front nine).

Good luck!

P.S. I also forgot to mention, the Orange Whip swing trainer is one of my favorite training aids to get warmed up.

Helping you get the golf swing and game you've Always Imagined!

Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf and Best Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within".

For more information visit www.ImagenGolf.com