Pre-round preparation: Part 3

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Over the last two weeks we have been building a pre-round warm-up program to prepare you for an 18-hole round. The goal of this program is to get you ready physically, biomechanically and mentally for the round of golf ahead.

Sean Cochran

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA TOUR regularly and works with TOUR professionals, most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson.
He has been involved in the production of numerous golf fitness videos and books including Core Golf Fitness. He has authored numerous articles with publication credits in Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, and Golf Magazine.
In addition to working with Mickelson, Cochran has worked with LPGA Champion Hee Won Han, U.S. Open Champion Corey Pavin, world-renowned golf instructor Rick Smith and short game expert Dave Pelz.
Cochran continues to speak at seminars and clinics around the country on golf fitness. In his free time he enjoys golf and surfing. He resides in Del Mar, Calif.
To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs, click here

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. Up to this point we have implemented Torso Rotations and Rotators into this section of the program. This week we will continue the process with the implementation of an exercise 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.

Keep in mind the importance of a pre-round warm-up and the benefits it can have on your round.