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Warm Up to a Better Score
From Michael Lamanna
A Step-By-Step Guide to Preparing for Your Round Proper warmup is
essential for peak performance in any sport. If you attend any
professional sporting event you always see athletes going through a
pre-game warmup, and pro golfers are no different. By the time
tour professionals step to the first tee, they are fully prepared to
make their best swings from the opening tee shot.
Most amateurs, however, get "warmed up" by dashing from their
cars to the pro shop to check in, then running to the first tee, all
within five minutes or so. Usually this is followed by unsteady play
for the first five holes and ends up with another disappointing
round. In my opinion, with this style of warmup, golfers are making
bogies before they ever step on the course. To avoid this syndrome I
recommend the following
routine:
* Get to the course early. You need enough time to take care of your
business in the golf shop, use the restroom, change your shoes, etc.
It is important that you do not feel rushed, so allow time to
complete this entire warmup period at a leisurely pace. Remember,
your warm-up routine sets the tempo for the day, so move slowly and
relax. I recommend that you arrive at the course a minimum of one
hour before your tee time.
* Begin warming up on the putting green. Putting is 43-percent of
golf and the putting stroke is the slowest and smoothest of all
strokes in golf. By spending time warming up on the green first, you
will not only be prepared for the speed of the greens but you will
also be starting
the day with smooth, deliberate tempo. It makes no sense to visit
the range first and get stretched out and limbered up for the
opening drive, then stand for 15 minutes nearly motionless on the
putting green.
Spend the first five minutes putting to a tee or a coin from twenty,
thirty and forty feet and from a variety of angles. Watch the ball
and pay attention to how much the ball rolls. Speed control is
critical in putting and time spent judging pace will pay off on the
course. Many
students often complain that the greens on the course are not the
same as the practice greens. The only difference between the two is
the pressure to perform. The practice green is cut at the same
height with the same mower and is usually constructed in the same
manner as the greens on the course. The putts you roll on the course
count and the pressure to perform makes the greens seem different.
You should then spend another five minutes or so rolling putts to a
tee or coin from ten feet in to three feet. Do not putt at the cup.
You never want to see the ball miss the hole, so just use a tee or
coin. Also, if you roll putts at a small target like a tee or coin,
the hole will seem huge and, therefore, your confidence level will
be high. Confidence is vital to good putting.
Finally, spend a few minutes hitting 25 six-inch putts that run
straight up hill. You will make all 25 in a row and this will set
you up with the perfect image: the ball rolling in the hole every
time.
* Spend 10 minutes hitting chips around the green with a tee as a
target. To determine how much the ball will roll you must test the
firmness of the greens. On hard greens the ball tends to roll more
than on soft greens. Also, different types of rough make the ball
react differently when the ball hits the green. Spending time around
the green will give you some ideas that will help you choose the
best greenside shots during the round, and where to land the ball on
the putting surface.
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