The world’s best golf athletes are preparing to perform at the highest level this week after a long layoff . The rest of us are just dipping our toes into the golf pond, trying to get back into the game and find some enjoyment.

Practice is tone of the most important factors in game improvement. But if you haven’t practiced or played in a while, you may find your body is tight and weak, therefore not be able to take your muscles and joints through full range of motion. Or you may find that practicing for a longtime is boring and rough on muscles and joints. And if you have been practicing, your body may not be moving correctly, consequently leading to swing compensations, miss-hit shots and even injury.

Which is why I suggest to many of my students, that they incorporate mobility exercises into daily routines.  The process of stretching and practicing at the same time will help accelerate the game improvement process while preventing injury.

Because the golf swing requires repeating the same movement, some muscles become overused, others may weaken causing imbalances. Stretching as you practice can help increase range of motion in your muscles and joint and lead to better performance.

How to Incorporate Stretching into Your Putting Practice-

Although the task of putting may not seem like a highly athletic activity, the long hours of practice, that it takes to be proficient, can take a toll on the body. Especially on the back and hips. Having to hold your spine in position for long periods of time can be very painful for some people, therefore exercises that help improve flexibility and stability while you are practice cannot only help you prevent sore muscles, but also can help you improve your putting technique.

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Putt and Stretch Routine-

1. Cross Crawl
2. Triangle Drill
3. Calf Stretch
4. Hamstring Stretch
5. Putting Shaft Drill
6. Hip Flexor Stretch
7. Putting Stroke
8. Roll Putts

How to Improve Putting Technique-

Firstly, you need a stable base for a solid stroke.  If your back and hip muscles are weak, tight or imbalanced, for example, then it will be difficult to keep the spine still or steady in the putting stroke.  The result is excessive movement in the body preventing a pendulum type movement. Keeping the torso stabilized is important to a good putting.

Secondly, the wrists should be fairly passive during the putting stroke as the arms and shoulders do most of the work. The idea is to focus on keeping the angle formed between the back of the lead hand, wrist and forearm from the takeaway to the follow-through and finish. You want to flipping the wrists or jabbing at the ball with the hands.

And thirdly, work on keeping your putting stroke smooth with steady tempo.  Simply working on keeping the pace of your stroke steady and smooth throughout the entire swing will help improve your speed and distance control.

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