Loosen Up Before You Tee Off: Physiotherapy Approved Warm-Up Exercises for Golfers

As golf season returns with warmer days and greener fairways, it's tempting to grab your clubs and head straight for the first tee. But before you swing into action, it’s crucial to prepare your body. 

Golf may seem like a low-impact sport, but the repetitive and explosive nature of the swing can place considerable stress on your joints and muscles, especially if you're not warmed up properly. A physiotherapy-approved warm-up routine can make all the difference. It helps boost your performance, reduce the risk of injuries, and help you enjoy the game pain-free.

Why Does Warming Up Matter in Golf?

A proper warm-up does more than just raise your heart rate. It primes the body for explosive rotational movements and improves joint mobility and muscular coordination, critical for an efficient and powerful golf swing.

The golf swing relies heavily on coordination between your hips, thoracic spine (mid-back), glutes, shoulders, and lumbar spine (lower back). If these areas are stiff or weak, it can lead to compensation patterns, swing inefficiency, and ultimately, pain or injury.

What Key Areas Should You Focus On in Your Golf Warm-Up?

Before we get into specific exercises, it's helpful to understand the body zones that need attention:

• Mobility: Hips and thoracic spine

• Stability: Glutes, lumbar spine, and scapular/shoulder muscles

• Cardiovascular Conditioning: Especially important if you walk the course rather than using a cart

Mobility ensures that your body can move freely through the swing range, while stability keeps your joints protected and movements controlled.

Dynamic Warm-Up Routine Before You Play

Warming up should take at least 5-10 minutes and focus on full-body movements. Here's a physiotherapy-recommended routine you can try before hitting the course or driving range:

1. Light Cardio (2–3 minutes)

Start with 2–3 minutes of light cardio to get your heart rate up and blood flowing. Try jogging in place, doing jumping jacks, or swinging your arms gently.

2. Dynamic Mobility Drills (5–7 minutes)

These exercises activate the key areas involved in a golf swing:

• Trunk Rotations in Golf Posture: Mimic your swing with slow, controlled torso rotations to warm up the spine.

• Leg Swings (Forward/Back and Side-to-Side): Loosens up the hips, hamstrings, and inner thighs.

• Hip Openers: Stand tall and rotate your knee outward in a marching motion to open up your hip joints.

• Lunges with Torso Rotation: Step forward into a lunge and rotate your upper body over the front leg to engage both the hips and core.

• Arm Circles: Start with small circles and gradually increase size to warm up the shoulders.

Common Warm-Up Mistakes to Avoid

While it’s great to have a warm-up routine, doing it incorrectly can undermine your efforts. 

Here are a few common mistakes golfers make:

• Skipping the warm-up entirely: Going straight into full swings without warming up drastically increases your risk of strains or overuse injuries.

• Doing static stretches before play: Save the long-hold stretches for after the game. Pre-round, your body needs movement-based activation, not stillness.

• Focusing only on the upper body: Your swing power starts from the ground up. Don’t forget your legs, hips, and core.

• Rushing through exercises: Take your time, and maintain control and quality of movement matters more than speed.

Don’t Skip the Cool-Down

Just as important as the warm-up is your post-game recovery routine. Golf requires repetitive motions that can tighten muscles over time, so take 5–10 minutes to stretch key muscle groups after each round:

• Hamstrings and Glutes

• Hip Flexors and Quads

• Latissimus Dorsi (Upper Back)

• Lumbar Spine Muscles

• Shoulders and Upper Trapezius

Static stretching is best post-game. It helps improve flexibility and reduce soreness the next day.

What are Some In-Season Golf Exercise Tips?

As the golf season gets underway, you can ease up on the intensity of your pre-season workouts. Reduce the number of reps or how often you train, but don’t skip the essentials.

Keep focusing on mobility (especially hips and thoracic spine) and stability, targeting the glutes, shoulders, and lower back for better control and injury prevention. Even during the playing season, consistency with your warm-up and mobility work can help maintain your range of motion and reduce fatigue over long rounds.

Shorter, golf-specific workouts that prioritize functional movements, balance, and postural alignment can easily be fit into your weekly routine without leading to overtraining. For example, two 20–30 minute sessions per week focusing on resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, and dynamic stretches can be highly effective. By keeping your body mobile and your stabilizing muscles engaged, you’ll find it easier to maintain your form throughout long rounds and recover faster between games, giving you an edge on the course week after week.

How Physiotherapy Improves Golf Performance and Prevents Injury

If you’re experiencing stiffness, recurring pain, or just want to improve your performance safely, a physiotherapist can help tailor a warm-up and maintenance plan for your body’s needs. 

Every golfer’s body is different; what works for one player may not suit another. A physiotherapist takes into account your unique posture, muscle imbalances, past injuries, and swing mechanics to create a customized plan that targets your specific problem areas. 

Whether you’re a weekend enthusiast or a competitive player, this individualized approach can significantly improve your strength, flexibility, and endurance throughout the season.

A good physiotherapy program doesn’t just focus on immediate relief from discomfort, but it also emphasizes long-term prevention. By identifying early signs of overuse injuries or postural deviations, your therapist can guide you through corrective exercises that strengthen weak links and enhance your body's overall mechanics. This proactive care helps you not only recover faster but also play more consistently and confidently.

The expert physiotherapists at Mainway offer one-on-one guidance to help you move better, swing stronger, and stay injury-free all season long. We understand the physical demands golf places on your body, especially the rotational torque through the spine, hips, and shoulders. Our sessions are designed to support golfers at all levels, using evidence-based techniques

The result? A more efficient swing, less fatigue on the back nine, and a greater chance of playing pain-free golf for years to come.

At Mainway Physiotherapy Burlington, we take a holistic approach to injury prevention, chronic pain, rehabilitation, and sports therapy. Our team of certified professionals will help you live an active and pain-free lifestyle by creating a personalized treatment plan centered around your goals. 

Book your appointment, and let us help you Keep Moving!