No matter your level of expertise, the first few holes of the golf round is the most threatening situation for any player. It is a hot topic in many publications on the mental game of golf, and there are plenty of prescriptions documented by performance coaches, to help you manage the nerve wrecking moments of the first stretch of holes. The most widely recognized management strategies are breathing techniques and focus drills, but there is one tool that is completely under-utilized as an effective way to combat the first few holes; this being your warm-up.
In this article, I will transform how you think about the warm-up and show you how to utilize this activity as your greatest tool for building positive momentum at the beginning of your round.
Most players go into the warm-up with the intention of warming up the body, but instead focus on finding their swing. This is the first mistake in your warm-up process.
When you focus on finding your swing, you are simply hoping to find something that works, and the only feedback you rely on to find it is, the outcome of your shots on the range.
In this process, the chances of finding and sticking to one thing that works is very low, and the likelihood of feeling unsettled is very high. What you need is confirmation to stick to one swing thought, which is only achieved through consistency and accuracy across multiple shots on the range, and this is very difficult to do (even for professionals), because in essence…you are just warming up!
Your first few shots might be ok but after a dozen balls and too many thoughts later, you head over to the first tee thinking, “I wonder how this will go today?” and the trust in your swing is lower than before you started warming up.
If this sounds familiar it’s time to think differently about the warm-up.
The Warm-Up Should Help You Combat Your Typical Swing Faults:
Start with assessing the typical flaws that show up when you aren’t hitting it well on the first few holes. Then incorporate drills into your warm-up that help to “warm-up” your movements in a way that combat these typical issues.
For example, due to nervousness and excess tension, one of the professional players I work with has a tendency to lose rhythm and gets quick in transition at the top of his backswing on the first tee. Therefore, we designed specific drills to perform in his warm-up for feeling good rhythm and slowing things down. One of his drills is about swinging in time with a deep breath.
Interestingly, when you are working on rhythm you need to rely more on the feedback from your body and feeling the movement. It is therefore not that productive to rely solely on the feedback you receive from the shot outcome, because it can stop you zoning into the feeling of your movement and trusting what you feel. Some players will hit balls on the range without watching the ball flight, instead listening to the sound of the shot and connecting to the internal feedback from their movements.
Another player I work with, loves to be aggressive with the Driver but in recent years has reverted to being tentative on the first tee and tries to guide the ball. In her warm-up process she warms up her final drives on the range with a hard, fast practice swing, and hitting balls at 120% speed and power, giving it all she’s got. This helps her to feel confident to turn down the swing tempo slightly on the first tee, but trust she is maintaining a solid aggressive swing.
Swing flaws aren’t all about tempo changes, some times it’s alignment. If you recognize you have a tendency to miss-aim or get too far away from the ball in your stance, make sure that checking your alignment, posture and ball position is a fundamental part of your warm-up.
Every player has idiosyncratic errors and flaws that come out when you feel pressure and nervousness. Get to know yours and then use your warm-up effectively to combat these on the course.
Always remember that your warm-up is suppose to help you feel super confident on the first tee and it is all about selecting the right drills and skills that suit you and your swing needs. There is no perfect time limit or number of balls you “should” hit on the range, nor is there a perfect sequence you should follow with your club selection in the warm-up.
The best warm-up for you is one that combats your swing faults in the first stretch of holes, warms up your body, and clears the mind from thoughts about the past and future.
Next time you head to the range, invest in time to create your ultimate warm-up. Don’t just go to the range to hit balls. Get creative and train a warm-up that helps you feel clear and confident on the first tee.
