A solid pre-round warm up can often be the small difference between a good round and a great round. By warming up your muscles and your swing, you’ll hit the first tee ready to let it fly instead of trying to find your rhythm over the first couple holes. Also, it gives you a chance to gain some confidence before your round and find out right away what kind of swing you have going into the day. Follow our 3 easy steps to create your own pre-round routine to help you shoot lower scores more consistently. So say goodbye to the breakfast ball and say hello to first tee confidence.

Start Short

Start your warm-up off with the club you’ll use the most in your upcoming round- your putter. Rolling a few putts before you head to the range will go a long way. It will give you a sense for how the greens are rolling and help you build some confidence seeing the ball go in the hole. We recommend starting from about 30 feet to get your swing nice and free, and finish with a few tough 4 footers. Always end on a good putt that goes into the hole.

After you finish putting, hit a few chips, pitches, and flops around the green. Get the feeling in your hands of the club passing through the hitting zone . Pay attention to how the ball reacts from certain lies, how the ball is biting on the green, and how far it’s rolling out after landing. Most of your scoring will take place around the greens, so make sure to focus on that area of your game to start your warm-up.

Pressed for time? Your better off rolling a few putts and making some practice swings on the tee box than heading to the range without rolling a few on the green. Your putter will always save you several more strokes a round than your driver will.

Start Slow

We’re referring to the tempo of your swing here. Don’t just jump into a full swing right off the bat. Hit a few half shots, a few 3/4 shots and get some good rotation in your hips and shoulders. This will help you prevent injury and build your rhythm for the full swing. Get a good feel of where the club is at in your swing and control it throughout the strike. No need to open it up fully yet.

Once you are warmed a bit, after 15 or so balls, go ahead and start making some full swings starting with your pitching wedge. Then a couple mid irons, followed by your long irons and hybrids, metal woods, and finally your driver. Pay particular attention to the flight pattern of your ball. Are you fading it today? Is it hooking more than you’d like? Don’t try to make corrections here. Just understand how you’re hitting the ball and get ready to run with it once you get out on the course.

Finish First Tee Ready

After you feel good and loose and you like the way you’re hitting the ball, make sure you finish your warm-up with whatever club you’ll be hitting off the first tee. Visualize yourself on the first tee box hitting the shot you want and producing the result your looking for. As soon as you hit a good one, stop. You’re done. Take that positive feeling with you to the first tee and simply replicate what you’ve already done.

If you’ve got some time to kill before your tee-time, go ahead and get a few more putts in. But don’t keep beating balls on the range and wear yourself out. You’ve already hit some good balls, so don’t give negativity a chance to creep into your mind. We want to start the round with the best possible opportunity to score well.

What is your pre-round routine? Is there a certain pattern you go through? Any particular order you hit your clubs in. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!