Warming Up Quick When Running Late - a podcast by Marty Griffin brings you top golf content from Golf Digest Top 40 under 40

I know we've got a bunch of league golfers out there with their earbuds on and this episode is one that you'll want to save for sure!  Ian asks a pressing question that most people don't want to admit to, but they desperately need a solution to.  How do you warm up and get your head in the game if you're running late?

What You’ll Learn

· Marty’s preferred method of warming up (range, green, range)

· How a trick from Jeff Pelizarro can get you in rhythm quickly

· How Mike & Kyle of Super Speed Golf can get you hitting longer in the same day!

· Golf Strategy Academy

Don’t Have Time To Listen? Here’s The Transcript!

Ian’s question: I play in a couple of leagues and I always seem to be running short on time. I know my league is just for fun but I still want to play well, and I feel like this is starting to leak into my weekend rounds. How do I get my head in the game if I'm short on warm up time?

Hey Ian, glad to have your question for this week's episode. My first question would be what do you define as short on time? I know I like to have an hour or so at the course before each round for warm up and practice. So is short on time only 30 minutes, or is it I'm sprinting to the 1st tee to catch my group? Either way, I'll lay out my strategy for both.

If you've got 20-30 minutes to prep for your round of golf you've still got enough time to touch on most of your skills that you'll be using that day. I would break it down it 10 minute chunks.

1. 1st 5-10 minutes would be physically warming up. Hit a few balls (10 tops) with a short iron or wedge. This will help you find a good rhythm with your scoring clubs and figure out what today's shot pattern looks like (draw, fade, etc).
2. Head over to the green and set up the gate drill for a few putts (again, 10 tops). This will give you the confidence that you're square at impact and your putts are going where you want them to go. That should only take about 3 minutes. After that, set up the ladder drill. Take your time on this one because it's the most important of the bunch. See if you can work your way through it 5 times. If you go long on any drill, this is the one that deserves it.
3. Step three would be to head back to the range and play a few sample holes in your head. Go through your whole routine and remember to play the ball flight that you determined in step 1 would be your shot for shape for the day.

This should get you in the right mindset for playing your game rather than trying to fix your swing on the course.

If you've got practically no time then I would skip straight to the ladder drill because that one club you'll have to use every time. When you get to the first tee, take a tip from Jeff Pelizzaro, and do some opposite direction swings. Often times swinging the wrong way can loosen you up a lot quicker and, at least for me, the awkward feeling of doing it backwards helps me get a nice fluid rhythm for swinging in the regular direction.

The other thing you can do, and I’m not sure if you purchased the Speed Sticks by Super Speed Golf before, is to work your way through all three sticks by swinging three times in both directions. This will really help because the different weights will get you loose really quickly and will help give your swing speed a little shot in the arm. So who knows, maybe you’ll impress everyone with a little extra UMPH off the first tee too!

Thanks again for the question Ian, I hope that helps. If you would like to learn more about the Golf Strategy Academy you can visit www.golfstrategyschool.com/membership-info. I’ve got a nice little video describing the membership and what you get as well as some examples of the science used to put together these custom, focused practice routines that will help make you a more confident and consistent golfer.

As always, I’ll catch you in the short grass.

Cheers!