If you warm up before you start hitting balls, give yourself a round of applause. You’re doing a lot of good for your body and potentially preventing a season-ending injury. You’re also in the minority, as you typically don’t see amateur golfers doing a whole lot of movement prep before a round.While you might think stretches are important pre-round, they also are a good idea after you tap in on 18. Yes, the bar is only steps away, and you’ve been thinking about a cold beer for six holes, but do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to do a post-round stretch session, says Lauren McMillin, a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer. McMillin trains golfers online and in Madison, Miss.”I know many golfers don’t event think about it, but when you’re done, I bet it’s not unusual to feel tight or sore,” McMillin says. “Recovering from that can happen a lot faster if you do just a little post-round work.”McMillin has three easy moves you can do anywhere—including the bar (although you might get some strange looks). She suggests doing three to five reps for about five seconds for each stretch. Here she is demonstrating them.
HIGH LUNGES WITH SIDE BENDS 
Get into a split stance but with your forward leg bent at roughly 45 degrees and your trail leg fully extended behind you. You can use a golf club for better balance. From this position, extend the arm on the trail-leg side straight up and bend your torso sideways toward your forward-leg side. Do three to five reps and then switch leg positions and repeat with the opposite arm raised and lean in the opposite direction.
“The high lunge helps open the hip flexors and quads. The side bend lengthens the obliques and releases tension from waist and outer hips,” she says.
HAMSTRING AND CALF STRETCHES 
Continuing to use a golf club for balance, extend one leg in front of your body so it’s full extended and resting on the heel of that foot. Your trail leg shoud be bent and the foot flat on the ground. Feel like you’re sitting back until you feel a nice activation of the hamstring in the trail leg and a stretch of the calf of the forward leg. Hold for a few seconds and do up to five reps, and then switch leg postions and repeat with the leg positions flipped.”The hamstring stretch helps, of course, lengthen the hamstrings, as well as stretch the calves,” she says. “It promotes flexibility and range of motion in the lower body, eases tension from the legs after a round of golf, and might help ease or prevent lower-back pain.”
WORLD’S GREATEST STRETCHES STANDING 
This exercise is normally performed on the ground, but you don’t want to get your khakis dirty, so McMillin performs this one standing. You can do it with a club for balance or without it to really challenge your body. From a standing position, feet side by side, step forward with one leg unti the trail leg feels fully extended and that foot is up on its toes. Now rotate your torso toward the forward leg and reach upward while looking back. Return to the start position and repeat up to five times. Then return to the standing position and switch leg positions to repeat. Always rotate toward the lead-leg side.”These lengthen the hip flexors of the back leg, which might feel shortened or compressed after a round and contribute to low-back discomfort,” she says. “It also stretches the outer hip and glutes of the front leg, releasing tension, preventing next-day soreness and promoting relaxation from power generation.”Finally, the spinal twist helps release the spine, stretch the back, open the chest and shoulders—helping balance the body after bending forward throughout the round.”
You can do all three of these moves very quickly. Now you’re ready for a pint (or two).Click on this link if you’re interested in becoming a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
