The Cold-Start Warmup That Actually Works

The 10-minute warmup. Three blocks. No driver until the last minute.

The three blocks

• 3 minutes — body. Arm circles, hip rotations, two-minute walk. Cold muscles = bad first hole. Period.
• 4 minutes — putting. 5 lag putts from 30 ft, 10 short putts from 4 ft. You'll putt before you do anything else on the course — putt first to warm up.
• 3 minutes — swings. 6 wedge half-swings, 4 mid-iron full swings, 2 drivers. That's it.

What this avoids

The 30-driver pre-round bucket is the worst thing a 10 handicap can do. You're tired, you've grooved a fast swing on the longest club, and you've put zero attention on the shots you'll actually face on the first hole.