1. Static stretching right before you swing
Long, static holds right before play can actually reduce muscle power output in the swing that follows. Save static stretching for after your round — before you play, your body needs to move, not just lengthen.
2. Skipping rotational movement entirely
The golf swing asks for a large amount of thoracic (mid-back) and hip rotation, fast. If the first rotation your spine does all day is your actual backswing, you're loading unprepared tissue at full speed — a common setup for low back strain.
A few minutes of trunk rotations, hip openers, and torso twists before the first tee prepares the exact ranges of motion the swing demands.
3. Going straight to full-speed swings
Ramping swing speed gradually — starting at 50%, then 75%, then full effort — gives tendons and connective tissue, especially at the elbow, time to adapt to load before you ask for maximum output.
4. Ignoring the lead wrist and forearm
Tennis and golfer's elbow are both overuse injuries of the forearm tendons. A brief warm-up of wrist circles and light forearm activation reduces the sudden strain those tendons experience on the first real swings of the day.
5. Treating the driving range as the warm-up
Hitting balls is practice, not preparation. By the time most golfers are on the range, they're already swinging at close to full effort — the warm-up needs to happen before that, in the two to three minutes of mobility work most people skip entirely.
If low back or elbow pain shows up after rounds more than during them, your warm-up routine — or lack of one — is a good place to start looking.
