ESCANABA -- Golf is just like any other sport when it comes to warming up before you play.
Personal trainer, John Erickson, said that a proper warm-up is fifteen to twenty minutes, three to five days a week.
“When the spring starts,” explains Erickson, “most people just go out to a driving range, grab their club, and start hitting the golf ball. And that's probably the worst thing they can do starting off early."
The best pre-game exercises are quad shoulder stretches, which mimic a golf swing. Twisters help with turning. And for the lower body, leg swings loosen up the glutes and hamstrings.
But the different types of clubs also come with their own degree of difficulty.
It's easier to hit a pitching wedge than a three iron because the pitching wedge is lower to the ground and offers more balance. And Brian Warren said they're easier for him to swing. He pulled some muscles in his back about six years ago and is now playing it safe.
“And so, all winter long,” said Warren, “I've been doing types of back stretches and just kind of different turns and motions that you make as you swing a golf club."
He said he also feels a lot less pain.
"Oh, I definitely think it helped me,” Warren said, “just because I’ve been going to see a chiropractor for years. And usually, once I start golf, I have to see him more often because of the torque it takes on your back."
But now he's only had to go to the chiropractor once in the last six months.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC