I thought it would be interesting to see how much warmup time people use before tournaments.

Ideally, I would like 1 1/2 hours to drive, putt, and play holes. I think this is probably one extreme (mainly because I often arrive when the TD does :D), but my buddy does not want to warm up for more than 15 minutes. The "conversation" came up because we are sharing a car at Bowling Green.

Please include rating and total amount of warmup time including putting, field driving, playing holes, etc.

Thanks

907
1 1/2 hours

My friend
919
15 minutes

I'd like at least 5 minutes after I get to my hole before the round to putt, stretch, and maybe throw a drive or two after the player's meeting.

In the last few months I've played three rounds where I was at one of the farthest holes on the course. I left immediately after the player's meeting and two of those I was walking up the fairway of the hole before mine when two minutes was called, and the third I threw 3 practice putts and two minutes was called.

When I commented between rounds I got... "well we waited like 15 minutes"... Yeah, and its a 15 minute walk to get to the far side of the course... it just seemed like a long time because you started on hole 1...

Advice to TDs: to be fair, pick a person you trust that is starting at the far side of the course. Ask them to walk to their hole, when they get there, wait 3-5 minutes and then have them call 2 minutes.

To answer the question:
908
30 -minutes before the players meeting 5-10 after.

Long enough to put on my shoes & stretch. Oftentimes, my first throw of the day is my drive on my first hole of the tournament.

Generally I get in all of my practice time before the players meeting. By the players meeting, I generally only need a putt or five once I get to the hole to get back into the swing of things. Think of it this way: If you start on a poor hole (say, a short one before a long one) you're generally stuck waiting 10+ minutes after that hole anyway, killing any effective warmup you did in the short five minutes prior to tee-off after players meeting.

As for my own personal preferences on the whole... I need 45 minutes to an hour to get myself warmed up for the round, I like to play a quick 5-6 holes, then putt before the player's meeting. So the answer to the question would be...

45-60 minutes
947 rated player

950-something rated.

I'm an organizer/TD. My warm up consists of getting up very early, loading the daily supplies in my truck/trailer, getting everything set up at the course, then dealing with actual event duties. Who needs warm ups?

I need at least 1 full hour of warm-up before the players meeting. I drive for about 20-30 then putt for about 15-20 then play a few holes until the players meeting. After the players meeting, I like the 2 minute warning to blast before I get to my hole. I like to just walk out and start playing I do not like to putt when other people are putting because I do not do my full routine when other people are there, so I want the tourney to start asap after the meeting.

Player rating 953

I usually stretch for about 5 mins. putt for 15-20 mins, then play catch if someone else is up to it. If not then I just walk the course, and take a few drives on some holes I might have trouble with.

Rating: 884

ive been practicing now onto 3 years for my tourny readiness.
rating 913

I'd like a half hour but it seems that 15 minutes is about all I ever get. I swing a 5 lbs. weight for about 30 seconds before I start throwing and that speeds things up a bit. I've played lousy with no warm-up and lousy with plenty of warm-up. For me there is no direct correlation.

992

(909 rating) time for 2 drives, 20-30 putts, just to shake out the cobwebs.

Before age & shoulder injuries I'd try to get at least half a round in. Nowadays, I figure there's a limited number of throws in my arm, and I don't want to use them up practicing. Besides, my 3rd drive tends to be as good as my 10th or 20th.

On the other hand, if I haven't played the course, it's worth the risk to arrive early and sample as many holes as possible.

I like to play 6 to 9 holes to warm up, usually holes I had a problem with. A few stretches and some coffee usually gets me the rest of the way ready.

770 (apx)
30-45 minutes

(Rating 840) it usually takes me 5 or 6 holes to get warmed up. Putting is a different story. :p

Rating 966
30 minutes is about right. If I can find a playing partner, my drill would be throw 2-3 holes, tossing a mid-range and maybe a forehand drive on each. Play a game of catch for a few minutes with a putter. Then toss 50 putts or so.
A lot of times the first hole would be my first backhand pull of the day. If I've stretched and thrown my mids, this is not really a problem.
The one thing that frustrates me before a round is having to look for discs. So I'd rather not drive at all on a blind hole than to spend time looking around.
If I had to choose between throwing holes and playing catch, I'd pick playing catch and putting every time.

928 rated

Strecthing is essential for me before all events.

If I am organizing/TD....I'm happy to get maybe a dozen putts and a couple of good pulls with the putter. It's not uncommon for me to touch my discs for the first time stepping up to the first tee box.

If I'm not organizing/TD, I'll putt maybe 30 times.....throw some drives with the putter/midrange and hopefully play catch with someone. I rarely play holes before an event.

We used to play a full round (with extra shots) before the tournament, play two competitive rounds, then play doubles after that. But that was just because we had time to do that back in the day! Plus, we played very few tournaments when the days were really short (like January).

Now ... we're older. Stretching every day (whether we're playing or not) is of course essential. Two or three drives (just to remember what it feels like) and a putt or two, mostly to keep from sitting still is enough. I figure if I haven't learned to putt by now, its probably too late to learn right before the round!

808
5-10 minutes to stretch 5-10 minutes at the practice basket then 45 minutes or so on the course. If I have never been to the course before I might walk more of it. I usually only putt between rounds. Of course, why are you listenign to me?

if i am td my warmup usually comes between the 2 minute warning and the start, often about 2 drives and just enough putts to get the cranky tendon in my elbow "loose"

45-75 minutes.

959

My warm up time consists of either a bloody mary or a Natural Light.

My warm up time consists of either a bloody mary or a Natural Light.



MC is the best biathlete I have ever met!!!! His trophies are in black bags in his garage!!! Funkytown loves you MC!!!!! One of the best posts I have ever seen!

1019
i stretch then play a full round, minus putting before i begin each event, then after the round is when i begin my putting routine, of course i am usually one of the first couple of people to most event i play
mj

Warmup?

yea you dont know what that is, of course i only warm up for tournaments

My warmup consist of puttn twenty feet from TD during players meeting. Best time not much crowd. Or my 5 minutes stretch routine while driving over with heated seats. Oh yeah at least two rounds of TWISTER.

Ideally I play catch for about 5 minutes, then play a few holes with 2-3 tee shots and upshots, then putt for about 10 minutes until it feels right (or until I am really gacking in which case I abandon ship and start prayers)...so an ideal total of about 30-45 minutes before the player meeting. Unfortunately I often end up talking with buddies too much, or frantically hunting for one of my warm-up shots (always a favorite disc), or arriving too late, in which case I throw a few shots on the way to my first hole and putt until the 2 minute warning which equates to ~ 5 minutes. DD rating 991

I try to get there about 2 hours early and stretch for 15 minutes. Then play for a few holes with my putters just throwing upshots and putts. Then get my bag and play tournament style until the player meeting, no second drives or putts.
984

Wow, my warm-up (ideally) is almost exactly the same as Mr. Devine. It was just funny to see that.

Aaron - Rating = I don't wanna talk about it

I tallied the results of this, and graphed them. The results are very scattered, but the trend-line definitely slopes upward, meaning, in general, higher rated players warm-up longer for tournaments than lower rated players.

If I knew how to upload a picture, I would put it up. If anyone wants to put it up for me, I can email it.

Thanks for the input, and feel free to keep adding to it.

play catch for 10-15 mins, go throw a few holes, putt before players meeting for 10-15 then play some more catch till start. puff puff pass.

interesting stuff here... good to see all the skill levels take on warm ups.

Also curious if people could take it one step further and talk about the preparation/routine to get ready for a tournament? Visualization of how you will play each hole (night before?)... eating/sleeping habit (right before tourney)... morning routine (if putting routine maybe some specifics)... etc.

Would love to see more input from the illustrious 1000+ club (yes I know that us 'lowly' sub 1000 rated guys have good input and the rating doesnt make their opinion better but obviously they are doing something right! ;)

Most events I warm up with like 9 holes and then putt for about an hour before playing. Then at the lunch break I'll play some more and putt some more.

I play the course more to get a feel of what I will throw more so than I do to warmup. I can play just as well without warming up but I get at tournaments too early to sit around.

Most events I warm up with like 9 holes and then putt for about an hour before playing. Then at the lunch break I'll play some more and putt some more.

I play the course more to get a feel of what I will throw more so than I do to warmup. I can play just as well without warming up but I get at tournaments too early to sit around.



Then he putts some more after the tourney is over
I guess that is what it takes to play Open.

Most events I warm up with like 9 holes and then putt for about an hour before playing. Then at the lunch break I'll play some more and putt some more.

I play the course more to get a feel of what I will throw more so than I do to warmup. I can play just as well without warming up but I get at tournaments too early to sit around.



Then he putts some more after the tourney is over
I guess that is what it takes to play Open.



More fun to putt than sit around waiting for the awards. Might as well practice for next week. :D

That is going to be a different number for everyone, obviously, but there are some extremes to avoid. Warming up should be done just for that reason, to get the muscles warm, but too much warmup can lead to a decline in performance later in the round or the day.

It takes a bit of practice to find the right amount of warmup time, but throwing at least 6-8 holes for me, along with some stretching and putting has been helpful. I used to play a full 18, then go the two 18 rounds the first day and come back for 18 plus a final nine the second day, but I noticed that takes alot out of me, so I try to keep the warmup time down (and the post-first day spontaneous rounds in the twilight hours).