We tracked Rickie Fowler’s movements from the moment he arrived at the range an hour and a half before his tee time. Here is Rickie Fowler’s 90-minute warm-up plan for golf.
The minutes before you tee off are crucial. Spend them wisely and you’ll be firing on all cylinders from the off, waste them and the whole round will be a struggle. Of course, preparing properly requires time and we understand that not many amateurs have enough spare to devote 90-minutes to warming up as Rickie Fowler does. However, it doesn’t matter whether you have an hour or just 10 minutes there are some key principles that Rickie applies here that you can follow. We tracked Rickie’s movements from the moment he arrived at the range an hour and a half before his tee time. Here is Rickie Fowler’s 90-minute warm-up plan for golf – it helps him prepare for tournament golf and it could help you too.
8.40 Arrives
Makes a few simple wrist and upper body stretches while chatting to his coach and caddie.
8.44 Wedge shots
Starts with ½ shots and slowly builds up the power. After hitting 5 balls he reaches full wedge power and distance.
9-iron shots
Lays alignment stick down and a little swing path work with his coach, Claude Harmon – he is working on keeping shoulders behind the ball on the way down.
Also see: Rory McIlroy How To Practice
Through the bag
Works up through the bag but does not hit more than five shots with each club. Takes regular breaks to talk to players/coach/caddie. Rickie Fowler’s 90-minute warm-up plan for golf is a deliberate process, one that reserves energy.
Ball Flights
The ball flight and shape doesn’t change as he hits different shots. He is not hitting punches or fades; each flight is about a 5-yard draw. Not all the shots are struck perfectly but it doesn’t seem to bother him. He is just trying to get a feel for his swing.
Pre-shot routine
Rickie has a checkpoint in his takeaway that he uses as part of his pre-shot routine. He uses this on every single shot through the warm-up and this is a way of grooving this process to help him during tournament play.
9.07 Fairway woods
Removes alignment stick. He keeps the same shot shape even up to his fairway woods and his rhythm seems not to change.
Driver work
Resists the temptation to hit more than five shots with his driver. He has reached full power and every shot remains a deliberate process.
9.15 Finishes long game warm-up
Also see: Rory McIlroy Gym Routine… Revealed
9.20 Pitching
Caddie lasers the yardage (around 50 yards) and he hits a series of short pitches from the fairway. He regularly changes targets which affects the distance and type of shot he is hitting.
Speed
At this point the warm-up sessions speeds up a little. It is less deliberate, as he gets a feel for ground conditions.
9.29 Bunker shots
Hits seven basic greenside splash shots and then changes to a target further away. He then hits consecutive shots to different targets.
9.35 Chipping
Hits a series of short delicate chips and then moves to the other side of the green and does something very similar. Importantly, he does not give himself a good lie. Tries some lofted and some lower shots.
9.41 Finishes short game warm-up
9.42 Talks to Dustin Johnson
9.45 Arrives at putting green
The final part of Rickie Fowler’s 90-minute warm-up plan for golf sees him lay down a putting mirror and he hits a series of 5-footers. Allows him to check eye position.
Gate drill
Then places tees in the end of the mirror to create a gate through which he swings the putter. This allows him to hone his strike and start line. There is a lot going on around him at this point but he is focused on what he is doing.
10.02 Finishes warm-up
10.10 Tees off
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