How to Prep Your Body for a Golf Trip or Tournament Week
Planning a golf trip or prepping for a tournament week? Let’s talk about the part most golfers forget to pack: a body that can handle the volume.
Whether you're playing 36 holes a day on vacation or grinding through four rounds of competitive golf, your body needs more than skill—it needs strategy. This really does hold true with any sport.
From a performance rehab standpoint, we see it all the time: golfers who swing great on Day 1, but by Day 3? Their back is barking, hips are stiff, and their swing feels like it belongs to someone else. In fact…it looks like and feels like straight trash!
Here’s how to prep your body to perform well, recover fast, and avoid breaking down—so you can enjoy every round like it’s the first.
Before the Trip: Train Smart, Not Hard
In the 2–3 weeks leading up to your trip or tournament:
Dial in mobility: Prioritize thoracic spine, hips, and shoulders with 10-15 minutes of mobility work daily. This doesn’t have to be all at once, but little movement nuggets throughout your day.
Build durability: Focus on core stability, glute strength, and single-leg balance—these are your golf performance pillars. These are easier to hit and are SUPER important
Back off heavy lifting: If you’re not peaking in the gym right now, transition to lighter, speed work to keep your body fresh and moving well.
✅ Pro tip: Incorporate dynamic warm-up drills into your practice days to start ingraining movement patterns early.
Daily Warm-Up: Prime, Don’t Just Stretch
A few arm circles and toe touches before the first tee isn’t going to cut it.
Your warm-up should:
Activate key muscle groups (glutes, core, scapular stabilizers)
Mobilize joints critical to your swing (hips, T-spine, shoulders)
Rehearse movement patterns (rotation, hinge, weight shift)
Here’s a 5-minute pre-round warm-up:
World’s Greatest Stretch (1 min)
Open Books / T-Spine Rotations (30 sec/side)
Hip Airplanes or Lateral Lunges (1 min)
Banded Pull-Aparts or Scap Push-Ups (1 min)
Bodyweight Squats with Rotation Reach (1 min)
No gym? No problem. This routine travels well.
Between Rounds: Recovery Is a Performance Tool
You’re not going to “stretch your way out” of stiffness after 36 holes. You need a plan.
Best recovery strategies:
Walk and flush – Light movement post-round helps restore circulation.
Foam roll the big players – Focus on glutes, quads, T-spine.
Hydrate and fuel – Dehydration leads to stiffness. Electrolytes + carbs = your post-round best friend.
✅ Bonus: Pack a lacrosse ball or massage gun for quick tissue resets in the hotel room.
🛏️ Sleep is Your Superpower
All the recovery tools in the world can’t replace quality sleep. During high-volume play:
Aim for 7-8 hours
Use breathwork or stretching before bed to signal your nervous system to chill
Minimize screens late at night to optimize sleep quality
Think of sleep as your best recovery supplement—and it’s free.
Know Your Body's Red Flags
It’s normal to feel tired. It’s not normal to feel pain that gets worse with play.
Watch out for:
Sharp or lingering joint pain (shoulder, elbow, low back, hip)
Decreased range of motion as the days go on
Sudden strength loss or difficulty with weight transfer
If any of these show up, don’t push through it blindly. PT isn't just for recovery; It CAN and SHOULD be preventative. We can keep a minor issue from becoming a major one.
Final Thoughts: Play Hard, Recover Smart
Tournament weeks and golf trips should be fun—not battles of attrition. With the right prep and a little body maintenance, you can feel just as sharp on Day 5 as you did on Day 1.
Train smart. Warm up well. Recover intentionally.
Your scorecard—and your body—will thank you.
Want a Custom Golf Prep Plan?
At CMD, we help golfers build mobility, strength, and durability that lasts all season. Whether you're preparing for competition or a week-long golf getaway, we’ve got your back (literally).
Book a pre-trip movement screen today and swing strong all week long.
