A handy extension to add the extra space you need to your drives

I’m sure you lie down before your round. Maybe some squats, side bends or even two club swings. But my guess is that you don’t warm your hands and fingers. These parts of your body are critical to swinging the club correctly. Moreover, they are high speed producers. Not using your hands and fingers properly – and warming them up before the first movement – can limit them from doing their job.

Here’s an easy 60-second stretch that will warm up your mitts so you can maximize head speed and, more importantly, avoid injury.

Simply extend your lead arm with your palm facing down. Using the opposite hand, pull the lead hand straight down (1), using pressure to stretch the muscles in your wrist. Hold for 10 seconds. Next, rotate your arm so your palm is facing up and do the same thing: Pull your fingers down and hold (2). You should feel a good stretch from your fingertips through your palm and up to your elbow. As you can guess, you need to repeat these stretches with your trail hand.

Now these important speed makers are warm and ready for action. It’s also not a bad idea to do a quick version of these stretches before trying a hard deep shot, which is when most wrist injuries occur.

Scott Munroe is one GOLF Top 100 Teachers who teaches at The Boca Raton Club in Boca Raton, Fla., and Nantucket GC in Siasconset, Mass.