Morning Routine: 5 Minutes to Oil the Hinges Before You Leave the House

The first tee doesn't have to feel like a rude awakening for your body.

Most senior golfers go from bed to breakfast table to car to first tee without asking their body to move properly at any point. Then they wonder why the first three holes feel like finding a swing rather than playing one. This five-minute morning routine fixes that — done at home, before you leave, requiring no equipment and no floor space beyond an average living room. Five movements: cat-cow spinal wave, hip circle sequence, thoracic rotation, hip flexor lunge, shoulder and wrist rolls. Sixty seconds each. Done while the kettle boils.

Inside: why morning specifically matters, the full instructions for all five movements, the two-minute emergency version, how to make it a habit using habit stacking, and how this routine combines with the thoracic and hip guides for compounding results.

Kettle on. Done before the tea is made. Your body will thank you at the first tee.