With Spring finally upon us, the hope of bright evenings ahead, and the first round of the Masters starting tomorrow, many of us will be venturing out onto the golf course, or hitting the driving range.
Whilst golf is generally considered to be a sedentary sport and has many health benefits associated with physical activity that a round of golf provides, it can also come with its risk of injury.
Historically in both recreational and the professional game, golf is not a sport that has a strong tradition of physical preparation. Whilst this has changes hugely in the professional game, at the recreational level, less than 30% of golfers do any structured warm up and most golf facilities do not have a gym (Coughlan et al 2023)
The focus on preparation in the professional game, perhaps fuelled by the success and approach of players like Tiger Woods has led to training regimes focusing on strength, range of motion and speed training for example, with a strong correlation between club head speed/driving distance and money earnt on tour.
Golf Injuries
Whilst injury rates in golfers are low compared with other sports, a recent survey found that 16-41% of amateur golfers sustain an injury each year, with the most common areas being:-
- LOW BACK
- KNEE
- SHOULDER
- HAND & WRIST
Common contributing factors can be ‘excessive play or practice’, ‘poor swing mechanics’, ‘poor physical preparation’. Gosheger et al found that 83% of injuries in amateur golfers were down to repetitive motion and only 17% due to an acute injury sustained at a single point in time.
ADVICE
If you would like any advice about physical preparation for golf or on assessment and treatment of any golf injuries then please contact Roy
