Golf is known as one of the safest sports around, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never get injured, especially if you play a lot. While major incidents such as breaks, fractures or dislocations are rare in golf, most golfing-related injuries occur due to poor mechanics coupled with overuse. The repeated nature of the golf swing places a lot of stress on the body’s muscles, joints and tendons, and this can lead to overuse injuries over time.
But injuries don’t have to derail your game – with a bit of preventative maintenance and setting some good habits in place, you can go a long way towards staying happy, healthy and injury free on the course. Here’s what you need to know.
Back injuries
Back pain, stiffness and tightness are common golf injuries, due to the way the body rotates during the swing action, as well as the hunched posture golfers get into at set-up. When you consider the repeated nature of the golf swing, it’s easy to understand why back issues sometimes occur, particularly if you have poor mechanics at any point of the swing. The lower back is the most commonly injured area in golf, which can make playing extremely difficult when you think about how much you use your back in every part of the game. You can generate some serious shear, compressive, lateral and rotational bending forces in the lower back, and that stress can sometimes take a toll.
How to prevent back injuries
Try these tips to give your back the best chance of remaining injury-free:
STRENGTHEN
- Improve your core strength, to help support and protect your back from the forces it’s exposed to.
STRETCH
- Improve your back and trunk flexibility to help prevent stress on the back.
TECHNIQUE
- Start by creating a good foundation of fundamental technique by taking a lesson or two with a professional to ensure your mechanics are sound. It’s worth doing this every few years or so to get rid of poor technique and mechanics that creep in over time.
- Keep your spine vertical during your follow through, as this helps prevent hyperextension.
- Aim to rotate your hip and shoulder to the same degree during your backswing – everything should stay in unison.
EQUIPMENT
- Don’t subject your back to the stresses of carting your clubs around regularly – instead, use a golf buggy to alleviate the stress on your back. You can have a look at Parmaker’s quality range of golf buggies here.
Shoulder injuries
Similarly, the repeated stress of swinging a club can cause a lot of wear and tear on your shoulder, putting your shoulder at risk of injury.
How to prevent shoulder injuries
Try these tips to give your shoulders the best chance of remaining injury-free:
STRENGTHEN
- Strengthening the back, chest, scapula and rotator cuff muscles will help take the pressure off your shoulders and save them from injury.
STRETCH
- Improving the flexibility of all the muscles in your shoulder girdle will help prevent pain, tightness and strains from developing.
TECHNIQUE
- As above, get your swing periodically checked by a professional to help prevent poor mechanics from causing you pain.
- Shorten your backswing so that it ends with the club head at 1 o’clock (rather than 3 o’clock as you may have been doing) to get your shoulders in the correct position.
Hand, wrist and elbow injuries
The repetitive motion of the golf swing can cause pain and occasionally injuries to the hands, wrists and elbows. These types of injuries can be exacerbated by poor wrist and arm strength, an incorrect grip, playing too often or neglecting to warm up properly.
How to prevent hand, wrist and elbow injuries
Try these tips to give your hands and arms the best chance of remaining injury-free:
STRENGTHEN
- Work on strengthening the muscles of the forearm.
STRETCH
- Stretch your wrists and arms before you go out to play (get some tips from a professional golfer, exercise physiologist or just do a quick google search for some good, general stretches).
TECHNIQUE
- Make sure your grip is neutral.
- Loosen your grip a little bit.
- Correct technique is key to preventing injuries, so get a technique tune-up from a professional every so often.
EQUIPMENT
- Make sure your clubs have a larger grip.
- Graphite shafts will lessen vibration, making it easier on your hands.
- Select the correct club length for you.
Foot and knee injuries
You spend a lot of time on your feet during a round of golf, leading to quite a lot of wear and tear on your feet and knees. As well, the leading knee absorbs a lot of force during the swing and can be prone to overuse injuries.
How to prevent foot and leg injuries
Try these tips to give your feet and knees the best chance of remaining injury-free:
STRENGTHEN
- Work on strengthening your calves, thighs and hamstrings.
STRETCH
- Stretch before you play each round, particularly hamstrings and calves.
TECHNIQUE
- Ensure your technique is correct by consulting a professional.
- Make sure the weight shift in your downswing and hip rotation is correct.
EQUIPMENT
- Wear supportive footwear that is appropriate for golf, and not just old sneakers that you pull out of the cupboard. You need proper golf shoes with short cleats to adequately support your foot and leg.
General strategies for preventing golf injuries
Establishing some good habits such as stretching, strength training and technique refining will go a long way towards preventing injuries such as these. Even if you don’t have any injuries, try these strategies to ensure you stay injury-free:
- Do a regular stretching and strengthening program to improve your levels of strength, stability and mobility, as this lessens your chance of injury.
- Warm up thoroughly before every round of golf you play. Include exercises to increase your heart rate, a few stretches and some practice shots.
- Take a golf lesson or have a tune-up now and then to ensure you have correct technique that is not likely to cause injury.
- Deal with niggles before they become bigger problems. Try the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation), or see a doctor or physio if it’s a more serious problem.
- Have a look at this article on how to become a lifelong golfer.
