The life of an elite golfer certainly has its perks, such as free equipment or travelling on a private jet, and can be glamorous in many ways, but the journey to get there is anything but easy, and experiencing life at the top can be stressful. You risk getting injured due to constant play, whether an amateur or a professional. Despite the health benefits beyond just getting a good walk, you face injuries like golfer’s elbow, rotator cuff conditions, back strains, and tendonitis, to name a few. Whether it’s the injury itself or the fact that you’re susceptible to long-term damage if the issue isn’t addressed, surgery may be the only option.
Even if the risk of injury is low compared to other sports, golf can be dangerous, so if you’ve gone from amateur to playing on the PGA Tour, avoid hurting yourself. With suitable precautions, you can maximise the benefits while minimising the risk of injury. Here’s how:
Get Flexible Just Before Your Tee Time
In today’s sedentary society, marked by passive job roles, leisure activities, and, sometimes, a lack of opportunity, it’s easy to lose the mobility needed for a good swing. Tight muscles and stiff joints can lead to imbalances in the body, making you prone to injury. Since flexibility is your number one friend in golf, incorporate a combination of breath work, static stretching, and dynamic stretching into your morning or bedtime routine. Everything in your body is connected, which means that if one muscle is too tight, it pulls on neighbouring bones and muscles.
Before you start your stretches, you’ll want to warm up with 5-10 minutes of light activity, like walking around, to increase blood flow to your muscles and decrease your risk of injury. Do one stretch at a time to really see results before and after every round of golf. Deep breathing while stretching enhances the experience: as you inhale, you pull all the air into your lungs, which causes the diaphragm to contract and move downwards, then, as you exhale, blood refreshed with oxygen makes its way back to your lungs. All you need is a quiet space to pay attention to your breathing.
Take Care of Your Back
Back pain is the most common golf injury, so don’t be surprised if pain shoots through your back, threatening to cut your game short. Even pros like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have been sidelined with back pain and forced to withdraw from tournaments, playing some of the worst rounds of their careers. Back pain is the result of overuse injuries due to the repeated motions of golf. As with many sports, accidents are bound to happen occasionally, so consider using a buggy to transport your clubs to avoid the compressive force on your spine.
The average golf bag weighs roughly 15 kilos, so it stresses the spine a lot. Not surprisingly, buggies cause many accidents, with injuries ranging from minor to fatal, even in lower-speed areas. If you’re the victim of a personal injury, you may be entitled to claim damages. Navigating the legal system can be confusing, especially if you’re unfamiliar with its inner workings, so please visit https://www.personalinjuryclaimsuk.org.uk/ for general inquiries. In some cases, the defendant may attempt to avoid liability by claiming there was no way to foresee the circumstances that led to the accident.
Unless You Have a Comfortable Golf Swing, Be Patient
The golf swing should be effortless, with minimal tension – no slouching, slumping, or tucking your chin into your chest. Find a swing and grip that works for you by taking into account your body and style if you want to take your game to the next level; the best tips don’t always come from friends or opponents, so be smart about what you listen to. If you want to hit the ball faster than anyone else, it’ll happen consciously or unconsciously, and that’s the beginning of the end of your career. If you swing the club too hard or too fast, you’ll stress your joints, so just relax and take an easy swing at the ball until you get the hang of it.
Treat An Injury Right Away
Golf might seem like an easy game to play, but it requires a lot of practice, great skills, and perseverance. Professionals and amateurs alike suffer either traumatic injuries or overuse injuries while golfing, and it’s always better to prevent these problems from happening in the first place. Warming up for more than 10 minutes is useful – a quick coffee and a couple of swings don’t count for anything; your body (and your brain) must warm up and be ready to go. Many issues can be avoided by using good swing mechanics, so it’s best to have an exercise program that includes core strengthening and stretching to increase your playing time.
Golf injuries can’t always be prevented, even with proper precautions, so if you get hurt, see a doctor right away. Playing will only make things worse and can even put an end to your sports career, so no matter how severe the injury is, seek first aid or medical treatment to evaluate your condition thoroughly. Listen to your body, never play through the pain, and seek medical care when you’re off your game. If you notice unusual pain, apply the RICE protocol – rest, ice, compression, and elevation – to reduce swelling, ease pain, and speed up healing.
Wrapping It Up
Golf should be a fun, enjoyable activity, but accidents will happen, irrespective of how careful you are, and some injuries can be extreme or even deadly. Though rare, it’s possible to play lights out – for good, that is. Most golf injuries can be treated non-surgically, so get help from your GP, the PGA, or a physiotherapist to have the best chance of success. To enjoy a better game, make sure your body can handle the motion involved, so if you’re stiff, stretch. And if your muscles have gotten weaker, strengthen them to maintain bone density, improve balance, and reduce joint pain.
