PREVENTION OF GOLF INJURIES By Dr. John Bowman, M.D. The best solution to any problem is to never have it in the first place. Therefore injury prevention is crucial to a safe and happy golf season. Injury prevention requires a combination of good judgment as well as proper education and awareness. The following information will help you decrease the risk associated with golf injuries and hopefully save a lot of unnecessary pain, frustration and time away from the course. Gradually increase your golf activity when starting a new golf season: - Allow a couple of weeks to build up to your normal activity level - Avoid hitting a large bucket of balls the first couple of times out at the driving range. - During the first two weeks, give yourself at least one complete day-off between playing or practice sessions. Stretch and strengthen your golf muscles: - Stretching and strengthening are extremely important fitness components - Improves performance and help prevent injuries - Ideally seek out a golf fitness program run by a qualified instructor Know your limits: - The saying “no pain no gain” is a misconception in any sport - Pain can be a warning that tissue damage is occurring - If you have pain from overuse or injury see a health care professional WARM UP PRIOR TO PLAYING Many of us know it’s important but few of us do it particularly well. - An appropriate warm-up permits peak performance right from the first tee and helps prevent injury. - The ideal warm-up will take 15 - 30 minutes and can be broken down into four sections. General body warm-up: - Warm-up the body by low intensity activity that uses as many of the large muscle groups as possible. - Brisk walking, climbing a flight of stairs, or simply placing a club behind your back and carefully rotating from side-to-side for several minutes. Stretching: - Stretch the back, hip, groin, hamstring, quadriceps, calves, neck, shoulders and forearms. - Each stretch should be gently held for 10 - 20 seconds. - Pain should not be experienced. Golf specific drills: - Gently swing a short iron back and forth. - Gradually build up the tempo until you feel loose, then add resistance by gently swinging two clubs at once. Practice: - Take time to practice a few shots with each of a sort iron, long iron and a driver - Helps further warm up the golf muscles - Helps improve timing and consistency. - Practice your putting as well