Preventing Common Golf Injuries
Many golf injuries are preventable. Many injuries can be prevented
by the simple precautions one can adopt such as how to correctly
lift the golf bag in and out of the car, to ensuring you warm up
correctly before each game. Others that relate to specifc
common golf injuries are outlined below.
To find out more about common
golf injuries.
Avoiding Back Injuries
- Equipment - Bend the knees and keep the back
straight, abdominals tight when lifting your golf bag or retrieving
the ball.
- Equipment - Avoid stooping by using a putter
with a longer shaft.
- Address - Check feet are not too far apart
at address, limiting the turn of the hips. Tiger Woods stands
with both feet slightly turned out, the right to help the hips
rotate during the backswing, and the left to help the hips rotate
to the left during follow-through.
- Backswing - keep the backswing slow and use
a big shoulder and hip turn, ensuring body weight is properly
shifted to the right foot, and that the arms and shoulders are
kept within the correct plane of the swing at the top of the backswing.
Avoid overswinging.
- Follow Through - Keep the follow through relaxed
and upright, avoiding hyperextension of the spine.
Preventing Golf Elbow and Tennis Elbow
- Golf Equipment - Use graphite shafts of correct
flex for your build, strength and golf ability. Also consider
using low compression balls to decrease elbow strain at impact
- Practice - on real turf at driving ranges instead
of rubber mats when possible.
- Backswing - Keep a relaxed grip pressure, take
a slow backswing.
- Transition - maintain a smooth transition from
the backswing to the downswing and avoid releasing the hands prematurely.
- Downswing - keep the elbows loose, and don’t
decelerate immediately prior to hitting the ball
- Fairway shots – Avoid hitting the ground
during the swing by using a flatter, more elliptical swing to
that used on the tee. Avoid hitting balls where contact with rocks,
trees, tree roots and sprinklers is possible. It’s better
to move the ball and add a shot to your game.
Preventing Shoulder Injury
- Maintain proper strength and flexibility of both shoulder and
scapular muscles
- Backswing - Slow down to reduce stress on the
shoulders.
- Fairwary Shots – use a flatter swing
plane to sweep the ball off the turf ; avoiding the impact on
the shoulders of hitting divots.
Reducing Carpal Tunnel Injury
- Equipment - Replace club handle grips as needed,
and consider larger/softer grips.
- Swing - Reduce grip pressure on the club handle
Preventing DeQuervain's Tendoinitis
- Backswing - Avoid excessive cocking of the
left wrist at the top of the backswing, and releasing the hands
prematurely at the top of the backswing (casting maneuver).
Preventing Knee Injury
- Equipment - Consider using spikeless shoes
to reduce twisting stresses on the knees.
- Equipment - Only use short irons while recovering
from a knee injury to minimize stress on the knees. A driver or
long irons places additional stress on the knee and risks re-injury.
Preventing Trigger Finger Injury
- Equipment - Ensure your golf glove has sufficient
padding on the left hand
- Equipment - Keep club handle grips replaced
as needed, and consider larger/softer grips.
- Grip - Reduce grip pressure on the club handle.
Avoid the strong grip position by rotating the left hand counter-clockwise.
Preventing Wrist Impaction Syndrome
- Backswing - Slow down the backswing to minimize
right wrist extension at the top of the backswing.
Preventing ECU Tendon Subluxation
- Swing - Avoid taking fat shots and stay away
from rocks, roots, or other obstructions
Preventing Hamate Bone Fracture
- Equipment - Ensure your clubs are fitted properly
so the butt end of the club extends beyond the fleshy pad on the
pinky-side of the left hand.
- Swing - Avoid taking fat shots or swing at
balls near rocks, roots, or other obstructions.
Back to Top
Related Reading
Common Golf Injuries
Golf Fitness
|
