The PGA may not look like it has much in common with professional rugby – but you might be surprised to hear that golfers are actually injured more frequently than rugby players.

It’s true.

In fact, 62% of all amateur golfers and 85% of professionals will sustain a significant injury associated with playing golf.

There are a staggering 60 million golfers worldwide – so that’s a vast number of people getting injured playing the sport they love. The problem is, amateur golfers are often out of shape or have poor swing mechanics, and professional golfers often overuse their muscles with frequent play.

Trauma sustained to the lower back can account for one around one third of all injuries. This can happen to anyone regardless of their age or playing ability.

There are a couple of logical reasons for this.

First, achieving a good golf swing necessitates generating significant club-head speed. This speed is attained by applying substantial torque (force) and torsion (twisting) through the lower back.

Second, golf exerts considerable pressure on the spine compared to other sports. For instance, an average golf swing creates a compression load on the back that is equivalent to eight times the golfer’s body weight. In contrast, running produces a compression load of only about three times the runner’s body weight.

Golfers experiencing low back pain will usually have one of the following types of injuries:

• Muscle Strain or Ligamentous Sprain
• Disc Injury
• Altered Joint Mechanics or Motor Control
• Degenerative Arthritis
• Bone Fracture

Other common golf-related injuries will include trauma to the elbow, wrist/hand or shoulder. (And you thought golf was a low-impact activity!)

It’s helpful to understand not only the types of injuries associated with golf but also the main causes of injury which include:

• Frequency of repetitive practice (overworked muscles)
• Suboptimal swing mechanics
• Inadequate warm-up routine
• Poor overall physical conditioning

With the average injury recovery time lasting 2-4 weeks, looking at the main causes of injury is well worth the time and effort.

SO, how can you enjoy the wonderful game of golf while reducing your risk of injury?

Simply, the answer is via a targeted and regular conditioning routine.  Playing golf requires good strength, endurance, flexibility and explosive power. These components will help the individual to play the game well – and avoid injury too.

Physical conditioning routines designed specifically for golfers can help you stay on the green and out of pain. As a bonus, they can even help you improve your game.

An 11-week targeted conditioning program found participants:

• Increased their clubhead speed by 7%
• Improved their strength up to 56%
• Improved their flexibility up to 39%
• Increased their drive distance up to 15 yards with sustained accuracy

Whether you are a casual golfer who plays infrequently or serious about your game we can help you avoid injury and improve your skills. That’s why we’d like to share with you our free informational fact sheets on Golf Injury Prevention.

These fact sheets are completely free to download and are packed full of useful information to help you reduce your risk of injury while becoming a stronger golfer.

Download them HERE.

And be sure to check out our social media (Facebook, Instagram, X)  where we’re posting fun, informative tips and tricks to help you stay injury-free – whatever you’re doing.

Neil Sullivan
MSc BSc 9Hons) MCSP MSST
Burton Physio Group.