All
Hot Golfers Get “Warm” First!
By Larry Foster,
M.D., FA.A.A.O.S. (“Dr. Divot”)
Long thought of as a “cushy” pastime, golf actually causes an
alarmingly high number of injuries.
During the golf swing, our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints are
stressed to near full capacity as we accelerate the golf club head to nearly
one hundred miles per hour in less than half a second. In fact, the injury rate for recreational
golfers is an astounding sixty percent—and even higher
for golfers over age fifty.
And while the typical golf-related injury won’t put you in the
hospital, it will result in an average of five weeks lost playing time—and some
golf injuries can be season ending.
Golf injuries among amateurs are caused by a combination of factors, including
overuse (excessive play or repetitive practice), poor conditioning, faulty
swing technique, and improper warm-up.
Who warms up before playing golf?
Unfortunately, most recreational golfers think that the first three
holes of their round is the warm-up!
Studies that only a few percent of recreational golfers take the time to
stretch or warm up before playing a round or visiting the driving range. There rest of us? Well, a quick stretch here and one or two air
swings and—wham—we’re off to the races. Big mistake.
Most folks wouldn’t dream of standing on a pitching mound and throwing
a baseball as hard as they could, or running a fifty-yard dash without
stretching or warming up first. So why
do we think we can waltz up to the tee box and swing like Tiger without
preparing our bodies for the task with a few minutes of warming up? Any serious athlete—professional and
low-handicap golfers included—knows that there is a direct link between a good
warm-up and injury prevention.
- Time
- Aerobic
exercise
- Stretching
- Progressive
swinging
Time. In
order to get into the habit of warming up before golfing, you must first allow
yourself the time to do it. Get into the
habit of leaving the house or the office twenty minutes or so earlier than you
are accustomed. By avoiding that rushed
feeling, you can spend time preparing to be both mentally and physically ready
to play.
Aerobic exercise. Once at the course, you should start with a
five-minute aerobic “sweat breaker”.
Briskly walking around the parking lot, jogging, running in place, or
jumping jacks (my favorite because it gets the shoulders going as well) will
all suffice. Remember to choose an activity
that is appropriate for your age and level of conditioning. If you have any questions, consult your
doctor first. Breaking a light sweat is a
sign that our muscles are sufficiently warm to beginning the next step of the
warm-up.
Stretching. I
prefer a “head-to-toe” approach to stretching, because it provides me a way to
remember to include all the major muscle groups in sequence (there are lots of “golf
muscles!). Hold each stretch for fifteen
to twenty seconds, and avoid stretching beyond the point of pain. Stretch one side of the body, then the other. Repeat the stretches three or four times for
each side. Illustrations of specific
stretches are available in Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf Injuries—A Handbook
for Golf Injury Prevention and Treatment.
Progressive swinging. So far, you’ve given yourself ample time,
broken a sweat with your favorite aerobic routine, and performed a leisurely
head-to-toe stretch. Now you are ready to
pick up a club and start swinging. Avoid
the temptation to take out that titanium-platinum-molybdenum alloy Widowmaker
III driver first. Instead, start with a
sand or lob wedge by first taking a few half and three-quarter swings before
working up to full swings. Next, go
through your bag using the same pattern of half to full swings with each of
your even- or odd-numbered irons, starting with the highest number. Next come the woods, because they require an
even more strenuous swing than the irons.
Hit your 7 wood a few times, then the 5 and 3 woods. Finish with your driver. After crushing your
final warm-up drive down the middle of the practice range, turn to your playing
partner (who is staring in slack-jawed astonishment at your newfound dedication
to your body’s well-being) and say, “Let’s go, Sucker!”
While few of us will ever play like the pros, paying attention to proper
stretching and warm-up techniques—just like the pros do—will prepare our bodies
for the rigors of the game, improve our performance, and help prevent nagging
injuries. It only takes a few minutes
and will be time well spent, I promise.
Larry Foster, M.D.,
F.A.A.O.S., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and self-described golf
nut. Trained at
Handbook for Golf Injury Prevention and Treatment. Written in a humorous “plain-English” style,
Dr. Divot’s Guide teaches the reader how to prevent and treat the most common
golf injuries.
Visit Dr. Divot’s website at: www.doctordivotmd.com.
Or call:
1-800-247-6553 ($19.95).
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The articles at GolfFitnessProducts.net are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for direct examination and exercise prescription by the appropriate health professional. It is strongly recommended that you do not perform any exercise program without the consent of your personal physician.
