At a high level, the golf swing technique is an incredibly beautiful sequence of complex movements – which is why it is so hard to master. However, if you implement several simple things into your usual routine you can help to prevent injuries from occurring and fix niggles before they become a hindrance to your game.
A proper warm up goes a long way
Because a golf swing is made up of movement from not only the spine and hips but shoulders, wrists, knees and feet is important you warm all of these joints and muscles up prior to practice and playing. Hence one injury prevention rule is do a proper warm up. If your game finishes at the 19th hole then really your game should start at hole 0 as in preparation/ warm up etc.
Don’t over-load the body
The next aspect of preventing injuries occurring in the first place, is not overloading the body during practice. Ever felt a bit sore after hitting a large bucket of balls within 45mins at the range? Maybe you were feeling pretty good with the driver and 1/3 of the balls were used with the big stick. Over hitting can lead to more stress around joints and tendons which can ultimately end up causing injury such as acute tendonitis, back strains etc. It’s no wonder if coaches count/ monitor how many times a baseball pitcher throws in training then a golfer should count/ monitor how many times they swing in practice. So when practicing on the range take your time, swap clubs regularly and do it every other day.
Control is more important than strengthening, strengthening is more important than flexibility
Most people would think that having a high level of flexibility is one of the best things you can do to improve your golf. Well in simple terms it’s not. Having adequate control and strength is much more important to improving your swing. It’s why more and more pros are doing gym based sessions and incorporating pilates, yoga or tai chi into their training schedules.
These are very basic tips to help you with your golf. If you want more advice to help to reduce your risk of injury and to improve your golf performance come in and book an appointment.
