FITforeGOLF™
GOLF INJURIES REALLY DO HAPPEN
By Geoff Cuskelly PT & David Lindsay PT MSc
The effortless appearance of a PGA player’s swing fool many into thinking no one could get hurt playing golf. However, many parts of the body are moving through maximum ranges of motion and at maximum velocity during the swing. In fact a typical male golfer’s swing reaches a speed of 100 mph in less than one fifth of a second and requires between 3-4 horsepower of muscle power. This equates to about 30 lbs of muscle contracting as hard as it possibly can. By the time you add-up warm-up swings with practice swings and real swings, these short duration but extremely powerful motions are repeated hundreds of times per round. In the case of the spine, many of the forces produced during the golf swing motion are DOUBLE the amounts considered safe in industrial settings.
Research has shown that golf injuries do occur and at surprising frequencies. Injuries range from acute falls and freak accidents (being struck by a ball or club, lightning strikes, etc.) to chronic repetitive injuries to the spine and limbs. The most commonly injured areas in male golfers are the low back followed by the elbow and shoulder. For females the wrist is affected most often, followed closely by the low back. In the case of upper limb injuries, the lead side (left side of a right-handed golfer) is involved approximately 6 times more often than the trail side.
Studies also show that being a good golfer does not necessarily offer protection against injury, in fact injury rate tends to go up as handicap goes down. Almost 70% of players with a handicap under 9 have suffered a golf-related injury, compared to 60% for those with a handicap over 18. Approximately half of all golf injuries are chronic (meaning they drag on and sometimes never fully go away). The above numbers may sound confusing but essentially mean that on any given day, at every single golf course, there is a least one person in every foursome that tees-off that day who will be bothered by pain during the round. Golf injuries really do happen!! If you are hurting on the golf course, see a sport medicine physician or physical therapist trained in golf injuries to help get you back “on course”.
For more information visit our web site ( or contact your FITforeGOLF™ Physical Therapy Clinic:
81 Middlecote Drive Ajax ON, L1T 0K3