Golf Conditioning and Injury Prevention

Golf Conditioning and Injury Prevention

A golfer’s conditioning program must be designed to integrate the whole body.  Using functional golf exercises, what I would also call corrective exercises are designed to balance, lengthen, restore, strengthen and coordinate movement patterns specific to golf.  The sole reason for a good golf conditioning program is to allow the golfer to play at an optimal level without getting injured along the way.

Unfortunately for many golfers, pain is a constant battle; whether it is back pain, knee pain, or shoulder pain; most golfers just grin and bear it and play through the discomfort.  Did you know that over 50% of golfers play with pain, and 90% of them have received some kind of “quick fix” therapy that has not worked; you can’t just take care of the pain, you need to take care of the cause.

The 3 Rules to follow for golf injury prevention:

1. All treatment, programs, or corrective exercises must be done to correct the underlying cause of the problem, before trying to improve performance.
2. Treatment should only focus on decreasing pain during the acute phase of an injury.
3. When you are trying to improve performance a program must be focused on restoring stability to specific joints and balance to the musculoskeletal system.

One common limitation I find in golfers is lack of gluteal or “butt” strength; weakness in this area can cause problems in balance, posture, and power in the golf swing.  Here are a couple of key exercises that I have most all of my golfers do.

1. Piriformis stretch- this allows you to stretch those muscles to give you more hip rotation and therefore more power in your golf swing; hold 30 seconds and do both sides.

2. Isolated Gluteal contraction against wall- you will feel this one on the down leg; drive pressure into that heal, stand up nice and straight and try to raise the opposite leg as high as you can.

3. Isolated Gluteal contraction using bridge- make sure you do not arch your back during this exercise; you are trying to feel most of the tension in your butt, not In you back or hamstrings.

If you have any pain or discomfort with these please consult your Doctor or therapist; these exercises are just meant to be a guide, I suggest that you consult a golf specific Doctor, a TPI certified or Chek certified medical professional.

Article written by Dr. Tyler Hamel, Titleist Performance Institute Certified Level 3