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In terms of injury prevalence, golf could technically be classified as more dangerous than sports like rugby. It’s a slightly misleading statistic, but one of interesting note, nonetheless. Golfers are prone to strain, ache, and pain for all sorts of reasons, despite it being seen as a leisurely game. Let’s try to understand some of the most common golf injuries and how to prevent them from happening.

Common Golf Injuries & Why We Get Them

Injuries from golf are sustained in various ways. They can be sudden and acute, for example when hitting a fat shot or twisting a little farther than you’re used to. Or chronic, coming on slowly over time through repetitive play and practice. Whatever the case, pain is pain, and it keeps us from doing the sport we love. It’s time to dive a little deeper into the injuries that plague golf communities worldwide.

Common Golf Injuries

Here are some of the most common golf injuries we see when people come to Dynamic Golfers looking to relieve their pain and become better golfers overall.

Lower Back Pain

The lower back is the most commonly injured part of a golfer’s body, accounting for about 37% of all golf injuries in amateur golfers. Our lumbar (lower back) vertebrae, particularly the lower ones (L4/L5), are susceptible to all sorts of wear and tear as a result of the constant (and sometimes violent; long drives, for example) twisting we do while swinging our clubs. 

The musculature around the lower back that is there to support and stabilize it whilst doing such motions is often underdeveloped and/or uncoordinated. This is not just a problem for golfers, but for people in general. Our lower backs get the short end of the stick as a result of faulty training programs and sedentary living that involves a lot of sitting.

Pain in the lower back can be particularly damning to the golf athlete, because they will be hesitant to swing for fear of aggravating the injury. This leads to all sorts of split second compensations to try and complete the movement, often resulting in overload of another part of the body, stressing it disproportionately to how it would be loaded in a body that was healthy.

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Knee Pain

As is the case with many golf injuries, pain that arises while playing is not necessarily always directly related to the time spent on course. It is often secondary, and aggravating in nature as opposed to being the main problem. Knee pain in golfers is one such example, with the lead leg tending to be more affected than the trail leg.

There can be some degeneration of the meniscus (a disc-like piece of cartilage that sits in the middle of your knee joint) due to the constant torsion placed on that lead leg. Irritation otherwise of pre-existing problems like osteoarthritis and/or old ligament injuries is very common, as well (and in both knees).

These things combined make for approximately 25% of amateur golfers experiencing some sort of knee pain throughout their playing careers. 

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Shoulder Pain

The third most common golf injury is pain or insult in and around the shoulder joint (accounting for 19% of amateur golf injuries). There is a notable imbalance between the lead and trail shoulder, as there is in the hips and knees. 

The trail shoulder (right side if you’re right handed) undergoes excessive external rotation during the backswing, sometimes creating laxity in the front of that shoulder, exposing this area to injury. The lead shoulder has the opposite problem, often having more laxity in the back of the shoulder due to the excessive internal rotation it’s subjected to in the backswing.

Another contributor to shoulder pain in golfers is stiffness in the mid-upper back (thoracic spine). When this part of the spine is too stiff to extend and rotate effectively, power that should be generated through the torso has to be created by the shoulders, often by overreaching. Taking preventive measures with these dynamics in mind can help to maintain your shoulder health as a golfer long-term.

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How to Prevent Common Golf Injuries

The key to safeguarding yourself against pain and injury is to make sure your body is prepared to handle what it is you’re asking from it. If the only physical activity you do is golf, your body is in for a rude awakening. Like any sport, golf is not a one-size-fits-all prescription for health.

Dynamic Golfers was created with this in mind. We provide the world’s #1 training platform for golfers to help them become stronger, more powerful, and pain-free. Our programming is an intelligent combination of stretching/mobility, strength training, and injury prevention routines that are designed specifically for the golfing athlete.

Here is a snapshot of what we offer through our online platform and easy-to-use mobile app…

Daily Stretching & Mobility Routines

Our stretching and mobility routines are designed to be done daily. We recommend positioning them post-round if you’re out on the course that day. These 15-20 minute routines are gentle and corrective in nature to help unwind your body from all the tightnesses built up over years of inactivity, desk work, improper training, old injuries, and the like.

Benefits

• Better circulation & elevated mood levels
• Improved sleep quality
• Less aches & tension throughout the body
• Lower risk of injury while golfing
• Greater muscle flexibility & joint mobility

Strength Training Routines

Our strength training routines are 25-30 minutes in length, require little to no equipment, and are designed to be included in your training schedule 2-3x a week. Stronger muscles are less likely to tear and are more supportive of your body, no matter what position it winds up in. These routines are great for weight loss, overall health, power production, muscle mass, and more.

Benefits

• Longer drives & faster clubhead speed
• More powerful & confident swings
• Enhanced stability & balance
• More toned & athletic physical appearance
• Reduced risk of injury

Injury Prevention Programs

Our injury prevention programming is designed to heal and prevent the most common golf injuries. These all-inclusive programs range anywhere from 2-6 weeks, and include a combination of both strength exercises and stretch/mobility movements to work on a particular problem and/or part of the body.

Benefits

• Focused routines to address common golf injuries
• Targeted approach to get you pain-free fast
• Builds up weak & more susceptible areas of the body
• Gentle routines that are corrective & rehabilitative in nature
• Increase your bodily awareness in areas that are often underutilized

Sign Up With Us Today | Dynamic Golfers

If you want to take the guesswork out of your training and join thousands of people worldwide on the path to pain-free golfing, you need Dynamic Golfers. Sign up for a 7-day free trial by clicking here! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist