Common Golf Injuries
8. June 2009 by Tee It Up Pro Shop.
All sports tend to have injuries that go hand in hand with the sport; the problem becomes learning what is typical to occur and learning exactly how you can avoid the injuries in order to really ensure that you are as healthy and safe as possible out on the green. One of the best things you can do for your body is of course make sure that you are in good physical condition before you play golf, but this is not always possible as you can imagine. However if you take the time to ensure that you are in good physical shape you will greatly reduce the number of injuries that you are prone to have.
As you can imagine, with all of the walking and swinging that you do with clubs on the green back injuries are quite common. However, aside from using muscle rubs, and ice packs or back braces simply taking the time to do proper conditioning of your back muscles can help to avoid these problems. It is also important to ensure that you get the rest that you need following a game of golf to ensure that your back has the time to rest between activities that it needs. If you play continuous games back to back, you may want to consider an occasional massage or even a chiropractic alignment.
Another common injury is tennis elbow, or more commonly called in golf – golfer’s elbow. This typically results most often in players who are playing a lot suddenly. However, there are a few minor differences between tennis and golfer’s elbow. The primary difference is that tennis elbow impacts the outside of the upper arm, while golfer’s elbow impacts the inner arm. While there is no specific way to avoid these injuries they are most often caused by suddenly playing a lot. For example, if you typically play a single game a month then suddenly entered into a very long tournament you could potentially be at risk for developing either tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow.
As can be expected shoulder injuries also top the list of major problems for golfers. You can just imagine the pressure that is put on the shoulders as you are swinging the clubs continuously. Take a body that is tired or worn out in the least and you have a prime recipe for an injury. To avoid this you need to ensure that you are warming up your shoulder muscles as much as possible before a game and work hard to ensure that you are taking proper care of your body.
One other problem that tends to occur a lot is carpal tunnel syndrome. This happens primarily due to repetition stress. For example, if you play numerous games of golf in a row for several months straight you could be looking at a potential injury in progress. The results of the injury can be quite serious at times, but if you are careful and catch it early typically just a brace will solve your problems. However, serious cases of carpel tunnel can cause you to be incapacitated or even require surgery in order to use your hands appropriately. The problem is that carpel tunnel syndrome can often give no serious signs until it appears and causes problems. Always ensure that you wear a wrist brace if you start to notice that you are having serious wrist pain.
Beginners Guide to Putting
8. June 2009 by Tee It Up Pro Shop.
As you can imagine, one of the most important things that you can do to improve your golf game is improve your putting skills. While it may seem impossible, simply practicing and working to improve a few minor things will greatly improve your skills. Once you have learned what you need to do, practice the skills until you have them mastered. Remember, a good putting skill will ultimately translate into a much improved long shot as well so taking the time to practice your putting is very important.
You are of course going to need to practice to improve, but the exact skills that you need to practice tend to vary from player to player. As a general rule of thumb, there are three things that you need to specifically focus on in order to get the best golf game possible. The first skill is ensuring that your swing is proper so that you will contact the ball exactly in the middle of the club head. If you are not dead on the center you will never be able to master putting. You simply cannot hit the ball from the side of the club head and expect it to go straight. No matter how long you practice, this is not possible and will result in plenty of frustration over what you are doing wrong.
Once you have worked to improve hitting the ball from the very center of the club head you need to move onto tonsuring that you always hit the ball in a straight line to the target. This means if the ball needs to go 2 feet away from you towards the lake, you would not want to aim the ball towards the tree beside it. You may think this sounds a bit strange, but many people do not squarely approach the ball to the target. They then stand around and wonder why they are missing their shot. Even if you are off by just a fraction, this can seriously alter your putting skills because the ball is not going to go where you want it to go.
You will likely need to practice this point a lot, most people do not realize when they are just slightly off center from the target. Yet even the slightest difference away from the target will result in a missed shot and an increased handicap. Work on this by ensuring that you take plenty of time to practice. This is even a skill that you could practice in your office, or bedroom at home using a small home putting kit. However, going to the driving range is not going to help you here so avoid them if possible while you are working on this skill.
Your last skill that you need to work on to improve your putting skills is working to ensure that you are accelerating the club head when you are actually coming into contact with the ball. Many players make the mistake of slowing the club down right before they actually hit the ball. This will cause you to lose the momentum that you need in order for the ball to make it to your target. Working to make a conscious effort not to slow the club down will usually be sufficient in order to improve this skill and give you some improved results.
