Abstract
Over the years, golf has become an increasingly popular sport, attracting new players of almost all ages and socioeconomic groups. Golf is practised by up to 10 to 20% of the overall adult population in many countries. Beyond the enjoyment of the sport itself, the health-related benefits of the exercise involved in walking up to 10km and of relaxing in a pleasant natural environment are often reported to be the main motives for adhering to this activity by recreational golfers.
Golf is considered to be a moderate risk activity for sports injury; however, excessive time spent golfing and technical deficiencies lead to overuse injuries. These are the 2 main causes of injuries among golfers, and each has specific differences in the pattern in which they occur in professional and amateur golfers. Golf injuries originate either from overuse or from a traumatic origin and primarily affect the elbow, wrist, shoulder and the dorsolumbar sites. Professional and weekend golfers, although showing a similar overall anatomical distribution of injuries by body segment, tend to present differences in the ranking of injury occurrence by anatomical site; these differences can be explained by their playing habits and the biomechanical characteristics of their golf swing.
Many of these injuries can be prevented by a preseason, and year-round, sportspecific conditioning programme including: (i) muscular strengthening, flexibility and aerobic exercise components; (ii) a short, practical, pre-game warm-up routine; and (iii) the adjustment of an individual’s golf swing to meet their physical capacities and limitations through properly supervised golf lessons. Finally, the correct selection of golf equipment and an awareness of the environmental conditions and etiquette of golf can also contribute to making golf a safe and enjoyable lifetime activity.
References
Stover C, Stoltz J. Golf for the senior player. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 163–78
Hosea TM, Gatt Jr CJ. Back pain in golf. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 37–53
Stephens T, Craig CL. Le mieux-être des Canadiens et des Canadiennes: faits saillants de l’enquête Campbell de 1988, Ottawa. Ottawa (ON): Institut canadien de la recherche sur la condition physique et le mode de vie, 1990: 6–14
Nolin B, Prud’homme D, Godbout M. L’activité physique de loisir au Québec: rapport de l’enquête ‘Activité physique et santé 1993’. Monographie no. 5. Montréal (PQ): Santé Québec, Ministere de la Santé et des Services Sociaux et Kino-Québec, Governement du Quebec, 1996: 59–66
National Golf Foundation. 11500 South US High-Way One, Jupiter (FL), US. Statistics, 1993
Morehouse CA. The super senior golfer. In. Cochran, ed. Science and golf. London: Chapman and Hall, 1990; 14–23
Batt ME. Golfing injuries: an overview. Sports Med 1993; 16 (1): 64–71
Thériault G, Lacoste E, Gaboury M, et al. Golf injury characteristics: a survey from 528 golfers. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996 May; 28 (5): 565
Stover CN, Wiren G, Topaz GR. The modern golf swing and stress syndromes. Physician Sports Med 1976; 4: 42–7
Jobe FW, Perry J, Pink M. Electromyographic shoulder activity in men and women professional golfers. Am J Sports Med 1989; 17: 782–7
McCarroll JR, Retting AC, Shelbourne KD. Injuries in the amateur golfer. Physician Sports Med 1990; 18: 122–6
Adlington GS. Proper swing technique and biomechanics of golf. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 9–26
Pink M, Penny J, Jobe FW. Electromyographic analysis of the trunk in golfers. Am J Sports Med 1993; 21 (3) 385–8
Pink M, Jobe FW, Penny J. Electromyographic analysis of the shoulder during the golf swing. Am J Sports Med 1990; 18: 137–40
Duda M. Golf injuries: they really do happen. Physician Sports Med 1987; 15: 191–6
Batt ME. A survey of golf injuries in amateur golfers. Br J Sports Med 1992; 26: 63–5
McCarroll JR, Gioe TJ. Professional golfers and the price they pay. Physician Sports Med 1982; 10: 54–70
Lacoste E, Gadoury M, Thériault G, et al. La prévention des blessures au golf: effet d’un programme d’échauffement spécifique [presentation]. Association québécoise des sciences de l’activité physique; 1995 Mar; Québec
McCarroll JR. The frequency of golf injuries. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 1–7
Jobe FW, Schwab DM. Golf for the mature athlete. Clin Sports Med 1991; 10: 269–82
McCarroll JR. Golf: common injuries from supposedly benign activity. J Musculoskeletal Med 1986; 3: 9–16
Parnianpour M, Nordin N, Frankel VH, et al. The triaxial coupling of torque generation of trunk muscles during isometric exertions and the effect of fatiguing isointertial movement on the motor output and movement patterns. Orthop Trans 1988; 12: 629–34
Evarard A. Golf. J R Coll Gen Pract 1970; 3: 293–5
Shulenburg CAR. Medical aspects and curiosities of golfing. Practitioner 1976; 217: 625–8
Nirschl RP. Muscle and tendon trauma: tennis elbow. In: Morrey BF, editor. The elbow and its disorders. Philadelphia (PA): WB Saunders, 1993; 5531–7
Jobe FW, Cicotti NB. Lateral medial epicondylitis of the elbow. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 1994; 2: 1–9
Kohn HS. Prevention and treatment of elbow injuries in golf. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 65–83
Murphy PM, Cooney WP. Golf-induced injuries of the wrist. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 85–109
Cahalan TD, Cooney WP, Tamai K, et al. Biomechanics of the golf swing in players with pathological conditions of the forearm, wrist and hand. Am J Sports Med 1991; 19: 288–93
Chao EYS, Tamai K, Cahalan TD, et al. Biomechanics of the golf swing as related to club handle design. Biomechanics in Sports 1987; 6: 107–11
Wood N, Dobyns JA. Sports related extra-articular wrist syndromes. Clin Orthop 1986; 202: 93–102
Norman A, Nelson J, Green S. Fractures of the hook of hamate: radiographic signs. Radiology 1985; 154: 49–53
Torisuv T. Fracture of the hook of the hamate by a golf swing. Clin Orthop 1972; 83: 91–4
Adams MA, Hutton WC. The effect of fatigue on the lumbar intervertebral disc. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1993; 65: 199–203
Pink M, Jobe FW, Young LA, et al. Preventive exercise in golf: arm, leg and back. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 147–62
Jobe FW and Pink M. Shoulder pain in golf. Clin Sports Med 1996; 15: 55–64
Pink M, Jobe FW. Shoulder injuries in athletes. Clin Management 1991; 11: 39–47
Jobe FW, Moynes DR, Antonelli DJ. Rotator cuff function during a golf swing. Am J Sports Med 1986; 14: 388–92
Jobe FW, Moynes DR. 30 Exercises for better golf. Inglewood (CA): Champion Press, 1986
Murase Y, Kamel S, Hoslikawa T. Heart rate and metabolic responses to participation in golf. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1989; 29: 269–72
Stover LS, Mallon WJ. Golf injuries: treating the play to treat the player. J Musculoskel Med 1992; 9 (10): 55–72
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thériault, G., Lachance, P. Golf Injuries. Sports Med 26, 43–57 (1998). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199826010-00004
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199826010-00004