Golf Is Hard On Your Body

There probably isn't anyone out there who has played golf for more than a year who doesn't agree that golf is physically tough. It's not bone jarring tough like the NFL, it just slowly takes its toll swing after swing, day after day. Maybe this is just one more reason that the sport can't seem to increase rounds played year over year.

Is there something inherent in the swing itself that makes it physically dangerous? The back is one of the major trouble spots in golf, just look at the long line of pros that have had serious back issues over their careers. If you've had a back issue yourself, which means you're in the majority of people over 40, then you probably know that the worse thing for it is 'bending and twisting'. And that is exactly what a fundamentally sound swing requires. On the back swing you twist and then on the down swing, as you transfer weight and kick your left hip to start, you have to bend as well. As well as Rocco Mediate played in the Open, does his swing look classic? To me it looks more like 'the old man swing' that you see in your own foursome. You can see that Rocco is a player who has had serious back issues. He moves through the ball in a way to minimize the twisting and bending.

And backs are just the start these days. Knee issues seem to be cropping up more and more. I've even read more stories about PGA pros with stress fractures in their lower extremities due to all the walking. For many of us amateurs, we also have the issue of carrying a bag which adds weight as well as more twisting and bending.

Golf has a lot of issues facing it if it is to be a growing sport. The physical component may be one of the most important. Maybe we're all trying too hard, or swinging for the fences too often. Maybe teaching instructors should start with stretching and warm-up exercises before a student ever touches a club. Or just possibly, someone should figure out how to teach a swing like Rocco's to the amateurs over 40.

Here's to the continued growth of golf.

Worked Your Abductors Lately?

If your like me and have limited exercise time you might have ignored your hip abductor muscles. If you have, you might be making a big mistake. This blurb was taken from a recent article, "Golf's Muscle Man," in Golf Digest by Max Alder.

The report comes from Dr. Scott Lepart, who is Director of the Neuromuscular Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Center for Sports Medicine and also operates two human-performance and injury-prevention labs for the U.S. Army and U.S. Navel Special Operations.

From the article:

Says Lephart, "Identifying and strengthening specific muscles not only improves performance, it pre-empts injury"

After plowing through data collected from 700 golfers, including 35 PGA Tour pros, the time had come to reap the discoveries.

As expected, strength and flexibility of the shoulders and torso were important in golf, but Lephart also indentified a specific pair of muscles, the hip abductors, which engage when you move your legs apart, as a key discriminator in power.

Immediately before impact, stress equal to 2 to 3 times the golfer's body weight is placed on the hips. On average, Lepahart found elite players to be 30 percent stronger in the hip abductors.

"The balance and trunk stability provided by the hips is often overlooked in golf," says Lephart. "Golfers with weak hips are predispoded to committ swing errors taht hinder theirgame game and make them prone to injury over time."

Maybe it's time to start incorporating some hip flexibility/strength conditioning exercises into your routine.

Golfers and Bad Backs

If you follow pro golf, you've seen the reports this week that Annika Sorenstam is out with what is reported as 'one ruptured and one herniated disc in her back'. If you've ever had a ruptured disc you know she won't be back playing in a few weeks as was widely reported. I've had both a ruptured and a herniated disc (not the same disk by the way). Unless there's a new miracle procedure that's been discovered in the last week, I'm predicting she won't be back this season - if the diagnosis in the news reports is accurate.

That's tremendously unfortunate for Annika and the LPGA Tour. Things were just getting interesting with Lorena Ochoa making a serious effort to replace Annika as number one. A dual for the top spot was just what the Ladies' Tour needed to give it the excitement it currently lacks. I wish Annika a speedy recovery. A bad back is debilitating because you need your back to do most everything. If you've got a bum arm or leg, you can usually isolate it enough to get on with some part of your life. With a ruptured disc you pretty much have to lie still.

As someone who's had back problems and back surgery, I'm interested to find out what her treatment will be and how quickly she can return to competitive golf. If you haven't noticed, bad backs seem to go hand in hand with playing golf. It's a little disconcerting if you love the game. You can't help but wonder if there isn't a better way to swing a golf club and not hurt yourself. It's really time that someone did a serious study on this topic. Look at the number of pro players who have had back troubles over the years. I'll bet more than a few of your golfing buddies have had them as well.

Looking at Annika's swing, it seemed that it was quite back friendly. There was no inverted C finish. Intuitively, it seemed that her quick head release would put less stress on her spine. She's also young and in great shape. So shouldn't she have been less prone to back injuries than most? For the sake of all golfers, while respecting Annika's privacy, I hope someone follows and reports on the cause, her treatment and recovery. Annika, get well soon!

Heliocare - a pill to prevent sun damage?

Can a pill a day help keep sun cancer away? that's the potential of a new supplement called Heliocare, which has been shown to protect skin against the effects of sun exposure.

Part of a new trend in "oral antioxidants", Heliocare's active ingredient is an antioxidant called Polypodium Leucotomos (PL), an extract from ferns native to Central America, which have been used by indigenous people to heal skin problems such as psoriasis and dermatitis.

"Studies show that heliocare helps prevent redness after the skin has been irradiated with ultraviolet light," explains Dr. Leslie Baumann, professor of dermatology at the University of Mimami and author of The Skin Type Solution.

According to IVAX Dermatologicals, Inc, the US distributor of Heliocare, golfers who spend significant time outside should take a second pill three hours after the first dose. At $60 for 60 pills, that adds up – but the benefits could be more than worth it.

- from an article in Woman in Golf by Samantha Hallock

Amino Vital, why do the Pros love it?

I have been noticing a lot of professional golfers now using a product called Amino Vital. In a lot of ways this makes sense, after all amino acids are "the building blocks of life"

According to their website: "Scientists have learned that three linked essential amino acids—leucine, isoleucine and valine, called Branched—Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) serve as a critical source of muscle energy as well as nutrition for muscle repair. Unlike other amino acids, which are mostly metabolized in the liver, BCAAs are metabolized in the muscle tissue itself. Without a sufficient supply, your muscles begin to feel tired and sore during exercise.

In contrast, a plentiful supply of BCAAs makes you feel energized—and helps muscles recover and rebuild much faster. And during and after exertion, two other amino acids, arginine and glutamine, work to synthesize proteins, remove harmful toxins and strengthen the body’s immune system."

In this age of do-whatever-it-takes to get the competitive edge, Amino vital might be worth looking into.

Check them out at: www.amino-vital.com

Golf Biomechanics

Wanted to follow up on a site we featured recently in GolfDash about Biomechanics. This was from a UK publication called, Play Better Golf. While most established tour pros have a coach and a psychologist but very few have a biomechanics expert as part of their team.

It seems your golf technique is often compromised by poor biomechanics. So, in other words, no matter how hard you try to emulate Tiger Woods' rapid hip clearance or Fred Couples' flexible turn, you won't be able to achieve it if you don't have the physical capability to make those movements.

Biomechanics experts, unlike PGA professionals (who have a detailed knowledge of golf swing fundamentals) golf biomechanics experts use advanced physical assessment and training technique to improve flexibility, muscle performance and joint stability. Then, according to the results, a program (personalized exercises) is established that targets your physical weaknesses.

The line often gets blurred when you "think" you are suffering from bad golf swing mechanics (poor weight shift, for example) when the real issue might be an inflexible pelvis. Some common physical problems that can interfere with your golf swing mechanics are: one leg slightly longer than another, tight nerves in arms and legs, poor "core" abdominal muscle control, limited flexibility and incorrectly positioned pelvis. Further, these issues can also cause injuries due to compensatory muscle group movements.

If you're curious about the company featured head over to GolfDash and you can find the company in our Featured Sites Archives (just click on the green circled capital A) - However, you must be a member to do so. Register here (it's free) to get access to the archives (and other goodies)