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Injury Prevention & Learning from Other People’s Mistakes

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Given that we’re in the middle of the off-season here in the Northeast, Golficity has emphasized the importance of fitness on The Golf Podcast (see, e.g., Episode 195 with Frank Duffy, Episode 183 on Core Strength, and Episode 181 on Flexibiliy), Vlog Episodes (the Future of Golf Fitness with Ben Shear), and recent posts (TPI certified fitness instrutor John Paul Guidry’s Fitness Case Study).

And that’s because fitness and, perhaps more importantly, injury prevention applies to everyone, from the scratch golfer to the guy who’s picking up clubs for the first time.  Don’t think so, just ask Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and, the most recent name to join this unfortunate list, Brooks Koepka.

Anyone who’s ever seen the defending U.S. Open Champion play instantly knows that, like Tiger and Rory, Koepka is a power player.  I mean, check this out:

A quick visit to his Instagram shows how dedicated the guy is to improving his body to ensure that’s capable of playing the best golf he’s physically able to.

A post shared by Brooks Koepka (@bkoepka) on

I mean, the guy has one of the fastest swing speeds on the PGA Tour, with an average club head speed around 123 MPH.  And just like Tiger and Rory, Koepka is going to need to actually rest and fully recover before he’s able to play at 100% again.

Koepka has been suffering from a left wrist injury, and the impact it’s having on his game is obvious.  After winning the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in June, Kopeka played quality golf and was even selected to compete in the President’s Cup.  But at the Hero World Challenge at Albany (Bahamas) in December, Koepka shot 3 over in the 18 man field.

And it gets worse.  Just this past week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Plantation Course (Hawaii), Koepka shot 13 over and failed to break par in any of his rounds.  Following the disappointing performance, Koepka commented that it “hurts like hell” and that he’s feeling pain “everywhere” in his swing.

Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts during the pro-am…

Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts during the pro-am tournament prior to the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 3, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

So what should you take away from this?  Well, even the most physically fit, fundamentally-sound golfers run the risk of injury.  Accordingly, regardless of whether you’re golfing to pay the bills or just to have some fun on the weekend, everyone should try to take reasonable measures to minimize their risk of injury.

At a minimum, everyone should complete some variation of a pre-round stretching routine to ensure your back and hips are warm and round to swing the club.  If you want to take things a little further, incorporate a training device like the Orange Whip or surgical bands to help wake up up your core, too.

While some of playing partners might point and laugh, you’d rather be at the golf course teeing it up without any pain (excluding your bruised ego) than sitting at home and missing out on your regular 4-hour weekend vacations at the course.  Just to illustrate, a couple years ago I pulled a muscle in my back.  The injury forced me to put the clubs down for just over a month and, even after I healed up, I was hesitant to go full-power in fear of re-injuring myself.  A month in the Northeast is about 15% of the golf season during a good year, so that’s lots of precious time you don’t want to throw away.

In addition, try to get in some degree of athletic shape and try to maintain, if not improve, during the year.  While it’s entirely unreasonable that a golfer needs to spend 8 hours a week in the gym (on top of your job, kids, wife, sleep, etc.), try to do something active everyday, whether that means an hour long workout in the gym, a quick 20 minute bike or row, or even 15 minutes stretching on the floor or with a tension training system like Crossover Symmetry.  By exposing your body to some form of daily, athletic movement, you’ll ensure that you’re ready for every weekend round you’ve got planned and the long-drive hole at that charity golf outing.


Cover Image via Instagram

Ever since golf became a competitive outlet, nothing brings Eric more joy than a well struck 4 iron. And despite living in NYC, Eric makes it a priority to work on his game and fitness during the week, along with a round or two over the weekend. Fortunately, he’s got a very understanding fiancé who (for the time being) accepts him and his obsession. Follow Eric on IG @hozel_rocket.

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