In a survey of male and female amateur golfers, the relative frequencies of
injury to various body parts were tabulated.
Injuries to the lower back are very common (36% for men, 27% for women)
Injuries to upper limbs (shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand) account for
more than half the total injuries in amateurs (65% for men, 67% for women).
Most of these injuries occur to the left (or leading) side for right-handed
golfers.
Frequency of elbow injuries is particularly high among amateur golfers
(32.5%) compared to professionals (7.5%).
Injuries to the lower limbs (hip, knee, ankle, and foot) are relatively
low for amateurs, accounting for only about 10% of total injuries.
Three most common causes of injury are:
Excessive play or practice (more than twice a week)
Poor swing mechanics
Hitting the ground or an object during a swing (fat shots)
The most common injuries occur on the back muscles (34.5%), elbow (33.1%),
wrist (20.1%), and shoulders (11.7%). Never treat any of these injuries
lightly.
Back Muscle Injury
Back muscle strains are quite common because of the twisting required for a
good swing. A bad back sidelined Fred Couples and Jose Maria Olazabal,
twenty-something golf stars in the 1990s who have three Masters titles between
them.
At address, your lower back muscles support the upper torso that is bent
forward to the ball; as you take the club to the top position on the backswing
your back twists to the right, the back muscles holding the head and shoulders
steady and upright. As the swing proceeds downward and then into the
follow-through, your arms turn around the torso, causing your back to twist to
the left, in the opposite direction. This unusual motion – changing the
direction of the twisting of the back – can cause strain to your lower back. A
golf swing can give your club head speeds of over 100 miles an hour, generating
such power and momentum that you must understand and prepare for. The key is to
stretch, strengthen, and condition these back muscle groups to avoid injury.