How to Avoid Injuries on the Golf Course

July 19, 2024

Golf ball and golf club at a beautiful golf course at sunset

You might think of golf as a low-impact leisure activity that’s not too hard on the body. But the full-body motion of a golf swing can take a toll on elbows, shoulders, hips and lower back. Golfing injuries are fairly common.

Doing proper warm-ups and maintaining physical fitness are the best defenses against injury, says Brad Brigagliano, PT, a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist at University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute. Brigagliano offers some tips for avoiding golf injuries.

Main Causes of Injury

“The unique thing about golf is high-level participation isn’t limited by age,” says Brigagliano. “People tend to play more, not less, as they get older. So we see injuries across the spectrum.”

The most common injuries in golf tend to be neck, lower back, elbow, shoulder, wrist, hands and knee (usually from a pre-existing knee injury). “With upper-level golfers, it’s typically more neck, wrist and hand injuries,” says Brigagliano. “In novice and higher handicap golfers, it’s usually elbow, lower back, shoulder and knee.”

Because higher handicap golfers take more swings, they can be more prone to overuse injuries, such as golfer’s elbow. Other common causes of injury include:

Poor swing mechanics
Trauma (hit by ball)
Mobility and strength imbalances

Avoiding Golf Injuries

“One of best ways to prevent injuries is to warm up. You don’t want to sprint out there at tee time and start swinging as hard as you can. Studies show doing a warm-up for 10 minutes has a positive effect on preventing injuries,” says Brigagliano.

“Also, your overall fitness level makes a difference. Mobility, strength, flexibility and balance training will reduce injury risk.” Working out not only helps prevent injuries, it’s one of the best ways to improve your game. “There’s a positive correlation between muscle strength and handicap,” says Brigagliano. “Some of the most significant improvements are seen in older golfers who start doing resistance, flexibility and balance training.”

Exercise regularly. It will also improve your game.
Don’t carry a golf bag; use a push cart.
Walking the course will improve fitness level.
Work on swing mechanics.
If you’re new to golf or haven’t played for a while, don’t do too much too soon.

“Don’t go full speed playing 36 holes the first weekend and going to the driving range every day,” says Brigagliano.

How to Warm Up

“Static stretching is not recommended before activity because it reduces your ability to produce power,” says Brigagliano. “You want to do dynamic movements, taking your muscles through their full range of motion. You’re getting the muscles ready to stretch and move quickly. You want to get the whole body warmed up because swinging a golf club is a much more powerful movement than people give it credit for.”

Individualization in key, especially after injury or battling a current issue.
Do full body warm-ups.
Get muscles working through full range-of-motion / dynamic warm-ups.
Resistance exercises (lunges with rotations, air squats, banded shoulder exercises).
Get your heart rate up (walking, jogging, jumping jacks).
Avoid static stretching before a round.

Brigagliano doesn’t recommend the same set of warm-ups / exercises to all golfers because it is individualized. “What might help one person may not help another person or might hurt another person. It needs to be individualized because everybody’s swing is different. Mobility, strength and fitness levels are different too.”