Reasonable exercise can keep golfers fit on course

By Ellen Creager
Knight Ridder News Service

A fine day. A fine bucket of balls. An eager golfer, a fantastic swing, and — yeouch!

That's why Michigan orthopedic surgeon Dr. Phillip Schmitt and physical therapist John Connolly are begging golfers, as they have every year for five years, to get in shape before they get into serious play.

Doctors say most golfers spend too much time loafing between time on the course. On the Mainland, that loafing often comes when the ground is covered in snow.

"What we see a lot in May are people outside three to four times a week hitting buckets of balls, and they come to us with a sprain or strain," says Schmitt. A parade of aching backs, wrist pain, inflamed elbows, hurting knees and sore shoulders is a rite of spring in emergency rooms and doctors' offices in northern Mainland locales.

At a recent golf fitness seminar at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township, Mich., many people complained of aches and pains.

"What if you have scoliosis?" a golfer asked.

"When I play my wrist has a pain, right here," said another man, pointing to the inside of his right wrist.

"My right knee gives me problems," a woman said. "What am I doing wrong?"

Ask enough golfers, and it turns out their fitness tip is not exercise. It's pain relievers.

Schmitt says taking pain relievers like ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) before playing golf has merits.

"It's not a bad idea, because they have an anti-inflammatory effect," he says. However, pain relievers aren't a cure. More importantly, they can't prevent injury.

With only one in 10,000 golfers regularly making par, a big reason for golf injuries is when an amateur tries to swing as hard as a pro — without the technique to back it up. It's like the difference between a Stealth fighter and a Cessna.

"Pros don't hit the ball hard. Their club hits the ball hard," says Schmitt. Because they are more efficient on their downward swing, do less lateral bending and get torque through proper technique, pros actually put less stress on the body than amateurs do. And in an 18-hole game of golf, amateurs will take far more shots.

"The amount of force PGA pros put on the ball is light years ahead of the amateur," says Connolly. Try to copy them with your more strenuous, less efficient swing and you could end up in a world of hurt.

Compared to such sports as tennis or basketball, golf is not physically hard to play. But compared to sitting around doing nothing, it is strenuous.

Most golf injuries, experts say, involve the target side of the body — the side you are swinging toward. "In most right-handers, that is your left side, because most of the force of the impact is going through that side, and the side that gets less action is less strong," says Schmitt.

As people age, their tendons and muscles get tighter and shorter. Connolly and Schmitt say that if their patients just did a few simple stretches and strengthening techniques, they could avoid a lot of discomfort down the road.

All you have to do, Schmitt says, is "Stretch, stretch, stretch, strengthen, improve your golf swing, don't kill the ball, and get conditioning."

SAFE-GOLFING TIPS

Stretch, stretch, stretch

• The pros have people who do nothing but stretch them.
• Many amateurs don't bother, thinking it is useless. But any stretches are better than none.
• Physical therapist John Connolly recommends that about 15 or 20 minutes before you play golf, do a series of stretches that use your golf club. They can be done on the course or at home.
• In addition, keep yourself limber during golf. If you are in line to tee off, stretch, take some quarter-swings, walk around, loosen up.
• "Don't stand there for 20 minutes talking, or sit in the cart," says orthopedic surgeon Dr. Phillip Schmitt.

Strengthen and condition

• Even a modest program to strengthen the muscles in your arms and wrists can protect you from tendinitis. Strengthening your leg and thigh muscles will help you get more torque and speed on your backswing.
• Here are three ways to strengthen your arms, shoulders and wrists:
• With your elbow straight and your arm out in front of you parallel to the ground, hold a golf club at the grip, pointing away from you. Very slowly, make figure eights with the club.
• With your elbow straight and arm out to the side, hold the club by the grip. Very slowly, move it over your head, then back to the side.
• With your elbow straight and arm out in front of you, hold the club at the grip like a sword. Very slowly, move it up and down as if you were knighting someone.
• In all cases, shorten up on the golf club if it is too heavy. Repeat each exercise with the other arm. Improve your swing; don't kill the ball
• "What puts the least strain on your back is good for your golf," says Connolly.
• What does that mean? Play golf with a straight back, not slumped shoulders.
• As you age, you can safely shorten your golf swing, stopping at the 2 o'clock or 3 o'clock position just past overhead. That reduces stress on the body without sacrificing power. Hitting safely is just as important as hitting the ball far — maybe even more, experts say. Despite fancier clubs and longer drives, there have been no changes in the average golf score. Most golfers will shoot 100 on 18 holes.
• "No one is getting any better," says Schmitt. So you might as well save your back.