Thank god for my wife, I love her to death, but this week she is literally a goddess. I have a reserved tee time at Northern Bear (a Jack Nicklaus course) with some buddies from my college years. We have kept in touch over the years and we had planned this weekend for almost a year. I did NOT want to cancel, but my golfer’s back was causing no end of problems. We had planned a guy’s weekend: playing golf, spinning tales, telling lies and betting (keep that quiet) on who would win the next hole.
Believe it or not, my wife encouraged the trip… (hmmm.. wonder why she wanted me out of town?) and showed me how to get my back into proper shape. She’s a dancer and only watches golf when she walks through the living room and Tiger Woods is playing.
FACT: Top Ten Golf Related Injuries. Back Pain, Golfer’s Elbow, Shoulder Pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, DeQuervain’s Tendinitis, Knee Pain, Trigger Finger, Wrist Impaction Syndrome, ECU Tendon Subluxation, Fracture of Hamate Bone.
Back in my college days I was on the golf team and had PGA dreams. Turns out I had a better head for business and I definitely wasn’t in Tiger Wood’s league, still, I gave most a good run and won my share. And here’s the kicker, not once during my time on the gold team, did I have any injuries (we’ll forget about that one crazy weekend where we played the back nine at 2am… shhhhh). Of course, being nineteen and twenty years old may have been a factor.
When I turned thirty, I could feel my back begin to strain when I used my driver, and now nearing forty, if I don’t do a proper warm up, I am asking for back troubles. So guys, take the following advice from my wife and maybe I’ll see you at Cochise golf course some weekend.
“Honey”… this is how my wife talks when she wants me to pay attention. “Whether you’re playing golf or dancing, you need to pay attention to core strength, stability and flexibility.” Since she was wearing alluring leotards, I could only sit spellbound and listen. “You need to do strength training to tighten up your abs (could that be hint?) since all your power comes from your center” (she motioned to her stomach, then did an imaginary golf swing) showing me how my abdominals effect my back and hips. Hmmm… maybe she was onto something. “And”, she continued, now on flow, “you have to stretch before you play. The better your strength and flexibility, the better you will feel during and after the game”. I couldn’t argue with her, and especially not when she smiled. That’s the gleam that caught my eyes years ago.
So I took my wife’s advice, although she doesn’t know a divot from a shank and heaven forbid if I mention a foursome. But keeping a body in shape was her specialty. I began to implement her advice into my daily gold regimen; strengthening my midsection, stretching before tee time, trying (in general) to live healthier. Believe it or not, it not only helped my golf game, but my overall outlook. I could drive longer and straighter and playing eighteen holes did not wear me out.
Now my buddies from college are envious, of my golf game, my “drop dead gorgeous” wife and of course my core strength (though they’d never admit to that one). Golf injuries can be a thing of the past. Stay in shape, stretch before tee time, and give a listen to what the little lady has to say.
This article was written to help my fellow golfers. To find out even more about Golfing Tips visit the Golf Travelers Guide website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bart_Rutherford
http://EzineArticles.com/?Golf-Injuries—Watch-Your-Back&id=1002981