Even for the recreational golfers, there have been signs of strain to players joints sometimes causing aches and severe pain.
Research from the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that although pro golfers suffer their fair share of injuries, recreational golfers who play have triple the injury rate of men and women in the professional ranks.
The the most common injuries for the occasional player include:
– Low back
– Inner elbow
– Outer elbow
– Shoulders
– Knees
Experts say due to the fact that recreational players are not doing enough of a warm-up; too tight of a grip; trying to kill the ball; over-swinging; hitting the ground with a downward swing; and too little day-to-day activities besides hitting the course on an occasional basis.
The recommended warm up time before a round is 30 minutes — especially if you are over the age of 40. Your muscles and joints need that time to loosen up for this very specific set of motions and activities.
Another important key factor is to make sure that you look at golf as you would any sport: it requires the three components of fitness —
1) Aerobic, 2) Strength, and 3)Flexibility.
All in which can be done within 30 minutes. If you need help setting up a fitness program there are several online tools you can find on search engines that can help you get a jump start.