HOW TO PERFORM A REMARKABLE GOLF SWING STEP BY STEP 

Most common golfing injuries and why it is critical to know how to perform golf swing properly in order to avoid disadvantages in sporting events participation and injuries caused by wrong practices either in elite competition or amateur practice. In this MY SPORTS INJURY CLINIC blog post you will allow yourself to dig out everything you need to know about. 

 “When there are injuries produced by golf practice hardly ever they are given the same acknowledgment as contact sports, combat sport. Nevertheless, golfing injuries are befallen more frequently than you thought. A scientific research was carried out where the aim was to review the profile of the golf female players’ discomforts. A statistic of five hundred twenty two (522) female golf practitioners were included in the study where (35,2%) of them presented having experienced an injury due to practice golf within a period of time of twelve months before the Women's Pennant Competition in Victoria, Australia. It was indicated lower back as the most frequent injured zone and strains were pointed out as the most common source of injuries representing a figure of 67, 9%. Around of 184 injuries informed 154 of them were treated by a health care professional provider. Likewise, it turned out that sports physicians / physiotherapists / physical sports clinicians were the most consulted and sought after to handle these kinds of injuries. Statistically 69, 7 % of the golfers could not be performing in their competitions properly due to the injuries causing competition games and practices to be missed, reaching up to an amount of 78, 9% of affected performance”. As per A J Fradkin et la (2005). 

You already know that the movement we make to hit the ball when making the stroke is called swing. If you are starting to play golf as a past time, you have wondered more than once how to make a good swing. Although practice on the ground is essential, we are going to explain some keys to you regarding the swing. My sports injury clinic located in Manchester city recommends you to follow the guidelines below.  

Before we get down to work we must not forget that what you want to achieve with the swing is to maximize the speed of the clubhead at the moment of hitting the ball to reach the maximum distance and making use of a good alignment of the body is also key as if you don’t control your body you will be spraying ball to any course except for the targeting one wanted for the golfer.

“In this review it was highlighted that there were three frameworks and they were used to calculate the horizontal plane alignment of the upper body; cardan angles, chest vector and the last one is inter acromion vector. Then, it used the intra-class correlation and 95% agreement to limit the agreement between the evaluation methods. Outcomes found displayed that thorax/ chest vector can be employed to give precise estimation of thoracic alignment in every phase of the swing.” Published by C E Milner, T Vernon and J S Wheat (2007). 

An outstanding swing will depend a lot on our position (stance / good alignment) and on how we hold the club (grip), which must be done by keeping the shaft as close as possible to the base of the fingers.

What is the correct position during the swing performance? 

The first thing you have to know to make a swing is that to have a good position we must open our legs to the width of the hips. Just like the photo below. 

If we do not adopt the necessary techniques to make a swing when we practice golf, it is very likely that we will get an injury.

“The prevalence showed in the study was that golf players linked with lesions in the lower back area varies from 15 % (fifteen percent) up to 34% (thirty four percent) in non-professional golf players, on the other hand, a figure of 22% (twenty percent) up to 24% (twenty four percent) in professional/ elite golf practitioners. Overall, the incidence within male golfers group is 25% and it can reach up to 35%” meanwhile within female golfers group is 22% and it can encompass up to 27%.” Cited from the research made by  Andrew J. McHardy et la (2007). 

We bend slightly from the hips forward and bend our knees. The arms must have width so that they remain straight during the blow. The ball must be in the centre, but slightly displaced to the left, although it will depend on the chosen club. As we mentioned the knee is essential to perform a good stance, but, Can I injure my knee while playing golf? 

“The incidence of sustaining knee injuries in professional golf athletes and amateur golf ones is ranging from 3% to 18%, and the assessment measure on skill level or gender is not evident. Although, older golfers presented higher risk of having knee injuries” Research issued by Matthew L. Baker et la (2017) 

How to start off a good swing.

You must be aware that the first part of the swing begins by separating the head of the club from the ball. You have to do it gently and with your arms outstretched. The movement must end with the stick over the shoulder and parallel to the ground.

“In short, the injuries of professional golfers are usually linked to their swings, According to reports, various acute and chronic injuries include, median neuropathy, ulnar nerve neuropathy, wrist fractures, eye injuries, skin rashes and tendinitis.  Repetitive swings cause the most damage to men and women; areas such as the lower back, left hand and left wrist get injured commonly, collecting an average of two injuries for every professional golfer. ” Study named as the price golf players have to pay by Terence J Gioe and John R McCarroll (1982). 

Can physical therapy / spinal manipulation improve my swing performance? 

“Comparing muscle stretching alone to chiropractic therapy related to muscle stretching looks like it is tied in to the improvement of golfers' full swing performance i.e. spinal manipulation / physical therapy will give better results than a solo stretching workout” Soraya M.V. Costa and others (2009).

What is the right way to hit the golf ball?

Once this movement is finished, we move on to the change of direction of the swing which we are going to hit the ball. The lowering of the stick begins with a hip movement which we reverse the turn of our body while lowering the head of the stick.

This movement must be done with controlled force. When we hit the ball, far from finishing the swing, we must continue with the movement.

How to finish your golf swing smoothly.

Given the movement we have made previously and the force which we have hit the ball, it will be difficult for us to stop. So we continue to slow down little by little. The golf club will continue to draw an arc around our body. When this movement ends, the club should be above our head.

To make a good swing it is necessary to practice and have an expert player who teaches you that is vital to achieve it. 

References 

• Fradkin AJ, Cameron PA, Gabbe BJ. Golf injuries--common and potentially avoidable. J Sci Med Sport. 2005 Jun;8(2):163-70. doi: 10.1016/s1440-2440(05)80007-6. PMID: 16075776.

• Wheat JS, Vernon T, Milner CE. The measurement of upper body alignment during the golf drive. J Sports Sci. 2007 May;25(7):749-55. doi: 10.1080/02640410601113213. PMID: 17454543.

• McHardy A., Pollard H., Luo K. Golf injuries: a review of the literature. Sports Med. 2006;36:171–187. 

• McHardy A., Pollard H. Lower back pain in golfers: a review. J Chiropr Med. 2005;4:135–143. 

• Gosheger G., Liem D., Ludwig K., Greshake O., Winkelmann W. Injuries and overuse syndromes in golf. Am J Sports Med. 2003;31:438–443. 

• McCarroll J.R., Gioe T.J. Professional golfers and the price they pay. Phys Sportsmed. 1982;10:64–70. 

• McCarroll J.R., Retting A.C., Shelbourne K.D. Injuries in the amateur golfer. Phys Sportsmed. 1990;18:122–126. 

• Cabri J, Sousa JP, Kots M, et al. Golf-related injuries: a systematic review. Eur J Sport Sci. 2009;9:353–366. doi: 10.1080/17461390903009141. 

• Gatt CJJ, Pavol MJ, Parker RD, et al. Three-dimensional knee joint kinetics during a golf swing: influences of skill level and footwear. Am J Sports Med. 1998;26:285–294. doi: 10.1177/03635465980260022101. 

• Marshall RN, McNair PJ. Biomechanical risk factors and mechanisms of knee injury in golfers. Sport Biomech. 2013;12:221–230. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2013.767371. 

• McCarroll JR, Gioe TJ. Professional Golfers and the Price They Pay. Phys Sportsmed. 1982 Jul;10(7):64-70. doi: 10.1080/00913847.1982.11947272. PMID: 29267100.

• Seaman D. Golf and chiropractic: a natural combination. Dyn Chiropr. 1999;17(17) .