Fitness
Why Exercise?
Force Of The Golf Swing
Fitness
Golf is a very unique sport. Just think about it ... how
many sports can almost anyone play regardless of their
physical conditioning? How many sports can the old and
young play on equal keels? Golf is a game that can be
played by people in the best and the worst physical
conditioning. Now don't get me wrong, having good
physical conditioning and fitness should lead to an
easier game of golf! And for this reason, we felt that
discussing how to get more physically fit before a round
of golf should be a valuable part of this section.
Why Exercise?
Most people would not consider golf a strenuous sport.
However, a long look at back injury statistics among
golfers, indicate that this leisure sport is just as
hazardous as heavy labor. Each year many golfers
experience low back pain. It has been estimated by the
Professional Golf Association that 80% of the injuries
incurred by players involves the spine.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed a bicmechanical model to determine the hazard potential for different jobs. Compression force on lumbar discs is the primary variable used in determining these hazard levels.
Using results from studies based on compressive forces resulting in disc-vertebrae failure, NIOSH developed it's work level recommendations. These recommendations essentially warn employers not to assign an employee to a job that they physically cannot handle. Otherwise, it will potentially result in a back injury. The recommendations are:
- Over 3400N of compressive force on the spine is potentially hazardous to some workers
- Over 6400N of compressive force on the spine is hazardous to most workers
Force Of The Golf Swing
Most people believe that swinging a golf club in a fairly
easy manner wouldn't subject the spine near the levels
just mentioned. However, a recent study in which
scientist measured the compressive forces of both
amateur, and professional male golfers has proven this
belief a gross misconception. Below, there is a list of
compressive forces on the spines of golfers.
- For Amateur Golfers the force is 6100.08 N +or- 2413.05 N
- For Professional Golfers the force is 7584.52 N +or- 2422 N
The results were surprising with both average amateur and professional golfers easily surpassing these levels. In fact both of the groups exerted over eight times their body weight on their spine. According to these results, NIOSH would classify golf as being hazardous to most people! Just so that people understand the forces exerted in a golf swing, we are going to present the forces on the spine of a spin. Below are a list of compressive forces of power lifters.
- Female Powerlifters exert a force of 6400 N
- Male Powerlifters exert a force of 12,641 N
For this reason, golfers should exercise regularly and make sure they are properly stretched out before they swing the club.