PUSH, PULL OR CARRY
WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING YOUR CLUBS AROUND THE COURSE, WHAT’S THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO DO IT WITHOUT HURTING YOUR BODY? A SPORTS CHIROPRACTOR REVEALS …
When it comes to getting your clubs around the course, what’s the best and easiest way to do it without hurting your body? Dr Josh Nelson reports,
PLUS, we showcase the best buggies to look at.
To push, pull or, carry ... that is the question! As a golf-specific health professional this is something I get asked, almost on a daily basis, by club golfers looking to avoid aches and pains.
Firstly, it’s important to understand that golf is a game that requires all of your muscles, joints and other soft tissues to work in synergy in order to give you the best chance of reaching your peak performance. Gone are the days when you almost needed a senior citizens card to use a buggy, and carrying your clubs on your back was looked upon as a sign of your golf ability and toughness.
All you need to do is take a stroll around your local golf course these days to see the amount of people now utilising the latest in push/pull buggy technology to realise that more and more people are using golf as a way to stay active and healthy while chasing that elusive single-figure handicap.
The first question that needs to be answered is whether or not it is better to carry your clubs or use a buggy of some sort.
In almost all situations I believe it to be much better (and safer) to use a buggy rather than lugging your clubs around 18 holes. Carrying your clubs not only places a huge amount of compressive force on your spine, but also causes lactic acid build-up in the surrounding muscles, causing fatigue and you guessed it … injuries.
As a sports chiropractor, I am always looking at people’s posture around my local course and I cringe when I see our juniors lugging around a set of clubs half their body weight, hunched forward with their head two feet in front of the rest of their body.
There is also the issue of dropping and lifting the bag potentially more than 100 times throughout a round, which places even more torsional stress on the spine (especially considering the average golf bag weighs between eight and 15 kilograms when full). This could potentially be the beginning of a lifetime of spinal health issues if not addressed early enough.
The latest research out of Europe also shows that carrying your bag leads to a decreased ability to score and an increased chance of injury.
The next step is to work out whether it is better to push or pull your buggy around the course. The answer to this is fairly straightforward and all you have to do is observe the posture of someone walking with a push buggy compared to a pull buggy.
The main difference you will notice is when pulling, you are creating a twisting effect on your spine, which causes muscle imbalances
and a lot more pressure to be placed on your shoulders, elbows, and knees (leading to an increased chance of injury).
As golf is a game that is predominantly played in one direction, the last thing we want to do is anything that causes a greater asymmetry within the body. Push buggies, however, offer an advanced alternative to the traditional pull buggy by taking advantage of the forward momentum of walking and thereby reducing muscular fatigue.
Pull buggies are also generally harder to manoeuvre and control (I’m sure most of us have had an experience of a zig-zagging buggy almost running over our feet as we walk up the fairway), and the latest research also shows that players tend to shoot lower scores while using a push buggy rather than a pulling buggy. When it does come to using a push buggy, there are a few points to keep in mind: • Ensure that the handle sits around ‘belt’ height so your arms and shoulders can stay relaxed; • Keep the buggy close to your body with your elbows at 90 degrees and use your big stabilising muscles to push the buggy along, predominantly your core and leg/ buttock muscles; • Invest in a good quality push buggy as
they are worth their weight in gold; • Always take time to warm up correctly before each round; If you are a senior player or you play on a fairly hilly course, look at motorised push buggy options that will allow you to expend less energy when walking up those dreaded hills.
Keep the buggy close to your body with your elbows at 90 degrees and use your big stabilising muscles to push the buggy along, predominantly your core and leg/buttock muscles.