LETTER OF THE MONTH

BACK TO IT I’ve recently taken up golf at the age of 45. I’ve spent many years lifting weights at the gym and read with interest Andrew Crockett’s ‘Back Lash’ article (GA February 2019).

After a month of regular practice at my local range I started to have back pain. I’ve had treatment for the problem, which was caused more than likely by bad posture (rounded shoulders) and constant repetition. I think golf highlighted the problem with my bad posture as all of the sudden I was engaged in an activity that requires very specific motion.

Foam rolling has become a very useful tool for me, this combined with myotherapy is helping to fix this problem.

Constant repetition or practice certainly causes injury. I’ve had several injuries over the years from doing gym work and believe my recent regular practice at the driving range is much the same thing. Hitting 100 balls in about an hour really concentrates a lot of activity into a small time frame. Compare that to playing 18 holes in roughly 4 hours and there is quite a difference.

I’m going to continue my practice with lessons and a more level head. Our bodies are not machines but like a machine, it can be worn out by too much activity. As a new golfer and gym lover, I’m really enjoy seeing articles related to fitness. It was great to read of the opinions and experiences of professional and experienced golfers on this subject.