Blog 1: Everything Golf ⛳
Part 1: The Golf Swing & The Common Injuries Seen In Practice
Welcome to Everything Golf a five-part series written by Dr. Keirstyn that is built for golfers who want to understand their bodies, stay out of pain, and keep playing the game they love for as long as possible.
What perfect timing with today being the kick off to the 2026 Masters Day 1! I myself have loved playing and watching golf since a young age. My fiancee has been a very talented golfer all his life and so I felt it fitting to make the title photo of him from when we were out on the course :) Whether you're a weekend warrior squeezing in nine holes or a competitive amateur grinding through a full season, this series is for you.
Let's start with the foundation: why golf, a sport that looks deceptively easy from the outside, is one of the most physically demanding things you can ask your body to do repeatedly.
Golf Is Not a Low-Impact Sport:
I hear this constantly from golfers who come in with injuries: 'I don't know how I hurt myself, I was just playing golf.' The assumption that golf is gentle on the body is one of the most persistent myths I deal with in practice. Let's clear it up.
A full golf swing compresses the lumbar spine at forces estimated at up to eight times body weight. The rotational velocity of the club at impact can exceed 160 km/h. The average recreational golfer plays 36 rounds per year and hits hundreds of balls in practice. That's tens of thousands of high-velocity rotational repetitions loading the same structures in the same direction, year after year.
Golf is a repetitive, asymmetrical, high-velocity rotational sport. The body absolutely feels that over time especially since the low back is not always the biggest fan of forceful rotation.
What the Swing Actually Demands:
To understand why golfers get hurt, you need to understand what a proper swing requires from the body:
Thoracic Rotation:
The mid-back needs to rotate significantly in the backswing. When it can't, the lumbar spine compensates. This is one of the most direct pathways to lower back injury in golfers because a lot of people do not have enough mobility in their mid back and end up compensating with their low back.
Hip Mobility and Stability:
The lead hip has to internally rotate through impact while the trail hip externally rotates in the backswing. Restriction in either direction forces compensation up or down the chain.
Shoulder Dissociation:
The ability to separate upper and lower body rotation (the X-factor) is what generates power. Without it, golfers compensate with the arms, overloading the elbow and wrist.
Core Anti-Rotation Control:
The core's job is to transfer force efficiently from the lower body through to the club. A weak or poorly coordinated core leaks energy and increases spinal load.
Wrist and Forearm Control:
At impact, the forearm extensors and flexors are absorbing significant force, especially with off-centre contact or hitting from firm turf.
The Most Common Golf Injuries — The Landscape:
Golf injuries follow predictable patterns based on these demands. The three I see most consistently in my practice:
1. Lower Back Pain:
The most common golf injury by a significant margin. Research suggests up to 35% of amateur golfers experience low back pain related to their golf game. The lumbar spine is being asked to compensate for restrictions elsewhere and it eventually lets you know.
2. Hip and Glute Issues:
Hip mobility restrictions, gluteal tendinopathy, and hip impingement are increasingly common, especially in golfers over 40. The hips are central to a powerful, pain-free swing and are chronically undertrained relative to how hard they work.
3. Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis):
Despite the name, this shows up in both golfers and non-golfers. In golfers specifically, it's driven by grip mechanics, swing path, and forearm loading patterns at impact. The trail arm takes the brunt.
We'll go deep on all three in Part 2. But the important point right now is that none of these injuries are random. They are the predictable result of specific movement deficiencies meeting high repetition volume.
Why Recreational Golfers Are Often More At Risk Than Competitive Players:
This surprises people, but it makes sense when you think about it. Competitive golfers typically have more consistent mechanics, warm up properly, train off the course, and play regularly enough that their bodies are adapted to the demand. Recreational golfers often play infrequently, don't warm up, have more variable swing mechanics, and then suddenly play 18 holes on a weekend after sitting at a desk all week. That pattern is a reliable injury recipe.
The good news is that almost all of it is addressable. With the right movement habits, the right preparation, and the right support when something goes wrong.
Up Next — The Big Three Golf Injuries
In Part 2 of Everything Golf, we go deep on the injuries I see most — lower back pain, hip and glute issues, and golfer's elbow — including exactly why they happen and what the warning signs look like before they become a real problem. See you there.
———
Back pain after a round? Hip stiffness that's affecting your swing? These aren't things to play through. I work with golfers at every level to find what's driving the problem and fix it properly. To learn more about Endurance Therapeutics or to book an assessment reach out today!
📍 Endurance Therapeutics | Oakville, Ontario
📞 905-288-7161