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Show Volume I , Issue X Page 7 The Ogden Valley News July 1999 You Can Improve Your Golf Game While Preventing Injuries By Dr. Lewis D. Harper One of the fastest growing sports in the world today is the game of golf. It is estimated that over 50 million people participate in the sport on a regular basis, with over half of these residing in the United States. Billions of dollars are spent every year on equipment to help these individuals improve their scores. Some individuals are so motivated to improve their game, they don’t hesitate to spend $500.00 for a new driver. Some even spend $2000.00 to $4000.00 to enroll in top golf schools, which are regularly booked months to years in advance. Many golfers learned by watching other players, trying to imitate the elite athletes. It is this type of “learning curve” that results in bad habits that no amount of new equipment can correct. One thing that golfers need to realize is that the most valuable piece of equipment they have is their own body. When it wears out, it cannot be replaced. There were 300 players on the PGA tour in 1985-86 and 230 (77%) of these players suffered golf related injuries. Would you believe that 164 of these injuries were low back related? How many non-PGA golfers suffered similar injuries and symptoms? Did you know that there is training available for you to help prevent these injuries while taking strokes off your golf score? Paul Calloway, the first Director of Physical Therapy for the PGA tour, evaluated many of the pros and determined the most common factors that contributed to these injuries. These factors are poor body mechanics, excessive practice, no regular customized golf specific exercise program and no consistent diet plan. 50 Years Ago Jackpot Prizes July 22, 1949 Body mechanics play the biggest part in golf injuries. The players posture at address, grip, excessive flexion, and other posture related errors contribute extensively to injuries. Visualize a person playing golf with poor body mechanics and posture, eventually the supporting tissues of the low back, neck and arms will breakdown resulting in pain and injury. Even after this injury has healed, if the body mechanics and posture are not corrected, the injury will resurface again and again. A customized golf specific exercise program will improve your body mechanics, avoid injuries and care for your most valuable piece of golf equipment; YOUR BODY. Mr. Calloway has developed a training program that addresses these specific problems. The success Mr. Calloway has had with his program has an average improvement of 4-6 strokes off of a golfer ’s handicap. Mr. Calloway has taught other health professionals, including myself—Dr. Harper, how to train individual golfers by teaching them specific exercises and instructing them how to improve their golf posture. You can continue to buy the expensive clubs and other equipment, but if your mechanics and posture are not correct, you will not be able to use that club to its full potential. Correcting your posture and the mechanics of your swing will prevent injuries and improve your golf score. If you have any questions or would like more information on improving your body mechanics, contact Harper Rocky Mountain Chiropractic at 745-0977. Mrs. Eva Wangsgaard, 818 28th Street [formerly of Huntsville] popular writer, smiles happily after winning some $700 worth of merchandise for correctly identifying Chester Gould as the mystery voice on “Who’s Talking?,” a 15 minute radio show that was sponsored by Read Bros. She is pictured above with Boyd Read, who is handling her one of the many prizes she received when she won the contest that ran for 11 weeks over KLO before the mystery man was identified as the penman who draws the comic strip, Dick Tracy. Standing by the KLO microphone and holding the mystery disc is Len Allen, who along with Chief Announcer Dean Thueson, conducted the early morning show. |