Although golf is a non-contact sport, there are still plenty of different ways that you can injure yourself on the course. Many players don’t look at golf as a form of exercise, and as such, they don’t take the proper precautions to ensure that they do not strain their muscles or injure their tendons. There are a few things that every golfer can do to minimize their chance for injury on the course and many of these tips will actually help you improve your game.

1. Don’t forget to stretch.

Any type of exercise should be preceded by a brief stretching session. Take about ten to fifteen minutes to stretch out your arms, leg and back. Your movements should mirror the swings you will be taking but much slower. This will give you plenty of time to get warmed up. As a bonus, the first few holes should go a lot smoother since you won’t have to get warmed up while you are actually on the course. If you don’t have a lot of free time, even five minutes of stretching is better than none.

2. Don’t forget to cool down.

Conversely, just like stretching before golf is important, it is also vital to go through a good cool down stretching session when you are done. When you go right from the course to flopping into a chair at the grill, you are not giving your muscles enough time to recover after your exertion. Simple stretches can help you avoid post-game soreness and keep your muscles in shape. Even though it is tempting to immediately quit once you’ve finished the last hole, try to do a few cool down stretches before you head off to the clubhouse.

3. When necessary, use a cart.

There are just some courses out there that are not friendly for walkers. Unless you are in peak physical condition, you will regret it if you don’t use a cart, especially if the course is very hilly. As a bonus, your game will go a lot faster, and you won’t end up feeling like you just ran the Boston Marathon when you wake up the next morning. If the course is easy to walk – walk it. If not, err on the side of caution and get the cart. Your muscles will thank you.

4. Use proper form.

One of the easiest ways to injure yourself on the course is by using improper form on your swing. This can stress not only your arms and shoulder, but also your back, neck and legs. If you are finding that you are wracked with pain after every round of golf, your form may be to blame. Schedule a one-time lesson with the club pro to make sure that your stance is correct. This can save you many aches and pains later on.

Golf actually does require a good deal of physical effort. Treat it like you would any other exercise program and remember not to overdo.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-27 05:50:33. Republished by Old Post Promoter

• Practice Your Shot Golf is absolutely a game of nerves, requiring concentration at all times because each and every stroke is going to require quite a bit of focus and attention if you want to drive the best possible results. If you follow these basic golf tips and tricks you will be able......
• Golf as an Olympic Sport? Top golf players are full of enthusiasm as their appointed ambassadors work to have golf included as an Olympic sport. Players are citing that the most memorable events are those where you represent your country in a foreign competition. Bringing back a medal is a honor that carries the most......
• Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa, Rancho Bernardo, California Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa is located in: Rancho Bernardo, California, United States Phone: (877) 517 9340 Website - http://www.ranchobernardoinn.com/ About the Course - The Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa is one of the premier golf resorts in San Diego, pressed right up against all of......
• River Oaks Golf Course, Nicolaus, CA River Oaks Golf Course is located in: Nicolaus, CA Phone: 916.488.4653 Website: http://www.riveroaksgolfclub.net Course History: The course is located on the historic Nicolaus Ranch that dates back to the early 1800's. It was formerly known as the Rio La Paz Course but was recently renamed. It is a favorite......
• Choosing the Right Golf Clubs If you want to move past your current golf skill level to the next one, then you need to learn how to choose the right golf clubs. Having some basic tips and tricks in your arsenal when you go looking for professional golf clubs is absolutely vital. Skim through these......

• What is "Natural Weight Loss" Exactly? Do you understand the concept of natural weight loss? If you want to promote successful, long term and permanent weight loss, then you need to employ natural weight loss efforts rather than turning to other methods for losing the extra weight. Natural weight loss is weight loss facilitated by eating......
• How to Stretch Properly Although most of us recognize that we have to stretch before we exercise there is a lot of confusion out there about how to actually go about it. If you’re not stretching the right way, you could actually be setting yourself up for an injury. Here are some great tips......
• 401k Introduction The original 401(k) plan was created and set into motion by Congress in the year 1978 as a way for people to save up for their own retirement before they had to pay taxes on that income. This was done in an era were the traditional pension plans already seemed......
• Wii Fit: Healthy Weight Loss? Have you ever wondered if those video game exercise programs work? Can you achieve healthy weight loss playing a video game? The Wii Fit is the most popular of the weight loss programs that are on the market today. It has sold many thousands of units, but some wonder if......
• Bachelor Party Finances – 5 Ways to Keep Costs Low Yesterday, I got back from a ridiculous weekend at the New Jersey Shore (Avalon to be exact).  I was there for my friend’s bachelor party.  I have known this buddy since we were 8, so being one-third of the team that was setting it up, I was pumped to make......

• Cart Bags Golf Bags Golf

In a season without Tiger Woods, many other players have had a chance to shine and few have shone quite as brightly as Vijay Singh this year. Over the weekend, he clinched the coveted FedEx cup, as well as a very nice $10 million bonus. Not bad wages for a weekend of work, but Singh earned every penny.

Singh commented, "I'm glad this Cup is over. I know it's mine now so it's a good feeling. But I'm glad it's over. I was reminded 1,000 times before I started this week: 'Make sure you finish 72 holes, sign your card, (have) enough clubs, and gosh, everything else'. I tried to make it very simple on my card today, no mistakes, and tried to make all 18 pars at this point."

At the end of the tournament, Singh had a nine over for a total score of 289. He mentioned that he found the intensity of the tournament exhausting and at times, felt it was difficult to keep up.

"It was really weird," the 48 year old Singh said. "You make a bogey, you get congratulated; you make a double (bogey), you get congratulated. It didn't really matter what I made. But it took away the focus of playing this tournament. I tried really hard. When I left to come over here to play, I said: 'I'm going to keep focus'. But that's as far as I got."

Although the jackpot was certainly on his mind throughout the tournament, Singh did an admirable job of staying focused. When asked about whether the prospect of the prize money was weighing him down, he stated, "Nobody thinks about things like this. You think about winning golf tournaments, big golf tournaments, never a FedEx Cup that's worth so much. I think everybody, every golfer, would feel the same way. Obviously $10 million is a great jackpot to have. We all think about it. We all want to win it. I'm glad I won it once."

All told, Singh has won 34 championships, and although it has not been an easy road for him, he has managed to come out on top this year. Over the past seven starts on this leg of the PGA tour, he has found victory three times, which is remarkable considering the competition this year and the fact that he has dealt with numerous injuries.

"It tells you if you finish strong, if you have a few wins, it propels you all the way up to the top," he said. "It's self-satisfying to know that I never gave up. I kept at it, hurt, not hurt, pain, it didn't matter. I was out there practicing and believing in myself and doing it. At the end of the day, I came out up front and that shows that all the hard work has paid off. I'd rank this one of my best seasons, I think, considering what I went through."

It is no wonder that Singh counts this season as one of the best in his entire career.

• St. Jude Classic Recap The final round of the St. Jude Classic, presented by FexEx, was delayed for a total of four hours because of some unexpected rain. The fourth round began finally at 11 o'clock am, with players who were separated into groups of three going off of both tee 1 and tee......
• Golfer Profile for Geoff Ogilvy Geoff Ogilvy was born on June 11, 1977 and is an Australian professional golfer that now resides in Scottsdale in Arizona. Ogilvy turned professional in May of 1998 and won a European Tour card during the qualifying school of that year. He played on to the European tour in 1999......
• DVD Review: Golf Made Simple - Improve Your Golf Swing Indoors "Golf Made Simple - Improve Your Golf Swing Indoors" is a Golf Made Easy DVD that allows you to understand your strengths and weaknesses in your golf game, your golf swing and your body. This is the best step that you can take in learning how to build and develop......
• Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club, Lake Tahoe, CA Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club is located near Lake Tahoe, CA Phone: 530-836-0394 Website: http://www.golfwhitehawk.com/golftoday.htm Course History: Dick Bailey designed this magnificent course that stretches out over nearly 7000 yards. It was carved into the Mohawk Valley and the natural terrain makes for a game that is challenging for all players......
• Tips to Fix your Slice There are hundreds if not thousands of tips out there, especially on the internet, that are falsely promising to help you fix your slice, add distance to your swings, and add accuracy to your shots, lowering your scores in the process. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which of these......

• A Five Year Old Gets It, We Don't My wife went for a walk with a friend of hers yesterday and had a really interesting experience: So we're walking along the sidewalk and up ahead we see this cute little five-year-old boy standing there with a little table in front of him. On the table is a......
• Vacation Time!!! It's that time of year again. Time for a break, a bit of rest and relaxation and some quality time with the family. Normally I go with my family but this year my parents are coming as well....
• Healing Lip Balms -- keeping your lips kissable What are you going to do when your lips are in terrible shape, either because of the weather, your system, or you did something stupid, like I did when I ruined my lips using a Cover Girl Incredifull lipstick (great name!) made to enhance/plump your lips (read: sting) (great color......
• Athlete Profile: Dan Wakeham The first male Olympic competitor on snowboard in Britain, Dan Wakeham has announced that he will be retiring from the world cup circuit. He has recently announced that following seven years with the British snowboarding team, he will be retiring from World Cup level competition. Dan Wakeham is only 27......
• How To Keep Your Job In a Down Economy In rough economic times, keeping your job should be one of your top priorities.  Unemployment is rising and there is increasing competition for what few open positions remain - the last thing you want is to be a part of that group of job seekers. If your employment is at......

• Tee Times Green Fees Golf