Is pro golf hard on the body physically?

[Nels55]

9 hours ago, vbb said:

Yes, I agree, everyone likely has their price.  And given the fact that money is an important aspect of the world whether we like to admit it or not, having enough money to feel secure is definitely something that I understand. 

I don't think that you really mean that?  I have met many people who do not have a price and would never sell out their values and beliefs for any amount of money.  Also those who do sell out often find that a lot of money does not make life better.

[MountainKing]

5 mile of walking a day, on your feet 8-10+ hours a day in the elements with practice, hours of twisting and turning at high speeds, hundreds if not thousands of vibrations into your hands from club to ball/ground contact, traveling between various times zones/weather, more or less 10-11 month schedule with minimal downtown time.... it's hell on the body. Nevermind the mental side of things.  Look at golfers once they get into their older years and how they walk, back/hips/knees are shot.  

 

I played both hockey and golf at a high level in my teens into early 20's, golf was much harder on the body day in and day out.  

[Nels55]

On 6/29/2022 at 11:16 AM, amace04 said:

 

But isn't that the point?

Tiger advanced the sport.  While the average golfer was an unathletic guy in his 30s, Tiger was in the gym, getting fit, using athletics to become a great golfer.  That's pretty standard now.  There's not many unathletic golfers left.  Look at the transformation Phil made in the last 20 years.

 

Bryson is taking it a step further.  Chasing maximum distance.  Well, guess what, it works, and college kids are doing it also.  The days of being able to compete on tour by just hitting irons and putting are long gone.  You MUST have distance.  

 

You're suggesting that those doing beyond what the other top tier golfers were and are doing isn't an example of the game evolving to the point the human body struggles to keep up, and you couldn't be more wrong.

Tiger was longer then anyone else when he came on Tour as a skinny kid.  I don't believe that there is any correlation between the type of body building that Tiger did and golf scores.  I have never seen any evidence that body building helps a person's golf swing or scoring ability.  Imho a lot of what Tiger did was a waste of time and did nothing for his career and in fact probably shortened it.  Did he really need to lift weights and run for miles in combat boots every day?

 

I would say that a certain amount of fitness is good for golf but going beyond the right amount is not a good idea and can be a very bad idea.    

[ShortGolfer]

Everyone's body is shot by the time they get into their older years.  

I grow roses competitively.  My older competition can't do the stuff I can, like work on roses close to the ground for hours at a time.

I can dig up a rose and move it to a new spot, without setting back the rose a year or more.   Most rosarians can't do that either.

I'd love to be able to play 9 holes of golf on two consecutive days.  I need at least one rest day between outings.  I'm 59.

[vbb]

47 minutes ago, Nels55 said:

I don't think that you really mean that?  I have met many people who do not have a price and would never sell out their values and beliefs for any amount of money.  Also those who do sell out often find that a lot of money does not make life better.

You're right...I don't mean everyone will sell out for anything so long as the price is high enough. "Everyone has a limit" would have been the better way to say it. That said, outside of the pros that are already very rich, I bet many of the struggling to keep their card guys on the PGA Tour would give up the chance to chase "greatness" and Ryder Cups for a 8 figure sum setting them up financially for their lives. I am not sure how many people honestly wouldn't play the LIV under any circumstances because of their moral objections to the Saudi government.

 

But yes, we all have bright lines that we will not cross no matter what.

[pktaske]

I think people have lost their minds. Professional golf is not easy as it takes LOTS of dedication, time and effort to remain competitive...but to say it breaks your body down is a farce. If your body breaks down playing golf, it's because you pushed it over the limit or you have some Achilles Heel in your DNA that playing competitive golf exacerbates. There's no Champions Tour for old roofers or mailmen. Let's get real.

Edited July 1, 2022 by pktaske

[avrag]

I have a feeling that most of the people who think it is not demanding, only think of playing the tournament rounds, but never take practice and working on the swing into account.

[golfortennis]

13 hours ago, TiScape said:

Noticed it’s ‘Golf or tennis’ quoting ‘golf and fishing’. Life is good! 😊 haha

 

🤣  Nice catch.  Won't ever catch me fishing though, unless we end up living back in the stone age again....and I'm guessing he won't ever play tennis!

Edited July 1, 2022 by golfortennis

[golfandfishing]

3 hours ago, golfortennis said:

 

🤣  Nice catch.  Won't ever catch me fishing though, unless we end up living back in the stone age again....and I'm guessing he won't ever play tennis!

Used to play a decent amount, and thinking of it a little bit lately again. 

[buckeye440]

On 6/29/2022 at 4:39 PM, khalespace said:

Many doctors are greedy, ambitious but you should never used the term "lazy" to describe them. Medical school is tough and no one lazy can get through it.

 

 

And medical school is child's play compared to residency.  I did a couple 130 hour weeks in residency.  Nothing like lazy people working more than 60 hours per week every week.

Edited July 1, 2022 by buckeye440

[smashdn]

I played 18 last Sunday.

Hit a big bucket of around 250 ball wednesday evening.

Played 18 today.

 

My hands are destroyed. I'm not sure how guys hands hold up.  I've nu-skinned and athletic taped the crap out of my right hand just to play today.

[farmer]

3 hours ago, smashdn said:

I played 18 last Sunday.

Hit a big bucket of around 250 ball wednesday evening.

Played 18 today.

 

My hands are destroyed. I'm not sure how guys hands hold up.  I've nu-skinned and athletic taped the crap out of my right hand just to play today.

You're making the point I made earlier.  Too many reps and  not enough recovery.

[Nels55]

4 hours ago, smashdn said:

I played 18 last Sunday.

Hit a big bucket of around 250 ball wednesday evening.

Played 18 today.

 

My hands are destroyed. I'm not sure how guys hands hold up.  I've nu-skinned and athletic taped the crap out of my right hand just to play today.

 

33 minutes ago, farmer said:

You're making the point I made earlier.  Too many reps and  not enough recovery.

I would say too many reps when not ready for the reps.  I recently played 8 days in a row walking most days and I hit balls every day.  My hands are fine because I play and practice a lot.  Now if I tried to walk 36 holes and then run 3 miles like I did a few times some 35 years ago I might not survive...

[RichieHunt]

I've worked with over 50 players that had full time status. There's not a lot of them that are doing big time workouts at this time.  That became a thing with Tiger, but a lot of players started to see that the benefits weren't that great and the injury risk was too high.  

 

Many of them have personal trainers and they may do more hard workouts during the offseason...building up some strength before they start playing.  But a lot of the exercise is more rehab stuff.  If you're a player with a wonky shoulder, they'll run thru the normal exercises to keep the key parts health and then have exercises that focus on that problematic shoulder.

 

The thing about it is that these Tour pros get a good amount of cardio each day by walking and then hitting balls.  Jogging was probably as much to blame for Tiger's injuries as much as anything (experts tell you that you should either go slow (walk) or go fast (sprint) to stay healthy and get your cardio in and jogging is about the worst thing you can do).

 

A big part of it is eating right and getting good sleep.  You don't see many players on Tour that have poor eating habits, so you have guys that are eating healthy and getting a nice walk on soft, but not too soft grass.  It's also important to make sure you walk properly (i.e. not walking with splayed feet).  That's just as bad as working at a computer with terrible posture.  

 

But I think the most difficult part is that you're on the road.  The average full time Tour player plays about 24 events per year.  That's almost half the year of being on the road.  It's a mental thing and combine that with the pressures of playing tournament golf with incredibly high stakes, it drains a lot of players.  Not to mention that for the average Tour pro, 80% of their income comes in about 20% of their events.  That means for the average Tour pro that plays 24 events, they play well in about 5 of those events.  The rest of the time they are playing anywhere from decent to mediocre to awful golf.  

 

Not a year goes by since I've worked with Tour pros that I haven't had to deal with or hear about a new player that is just completely burned out by the lifestyle.  That's such a big thing to overcome.  I've seen inferior talents thrive on Tour because they've embraced the lifestyle compared to superior talents that just can't get used to the travel and playing less than great golf for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[physasst]

Well, I’m 51, play golf, but also still do Judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and sometimes box (boxed competitively when I was as younger). In my BJJ gym, I am the oldest guy by a large margin. Golf isn’t hard. Last night, 60 minutes straight of non stop rolling/competitive sparring. 4 minute rounds with 60 second breaks between. Walking was difficult this am, and I think I may have pulled/torn a hip flexor in my left hip. My jaw is swollen and hurts from being cross faced, I have a bruise over my right eye and an abrasion on my chin. Additionally, my bicep is pretty swollen and pretty bruised…18 holes of golf tomorrow am. It’ll be a nice relaxing morning. Golf isn’t that hard physically. 

[physasst]

Just now, physasst said:

Well, I’m 51, play golf, but also still do Judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and sometimes box (boxed competitively when I was as younger). In my BJJ gym, I am the oldest guy by a large margin. Golf isn’t hard. Last night, 60 minutes straight of non stop rolling/competitive sparring. 4 minute rounds with 60 second breaks between. Walking was difficult this am, and I think I may have pulled/torn a hip flexor in my left hip. My jaw is swollen and hurts from being cross faced, I have a bruise over my right eye and an abrasion on my chin. Additionally, my bicep is pretty swollen and pretty bruised…18 holes of golf tomorrow am. It’ll be a nice relaxing morning. Golf isn’t that hard physically. 

Oh, and my hands are swollen and every joint is inflamed from all the grip fighting. LOL. 

[Mr. Grumpy]

Gah! You youngen's... I used to walk 72 on thin leather and steel, 3,000 ft elevation change, 11 and 1/2 months a year after work. You with your boost foam, cabretta gloves and performance fabric, Humph....

[Nels55]

1 hour ago, RichieHunt said:

I've worked with over 50 players that had full time status. There's not a lot of them that are doing big time workouts at this time.  That became a thing with Tiger, but a lot of players started to see that the benefits weren't that great and the injury risk was too high.  

 

Many of them have personal trainers and they may do more hard workouts during the offseason...building up some strength before they start playing.  But a lot of the exercise is more rehab stuff.  If you're a player with a wonky shoulder, they'll run thru the normal exercises to keep the key parts health and then have exercises that focus on that problematic shoulder.

 

The thing about it is that these Tour pros get a good amount of cardio each day by walking and then hitting balls.  Jogging was probably as much to blame for Tiger's injuries as much as anything (experts tell you that you should either go slow (walk) or go fast (sprint) to stay healthy and get your cardio in and jogging is about the worst thing you can do).

 

A big part of it is eating right and getting good sleep.  You don't see many players on Tour that have poor eating habits, so you have guys that are eating healthy and getting a nice walk on soft, but not too soft grass.  It's also important to make sure you walk properly (i.e. not walking with splayed feet).  That's just as bad as working at a computer with terrible posture.  

 

But I think the most difficult part is that you're on the road.  The average full time Tour player plays about 24 events per year.  That's almost half the year of being on the road.  It's a mental thing and combine that with the pressures of playing tournament golf with incredibly high stakes, it drains a lot of players.  Not to mention that for the average Tour pro, 80% of their income comes in about 20% of their events.  That means for the average Tour pro that plays 24 events, they play well in about 5 of those events.  The rest of the time they are playing anywhere from decent to mediocre to awful golf.  

 

Not a year goes by since I've worked with Tour pros that I haven't had to deal with or hear about a new player that is just completely burned out by the lifestyle.  That's such a big thing to overcome.  I've seen inferior talents thrive on Tour because they've embraced the lifestyle compared to superior talents that just can't get used to the travel and playing less than great golf for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

I found your travel example interesting.  I can see where the constant travel could be a huge negative.  On the other hand I have a friend who loves to travel and easily spends more time away from home then the tour pros do and is really happy about it.  So I guess that my friend would probably be the type of player that you mentioned who embraces that part of the lifestyle.  

[Nels55]

1 hour ago, physasst said:

Well, I’m 51, play golf, but also still do Judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and sometimes box (boxed competitively when I was as younger). In my BJJ gym, I am the oldest guy by a large margin. Golf isn’t hard. Last night, 60 minutes straight of non stop rolling/competitive sparring. 4 minute rounds with 60 second breaks between. Walking was difficult this am, and I think I may have pulled/torn a hip flexor in my left hip. My jaw is swollen and hurts from being cross faced, I have a bruise over my right eye and an abrasion on my chin. Additionally, my bicep is pretty swollen and pretty bruised…18 holes of golf tomorrow am. It’ll be a nice relaxing morning. Golf isn’t that hard physically. 

Reminds me of playing city league and church league basketball back in the day.  I would wake the next morning trying to figure how I got all of the those bruises, not to mention the bent glasses and beat up nose.  Not the same level as what you are doing but in the neighborhood.  I gave that up in my early forties though, you've got my admiration for keeping on...

[stinger_gc]

12 hours ago, RichieHunt said:

I've worked with over 50 players that had full time status. There's not a lot of them that are doing big time workouts at this time.  That became a thing with Tiger, but a lot of players started to see that the benefits weren't that great and the injury risk was too high.  

 

Many of them have personal trainers and they may do more hard workouts during the offseason...building up some strength before they start playing.  But a lot of the exercise is more rehab stuff.  If you're a player with a wonky shoulder, they'll run thru the normal exercises to keep the key parts health and then have exercises that focus on that problematic shoulder.

 

The thing about it is that these Tour pros get a good amount of cardio each day by walking and then hitting balls.  Jogging was probably as much to blame for Tiger's injuries as much as anything (experts tell you that you should either go slow (walk) or go fast (sprint) to stay healthy and get your cardio in and jogging is about the worst thing you can do).

 

A big part of it is eating right and getting good sleep.  You don't see many players on Tour that have poor eating habits, so you have guys that are eating healthy and getting a nice walk on soft, but not too soft grass.  It's also important to make sure you walk properly (i.e. not walking with splayed feet).  That's just as bad as working at a computer with terrible posture.  

 

But I think the most difficult part is that you're on the road.  The average full time Tour player plays about 24 events per year.  That's almost half the year of being on the road.  It's a mental thing and combine that with the pressures of playing tournament golf with incredibly high stakes, it drains a lot of players.  Not to mention that for the average Tour pro, 80% of their income comes in about 20% of their events.  That means for the average Tour pro that plays 24 events, they play well in about 5 of those events.  The rest of the time they are playing anywhere from decent to mediocre to awful golf.  

 

Not a year goes by since I've worked with Tour pros that I haven't had to deal with or hear about a new player that is just completely burned out by the lifestyle.  That's such a big thing to overcome.  I've seen inferior talents thrive on Tour because they've embraced the lifestyle compared to superior talents that just can't get used to the travel and playing less than great golf for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

 

Great Post! I just have a couple thoughts/?s to follow up

 

Do you know how often do these guys go into a chiro/physio truck during the course of the week? Seems like that would be as popular as the range nowadays.

 

Also I agree with your statement about playing 5 events well. That actually perfectly describes the season Cam Smith has had this year. He's got 5 top 10s in 14 events and 3 missed cuts. But he also has 2 wins including the Players and a T3 at the Masters.

[farmer]

13 hours ago, Mr. Grumpy said:

Gah! You youngen's... I used to walk 72 on thin leather and steel, 3,000 ft elevation change, 11 and 1/2 months a year after work. You with your boost foam, cabretta gloves and performance fabric, Humph....

But was it snowing?

[lightgrip]

I don’t think there is one answer to this topic that applies to everyone. Age, genetics, past history, diet, hydration I think all play a role. I’m 65 and have had a knee replacement and a hip replacement. Those are fine but I hurt in a lot of other parts of my body. I played high school football, have tried to keep in halfway decent shape and have stood behind a pharmacy counter for 42 years. My body hurts every day. I stretch 4 or 5 days a week, but if I sit for a while or ride in a car for a good distance, I’m stiff and it takes quite a few steps to loosen up.  I admire and marvel at guys my age that run or do martial arts and feel good. I just think some are more prone to physical breakdowns than others. My two cents. Appreciate the time.

[Mr. Grumpy]

41 minutes ago, farmer said:

But was it snowing?

hehe

[RichieHunt]

17 hours ago, KizIsTheMan said:

 

Great Post! I just have a couple thoughts/?s to follow up

 

Do you know how often do these guys go into a chiro/physio truck during the course of the week? Seems like that would be as popular as the range nowadays.

 

Also I agree with your statement about playing 5 events well. That actually perfectly describes the season Cam Smith has had this year. He's got 5 top 10s in 14 events and 3 missed cuts. But he also has 2 wins including the Players and a T3 at the Masters.

 

Depends on the player.  A player in their 40's may end up going 2-3x week versus a player in the 20's may almost never go to the truck.  I'm guessing on this, but I would say that even players in their 40's may go 1x week, max.  And it depends on their schedule...if they are set to play 4 weeks in a row and travel a good bit to each tournament, they may want to make that visit 1x per week.  But if they are playing a tournament with a break before and after, they may feel no need to go to the truck.

 

A lot of these guys that do their workouts go to the gyms at their hotel or resorts they are staying at.

 

As far as the range goes, I do know that most of these guys spend ridiculous hours at the range, particularly in the practice rounds.  Tuesdays are where they are at the range the most.  It's pretty common to see a player arrive in the AM on Tuesday, hit balls for 2 hours, hit the putting green for 30-45 minutes, then go play 9 holes and then come back to hit balls for another couple of hours and then hit the putting green for 1-2 hours and call it a day.

 

Wednesdays are the pro-ams.  Not everybody gets chosen to play the pro-ams every week.  The pros would much rather avoid playing the pro-am because the rounds are long and they would rather focus on the tournament at hand.  But it's not uncommon to see guys hit balls for 1-2 hours before they tee off at the pro-am and then hit balls again for another hour or so after the pro-am (depends what time they finish the pro-am).  

 

For the actual event, you usually don't see more than 90 minutes of pre-round warmup.  And unless they feel like they aren't quit hitting the lick and could use some extra practice (or if they are in contention), they are usually not on the range after the round.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[cardoustie]

Genetics

 

i know guys my age that can play ever day and be fine

 

18 holes for me is close to a days worth of rock moving and digging in terms of being crazy sore next morning

 

(armour stone and flagstone for a 15 sq foot fire pit and walkway 

 

(I am doing a lot of both this summer)

[drumdude96]

I've been playing golf since I was 21 (I'm 44 now), and I've never once had an injury from playing.  My body is definitely breaking down in some ways as I have two herniated disks in my neck, but that occurred during a hiatus from the game so golf is not to blame.  Most likely the herniated disks are a result of the obesity epidemic in this country and me having to move dump truck sized patients all the time.  I'm certainly not saying that golf-related injuries don't occur, but they can't be as common as in other sports.  I also still walk the vast majority of my rounds with a push cart, and don't see myself changing that anytime soon.  I feel like if you are able, you should be walking.  Otherwise you are just lazy.  I know that might be an unpopular opinion, but that's just how I see things.  

[cardoustie]

You may be right

 

but I ride 75% of the time 

 

3 reasons >. Agonizing plantar fasciitis and I also get cardio in 5 days a week on an elliptical and/or recumbent bike

 

a cart also let’s me blitz thru 18 in 2 hrs on evenings, time savings for my landscaping projects 

[baitdragger]

I think the mental aspect is hard too.    Lebron having a losing game on a team, he still has buddies to joke with and he takes a night off and rides the bench.   
 

Look at Zalatoris- take a tourney off, you don’t get paid. Finished 2nd again.  It eats you up.   He’s not going to go grab dinner with his O Line and come back the next day to review film and make fun of Coach.

 

I played college lacrosse.  Was in 15 states in 3 months.   Never did school work, barely had time to eat and my mom questioned why she was sending me to college.   The team drank more heavily than my fraternity.  But it was fun being on the team.

 

I can only imagine the grind college golfers put through.

[jonsnow]

On 7/2/2022 at 1:13 PM, farmer said:

But was it snowing?

No, but that 3,000 ft elevation change was uphill both ways. He forgot to note that. 

[NoTalentLefty]

The way they play today is demanding versus the way golf was before power was king not so much. Could a golfer from the Palmer/Nicklaus/Watson era compete today? We will never know will we. 
  My opinion is yes. Palmer was a once in a lifetime athlete. His muscle came from hard work growing up. Probably why he didn’t breakdown. Didn’t need a lot reps in gym. You see more guys breakdown now because the muscle added from gym work was added fast not over a lifetime. Just an opinion.