Abstract
Golf, a global sport enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities, involves relatively long periods of low intensity exercise interspersed with short bursts of high intensity activity. To meet the physical demands of full swing shots and the mental and physical demands of putting and walking the course, it is frequently recommended that golfers undertake golf-specific exercise programs. Biomechanics, motor learning, and motor control research has increased the understanding of the physical requirements of the game, and using this knowledge, exercise programs aimed at improving golf performance have been developed. However, while it is generally accepted that an exercise program can improve a golfer's physical measurements and some golf performance variables, translating the findings from research into clinical practice to optimise an individual golfer's performance remains challenging. This paper discusses how biomechanical and motor control research has informed current practice and discusses how emerging sophisticated tools and research designs may better assist golfers improve their performance.
Highlights
The inclusion of golf in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 is an indicator of the increasing globalisation of the sport
Golf is a sport that involves a relatively long duration of low-intensity activity interspersed with short bursts of high-intensity activity
Overall muscle activity when using a 5-iron reaches 90% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) for amateurs and 80% for professionals[9], and golfers perform an average of 30-40 swings every round with these high levels of intensity[10]
Summary
The inclusion of golf in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 is an indicator of the increasing globalisation of the sport. It is estimated that worldwide between 55 and 80 million people from at least 136 countries play golf[1,2,3], with the more avid golfers playing more than once a week, every week of the year. The vast majority of people who play golf are amateur golfers, with only a very small proportion being considered elite amateurs and fewer still are professional golfers. Irrespective of whether a golfer is an amateur or a professional, the goal is the same – to complete a round of golf in as few strokes (shots) as possible and, from a longevity perspective, continue to enjoy the game as pain and injury free as possible
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