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Injuries on tour

mikedean441

mikedean441

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Granted I haven't been watching golf forever but this year more than ever guys are missing events or withdrawing from events due to injuries.

Any thoughts as to what is causing all of this? Are golf swings more violent than ever before and it's taking a physical toll on the body?

Are guys not conditioned well enough?

What do you guys think is causing this or has this always been a problem?
 
Tiger and Duf work out too much.
 
Seems about the same as any other year to me.
 
I think part of it is what we notice. To give you an example, while schedules have gotten shorter and shorter, the marquee names are still all playing the big events. When they miss one, its noticed. And when they are back to back to back it gets noticed in a big way.

The money is huge now, so playing through pain is not necessary like it used to be (in most sports).
Then factor in how a WD vs horrible finish impacts things.
 
I wonder if we just hear about injuries more now these days.
 
Vegan702 said:
Tiger and Duf work out too much.
Click to expand...

I think that's the first time Duf has ever had that allegation leveled against him.

I was talking to someone and asked the question of what percentage of the military do you figure makes it through a 20-year career still able to perform the physical fitness test at the pace and reps they did when they were, say, 5 years in. We had to figure it's a very small number, soldiers who enjoy good genes, self-discipline to keep fit, and some luck to avoid the slings & arrows of fortune that cause random injuries, including little injuries that we fight through that create the imbalances that turn into bigger injuries.

Then we kinda said that pro golfers take tons and tons of swings, at high speed, putting a lot of torque on the body. Then add in the money involved, and yeah, they're way more likely to fight through an injury if they're toward the top of the board, and that little injury can create a sort of chain reaction when you're talking about the modern dynamic golf swing.

Ultimately, going from 20 to 40 years of age making a living engaging in dynamic movements as fast as possible and not getting hurt, often to the point of near-debilitation, is the exception, not the rule, IMO.
 
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
 
It seems like every golf analyst can cite some sort of injury as the downturn of their career. I would think we have less injuries these days, but I don't know if those numbers are available.
 
Could the injuries have to do with the courses being so long? Just a thought but with pressure to hit the ball so far to make cuts, be in contention and win tournaments are some of these guys putting extra stress on their bodies and then leading to more injuries. No stats to back this up just a potential answer.
 
fupresti said:
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
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Yeah, though I'm sure he thought he had to give it a shot as defending champion.
 
Paladin said:
I think that's the first time Duf has ever had that allegation leveled against him.

I was talking to someone and asked the question of what percentage of the military do you figure makes it through a 20-year career still able to perform the physical fitness test at the pace and reps they did when they were, say, 5 years in. We had to figure it's a very small number, soldiers who enjoy good genes, self-discipline to keep fit, and some luck to avoid the slings & arrows of fortune that cause random injuries, including little injuries that we fight through that create the imbalances that turn into bigger injuries.

Then we kinda said that pro golfers take tons and tons of swings, at high speed, putting a lot of torque on the body. Then add in the money involved, and yeah, they're way more likely to fight through an injury if they're toward the top of the board, and that little injury can create a sort of chain reaction when you're talking about the modern dynamic golf swing.

Ultimately, going from 20 to 40 years of age making a living engaging in dynamic movements as fast as possible and not getting hurt, often to the point of near-debilitation, is the exception, not the rule, IMO.
Click to expand...

In my time in and around the military for almost 20 years the percentage is low on who can perform to the same pace/reps later in their career. It also depends on branch. More Marines in my experience can perform close to their younger days. We have more players on tour getting up in age which affects their ability to recover and makes it harder to keep pace, although Rickie went through some back issues at a young age.
 
It is amazing to me that there are not more injuries with the way they torque against the left knee and stress the lower back to get the coil. It is not a natural move by any measure and with courses being that long, even a young body can only take it for so long.
 
fupresti said:
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
Click to expand...

Apparently the only alternate that was at the course was Huh and he got in when Kuch WD'd. Garagius was next on the list but he didn't bother coming to the course thinking that there would not be two WD's the day of a major. The PGA extended an invite to Steve Flesch of Golf Channel to be the next alternate. He accepted but did not even have clubs with him. Pro shop put together a bag for him at last minute. Obviously he didn't get in.
 
cpljohnst said:
Apparently the only alternate that was at the course was Huh and he got in when Kuch WD'd. Garagius was next on the list but he didn't bother coming to the course thinking that there would not be two WD's the day of a major. The PGA extended an invite to Steve Flesch of Golf Channel to be the next alternate. He accepted but did not even have clubs with him. Pro shop put together a bag for him at last minute. Obviously he didn't get in.
Click to expand...

Well then I guess I can put this torch and pitchfork away.
 
JB said:
I think part of it is what we notice. To give you an example, while schedules have gotten shorter and shorter, the marquee names are still all playing the big events. When they miss one, its noticed. And when they are back to back to back it gets noticed in a big way.

The money is huge now, so playing through pain is not necessary like it used to be (in most sports).
Then factor in how a WD vs horrible finish impacts things.
Click to expand...

Spot on!
 
I believe a good bit of the uptick in injuries, and all major sports, has to do with increased preparation / work outs as compared to 20 or so years ago. Seems like guys put so much pressure on themselves and over-prepare at times taking major tolls on their bodies causing them to breakdown during competition.
 
fupresti said:
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
Click to expand...

He was the defending champ. He had to try.
 
fupresti said:
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure he earned the right to tee it up even for 1 hole as the winner.
 
i think the schedule gets stacked towards the end of the year and the nagging injures guys had all year flare up with the more they play
 
Could the amount of injuries be related to how much more aggressive some of these players are with their swing and the fact many do work out maybe to hard for a golfer. Lets look at baseball for example. It used to be a bad thing to lift weights and get big, the idea was for flexibility and elasticity in the muscles. Now players have a tendency to come up lame with hamstring issues and for pitchers this year and even some position players there are a lot that are having Tommy John surgery. These guys don't throw nearly as often as they older players did and they work out harder and get bigger/stronger. The Braves in the 90's used to have their pitchers throw all the time and none of them were muscluar in their physique. Not that Dufner will ever be accused of working out to much or being in great shape. Tiger has been known to go hard in workouts for years and was the example many players follow today of being fit. In my opinion it all comes down to preparation and recovery from workouts and practicing. Bodies need time to recover.
 
fupresti said:
Love Dufner, but his 8 holes cost an alternate a shot at a paycheck and FedEx cup points.
Click to expand...


My brother in law's friend hopped around between tours and occasionally played in PGA Tour events. He complained often of the unfairness of players WDing after taking up a slot, or of how the qualification system was set up. His father said "Don't like it? Play better."
 
Golfers, like everyone at some point, need to understand that getting old or older ain't for sissies. It seems that the body has a shelve life.
 
I think we just hear about it more often now.... Social Media, Big Money Prizes and technology has just magnified what used to be a quick "Oh, he's injured this week" to "Oh my, look at these big money guys taking a week off". I'm happy for the low level guys that make it in when they don't play. I hate when they withdraw early on with an injury that that was apparent before they started.....
 
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