Recovery Time After Golf

  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #26
I looooove the post round nap.

This year I really pushed to be healthier and make it easier to recover after a round (specifically since I have had some back problems).
Combination of working out, yoga, chiropractor, theragun, and some staminapro patches; have me feeling pretty good after rounds lately.
is that my fault for making you slug it through wet Ohio ground earlier this year?

PS come back soon.
 
Kind of a weird question, but I'm curious as age and bad swing mechanics start to play a bigger role on my post round recovery.. When you play 18 holes of golf, how long does it take for your body to recover? Are you fresh right after? The following day? Two days after?

Do you do anything to aid in recovery?
If it's a relaxing three-hour round on a 70-degree day in October, I'll be ready to get off my feet for a while but by the time I sit down and maybe eat a hamburger or something I'm fine.

If it's four hours on a summer day when the sun is out and the heat index is pushing 100F, I'll be wreck for at least several hours afterwards and I'll still feel pretty wrung out the next morning.

But it's the heat more than the exertion that does for me.
 
Depends how often I am playing. At the start of the year, everything is sore after the round and most of the next day. Once I start playing a few times a week, things are much better. Just some stiffness after the car ride home and waking up the next morning, but usually fine once I start moving again. i have no problems playing multiple days in a row once the winter muscles get used to going again.
 
is that my fault for making you slug it through wet Ohio ground earlier this year?

PS come back soon.

Not at all!!! :LOL:
League and tournament season ramped up this summer, but once that settles down, let's go play lots!
 
This is interesting. I am really not sure. I know that I often, but not always, use the inversion table post golf - I guess on days where I can feel the tiredness in my lower back or legs. I sometimes hit the whirlpool and follow up with a hot shower. After all that I may occasionally fall asleep, but it's not part of the plan.

On really hot days, I try to stay well hydrated - that includes the days leading up to golf and the post golf - try to stay away from any alcohol for at least several post round hours (again, on the really hot days).

Playing more than 18 - since I walk most rounds that's a no go - have not even tried in years (and took most of the last 3 years off anyway). I did play 4 straight days this spring - not great, and walked 3 of the rounds just to see how much more I'd need for the event in Myrtle.

So to come full circle - my daughter and I played a par tournament par 3 scramble Saturday - walked, no issues, got really hot the last 3 or so holes and we had 2 bogies in there, but finished plus 4 for the event, par 3 scrambles are (I think) harder than standard courses.

Played (rode) on Sunday, started great then about hole 5 or 6 crashed and burned, irons were sort of short rest of the day, but not terrible, but ANY wood/hybrid the rest of the day absolutely terrible. I think I may have been overswinging.

Sorry to have rambled on - but it was/is all related (I think?).
 
I am normally good to go after a round. I hot balls 5 days in a row last week with no issues. I have not tried to paly 36 yet in one day but would like to see if i can.
 
as beat up as i am from sports in my earlier years (hockey, water skiing, as was well as hundreds of games behind the plate in baseball) PLUS relatively physical work, as an adult.... i don't know if "recover" is even in my vocabulary. It's more of "which stage of aches/pain are we experiencing today"? :oops:

Honestly, while some days a little less pain might be nice, i'm good with thing as they are and wouldn't exchange where i am for less wear and tear during my earlier years. That would mean far less fun was had. Ask me again in 10-15 years though!!! :ROFLMAO:
 
With the theragun before and after round, along with some anti-inflammatory meds, I can play two days in a row. That third is a little rough, but doable.

The weather has something to do with it as well. After playing Saturday in the brutal desert heat, I was dehydrated and it would have taken quite a bit of pressure to get me on the course Sunday. I was ok to play Monday, though.
 
I am now in my early 60s and walk 18 holes pushing a cart and typically I am fine for three days in a row but by the fourth day I am getting pretty weary. I do find in mid summer heat when the temperatures and humidity are in the 90s that I drag my butt typically for the last three or four holes so have to keep well watered. I absolutely stay away from alcohol while playing as that will do me in no time. I do wish I could get my seven year old remote cart to work as I did find walking alongside it was much more relaxing and less tiring than pushing a Clicgear.

As far as bounce back, I would love to have a power nap (sleep) after a 7 AM tee time but typically my boss won’t let me relax too long as there are lots of chores around the house and yard. So a good nights sleep sometimes falling asleep very early and I am ready to go at 7 AM the next day.

I am playing 36 this Thursday but taking a cart and next week we have annual back to back 36 on a short buddies trip. We only have a few pops typically after the round but it’s usually pretty early shut down after day one so we’re refreshed for day two. I’m usually pretty good when I play 36 as we are taking carts and it’s pretty relaxed and just try to keep the ball in play and minimize strokes.

I must admit I haven’t used my Theragun mini too often this summer But if my shoulder and rest of body get a little sore after around I have a prescription anti inflammatory that I take before I go to sleep and find that the next day I feel 100%. I only take it once or twice a week max but that at least for now is the extent of my medication and pain killers.
 
This is a bit of a moving target for me, but is something that I really have to watch. Am 59, have a lot of accumulated injuries and wear/tear from competitive sports, motorcycle and bicycle crashes, surfing (bouncing off the bottom mostly). Also coming off a 1.5 year layoff due to tendonitis in both elbows. Both rotator cuffs are damaged, left knee is perma-tweaked, upper and lower back are always on the precipice. In a word, a mess :D

I swim 4x a week to keep upright. Whenever I swing a golf club I wear elbow sleeves on both arms (also when I play bass). Even when I putt. I typically do full swings at the range every other day, putt/chip every day for an hour or so.

At this point I don't play a round more than once a week, and after that I won't full-swing the next day (but will chip/putt). Ice and Theragun as needed (which is often). That is partly due to walking the course which certainly is a workout for my feet - home course is very hilly.
 
Last edited:
I am capable of playing 3 or 4 days in a row. I played 101 holes from last Wednesday through Sunday afternoon. I was a bit tired by the end but capable of playing. I walk quite a bit, do some yoga, core and other strength stuff. After 3 days in a row on foot I get a little tired but I walk and carry my own bag.

If I am playing 36 I almost always ride at least one of the rounds.
 
Ask me next week.....got 5 consecutive days of golf coming up so that will give me an idea of how bad it can be

Saturday - league round at my home club
Sunday - 3hr drive in the morning, then 18 holes in the afternoon
Monday - 18 holes in the morning
Tuesday - 1hr drive then 18 holes in the afternoon
Wednesday - 18 holes in the morning, then 2-3hr drive back home again

Prior to a round I will take a couple Ibuprofen to help with my back problem, or if it is bad I will sometimes resort to codeine as well
Following a round I always have a hot shower to help loosen my muscles, then lately I have taken to using a foam roller as well to work out any knots, but because we are staying at a couple different resorts next week I will be trying to go for a swim after each round if the pools are available to use and will have Deep Heat muscle cream to try and make sure my back stays relaxed as well
Kind of an odd question... you mention codeine. Do you need a prescription for that? I know in the US codeine needs a prescription. just wondering.
 
Dont need much recovery time. 2 weeks ago I played 27 and then spent the rest of the evening moving furniture in and out of my inlaws house. So, I was all good right afterwards.
 
I'm 30. I usually don't have much of an issue recovering between rounds and can play consecutive days without much of a problem. The Theragun mini and Therabody Recover and Activate lotions also help a surprising amount. I usually wouldn't have an issue playing again in the same day unless it was a real grind of a round.

When I do early morning weekend rounds though, like 6-7 AM, I do usually take a quick nap after and then I could go out for more if I had the tee times
 
I like a nap after a round, but that's more because of my sleep habits than fatigue from playing. I'm a night owl, I habitually go to bed late and have to get up early for morning golf, so I end up getting 4-5 hours of sleep. After a round I usually eat lunch, shower, have a quick Theragun session and take a nap for a couple hours.

I can play 4-5 days in a row, but not week after week. It also makes a difference that I almost always ride, hardly ever walk my rounds. Somebody who walks long, difficult 18s every day could have a harder time recovering to do it over and over again on successive days.
 
I work out a lot for my age 64. I also hit balls every day. I get a bit tired after a round but can go the next day with no problem
 
Since I am still mostly riding after the knee replacements this last winter, my recovery time is pretty short.
I do take ibuprofen before and after to help with the residual knee pain, but as long as I stretch pretty well before the round, the rest of me is ok.
But like I said, I am still riding for most of the round.
 
I hit golf balls nearly everyday, either playing, or practicing. This just to slow down the age related deterioration of my game. It also helps to stay in some sort of swing shape.

I can usually play 2-3 times a week with no recovery time needed between rounds.

Now, if I play 3-4 rounds, back to back on consecutive days, or 36+ in one day, I will need a couple of days to give the swing muscles a rest.
 
Couple of beers, for certain are required for recovery!
 
Everything just hurts and I think I am constantly dying.

Usually stretching and theragun love helps. There’s still soreness, but I could go again relatively easily.
 
Everything just hurts and I think I am constantly dying.
Related to this, your Whoop numbers are astounding some days :LOL:
 
I do some yoga compensation after playing that helps me. I have also changed my swing, and that is showing promise for avoiding the mid-back stiffness and pain I was getting during and after playing/walking a round. I have also started doing some targeted weight training (low weight, high reps) for some wrist/elbow issues.
 
@Canadan, age is just a number. In my case, it's a big, hairy number with hints of mortality, but a number nonetheless.

I'm 65, and I am tired after walking 18, but not so much that I can't come home and do yard work or a project, and I am fine the next day. My wife has commented that if I golf Friday, I seem to be more energetic and productive Saturday. My back is often a little stiff until I get up and about, then it's fine. Last week I hit the TopTracer synthetic mats pretty hard for an hour on Thursday, and my left elbow was sore for a few days afterwards. I played 14 on Friday before darkness intervened. I wasn't tired then and felt good the next day. I try to stay hydrated, keep my electrolytes up, use the Mini as needed, keep up with my supplements, and so far, that seems to work for me. I keep threatening to be more rigorous about/start stretching, weights, and maybe Pilates. I know I will regret it someday if I don;t start now. To be honest, it's more of a workout to mow my 0.4 acre with a walk-behind, currently non self-propelled mower that to walk 18. My aerobic endurance currently stinks, and I need to get after that as well. My wife has a bike and she wants me to get one, which gives me an idea for another thread . . . .
 
Related to this, your Whoop numbers are astounding some days :LOL:

It’s next level impressive. I’m sad I didn’t charge it before I left, so I could have measured that recovery this morning. Just… eeesh
 
Back
Top