Sports Then and Now

Each sport has its own personal risk of injury, even the sports where you may think a problem is highly unlikely.

Darts, for example, is not exactly what you may call ‘high intensity’ but players often fear the dreaded Dartitis which is when the players lose the ability to allow the dart to leave the fingers effectively. This is also known in other sports, especially golf, as the ‘Yips’. It is essentially the loss of fine motor skills in athletes and can occur completely at random.

Dartitis is a psychological disorder and very real, but there are sports injuries and sayings that need dispelling as pure fantasy as we look at cracking some of the myths surrounding sports injuries.

No Pain No Gain

Let’s start with a famous saying that is repeated in every single gym around the world. However, strictly speaking, no pain no gain is the opposite of the words uttered.

Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Continuing through sores or cramp is not an immediate problem but if there is acute pain (something sharp and severe) or a clear indication that something is not right (a sprain for example) then it is time to stop immediately and seek medical advice.

Injuries heal fastest when rested

Football injuries cost clubs millions of pounds a year by having to pay injured players and in some cases, when key players are absent, it has a direct impact on a team’s ability on and off the pitch. Read the rest of this entry →

At first glance, golf might seem like a fairly safe sport with low injury risk. In reality, though, golfers’ bodies can take quite a beating. This is especially true for professional golfers like Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, both of whom have had to take breaks from their careers to let serious injuries heal.

Golf injuries are definitely possible, but they’re not inevitable. By taking the proper precautions, you can keep injuries at bay and continue to keep the sport as a regular part of your life.

Read on to learn about some of the most common golf injuries, as well as what you can do to prevent them.

Common Golf Injuries

Some of the most common golf injuries that you should take extra care to avoid include:

Golfer’s Elbow

Golfer’s elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis, is one of the most common injuries a golfer can experience.

This injury is characterized by inflamed elbow tendons, as well as pain, swelling, and tenderness on the inside portion of the elbow. Golfer’s elbow is most often the result of overuse (i.e., repeating the same motion over and over again without enough rest). Read the rest of this entry →

To the surprise of many GPS (Global Positioning Systems) have been around for several decades. In fact, GPS units were in use in most of the best golf courses and aided players in improving their score. The reason why GPS units were not so popular in the past is that they were very expensive. However, the growth of technology has seen to it that it is now cheaper to acquire GPS services. If anything, any regular golfer can afford a GPS units today. In this article, we look at some tips on how to improve a golf score using GPS.

Tips for improving your golf score using GPS

Because golf is a sport like any other, you will always want to achieve the highest scores possible. However, it is only through dedication and putting some measures in place that you can achieve that. Here are some GPS tips help you achieve your golfing goals:

1. Courses verification

For a GPS unit to work perfectly, the courses where you will play have to be GPS mapped. Before the game, make sure that you verify your course for better results. You can get this information from the golf course’s website, or you can contact the manager for more information. Do not leave anything to chance.  Read the rest of this entry →

If you’ve ever spent your Sunday’s sat with your feet on the table, a bowl of nachos in your lap and nothing but sport on the television, then we can almost guarantee you’ll have seen a plethora of commercials peddling golf equipment, and all of them will promise to make you a better golfer. Better grips, better heads, better shaft, better balls, better everything.

Of course, this is nothing new. Nor is it a shock. After all, every single pro, from Tiger Woods to Rory McIlroy, talks about how the latest equipment has made them a better player. That’s why we wanted to do some digging and see just how much the technology and equipment have changed between then and now.

1. A Better Ball

Golf has been a recognized sport for over six-centuries, so it’s only right that it has progressed a fair amount, especially the ball. Originally it was wooden balls before the game decided to embrace the Featherie, which was a leather pouch stuffed with goose feathers. It’s no wonder this didn’t hang about forever. Then, in the mid-nineteenth century, the Gutty ball came along and changed everything, not least of all the cost of manufacturing. The cheaper it is to make, the cheaper it is to play, and that’s when things took off. Read the rest of this entry →

Tiger Woods is regarded as one of the best golfers in the history of the sport, tracing all the way back to its Scottish ancestry. Woods, now 42, has had a glittering golfing career, despite his tarred reputation due to his less-than-inspiring personal life. However, the question of can Tiger Woods’ golf history help to predict his success in 2018 while on his PGA Tour this year is on every avid golf fans’ lips – and is a debate that has been weighed into by commentators and professionals alike.

Hank Haney, Woods’ golf coach from 2004 to 2010 told The Man Out Front he “think[s] he’s going to win another major”. Despite his confidence in Woods’ ability to win another major, Haney is less certain on a Woods victory at a Masters this year. But does Woods’ history of winning contradict his former coach? Let’s take a look, what exactly is Woods polishing his signature golf clubs for this year.

1997, Atlantic City

Woods devoted himself to professionally playing golf in 1996, just a year before his swooping triumph in Augusta. This victory was significant for two large reasons: Woods was the first black player to win the tournament and also the youngest, at the tender age of 21.

Atlantic City for Woods put his ‘X’ on the map and showed him marking himself out to be one of the greatest players of all time. At such a young age, it shows Woods’ determination and skill more than anything else, meaning a victory in 2018 is almost just as possible now as it was back then. Read the rest of this entry →

Back injuries have derailed the once great career of Tiger Woods.

Out of all the sports known to man, golf is the least aggressive and the least violent. Yet, every year professional golfers suffer serious injuries, some that threaten to remove them from the game forever. In 2014, Tiger Woods, formerly the world’s top golfer, had surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back. In 2015, he underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery with a follow-up procedure on his back. And this year, he had fusion surgery on his back as well.

After these, and other procedures, the golfer told reporters that he is unsure if he will ever play competitive golf again.

Back Pain: The Cost of Golf

According to Spine-Health, golfers can be afflicted by three different forms of back injury. First is muscles strains which “typically occur with rough or forceful golf swings or a sudden shift during the downswing.” Second, is muscle and tendon attachment which “generally occur due to excessive use, accidents, or swing abnormalities while playing golf.” Third, is disc injuries which also “occur from swinging abnormalities.” Additionally, low back pain and back injuries occur frequently because of repetitive bending over to pick up golf balls and line up shots.

Getting back injuries treated can be an extremely costly procedure. Spinal fusion surgery, such as what Tiger Woods had to undergo, can cost from $100,000 to $115,000. While Woods, who has 79 PGA Tour wins and has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for years, can easily handle such a cost, the everyday golf enthusiast or the occasional leisure golfer who can’t hire a personal caddy (or who doesn’t have an enthusiastic grandchild who loves chasing balls) won’t be able to. So what can be done?

Golf Ball Retrievers Help Eliminate Back Pain

Well, there is a tool that eliminates the constant need to bend over while playing — the golf ball retriever. The best golf ball retrievers allow you to only have to exert your arm and your hand to pick up golf balls — not your back. They typically run in the $15 range and can easily be ordered online or at many golf shops. Golf ball retrievers are usually extendable — they can extend from six feet to up to fifteen feet, ensuring that a stray golf ball is never outside your reach. They are conveniently foldable and easy to carry. Getting golf balls out of water holes or sand traps is a lot easier with a retriever. Read the rest of this entry →