Golf Thread

Hi all - I'm an avid golfer and have been for all of my adult life, usually playing 3-4 times per week. In September last year I was bed bound for 2 weeks, with what turned out to be undiagnosed spondylolisthesis of the L5 vertebrae with DDD on the discs either side of it. The specialist surgeon I saw was very helpful and said he was 95% sure that I was born with the condition or it happened at a young age. Slightly frustrating as I'd been asking the NHS for an MRI since I was 18 and it took decades for them to finally listen haha :p. The surgeon basically said I will 100% need spinal fusion at the L5-S1 but he's confident we can put that off for 10-15 years :).

Fortunately I made a quick recovery (much faster than expected) and within 2 weeks of being bed bound I was back on my feet and haven't had a major relapse since. I do 45-60 mins of low impact cardio every day, along with a serious of basic and advanced core strengthening exercises. Therefore with that in mind, my main goal now is to be able to get back to playing golf, even if it's less frequent and with e.g. an adjusted swing.

So really I'm just wondering if anyone else has found specific exercises that have helped them get back to playing golf after lower back issues? Obviously our sport requires some strange body motions, therefore others may have been in a similar situation at some point.
 
Tigget said:
Hi all - I'm an avid golfer and have been for all of my adult life, usually playing 3-4 times per week. In September last year I was bed bound for 2 weeks, with what turned out to be undiagnosed spondylolisthesis of the L5 vertebrae with DDD on the discs either side of it. The specialist surgeon I saw was very helpful and said he was 95% sure that I was born with the condition or it happened at a young age. Slightly frustrating as I'd been asking the NHS for an MRI since I was 18 and it took decades for them to finally listen haha :p. The surgeon basically said I will 100% need spinal fusion at the L5-S1 but he's confident we can put that off for 10-15 years :).

Fortunately I made a quick recovery (much faster than expected) and within 2 weeks of being bed bound I was back on my feet and haven't had a major relapse since. I do 45-60 mins of low impact cardio every day, along with a serious of basic and advanced core strengthening exercises. Therefore with that in mind, my main goal now is to be able to get back to playing golf, even if it's less frequent and with e.g. an adjusted swing.

So really I'm just wondering if anyone else has found specific exercises that have helped them get back to playing golf after lower back issues? Obviously our sport requires some strange body motions, therefore others may have been in a similar situation at some point.
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Go see a proper sports physio or alike - without proper advice you could end up doing more damage etc.

I doubt you'll get a proper answer on here.

Good luck on the return to golf....
 
My son is getting into Golf now and I've started taking him to pitch and putts and driving range. He's 12. Any tips or advice? We are not members of any courses and completely new to Golf being amateurs. I have played mainly pitch and putts over the years and the occasional course with my friends but I'm strictly amateur material. One thing I am finding surprising is the cost to just play a round. Is it normal to turn up to a golf club and expect to pay £30 per person for a round? Also in terms of clothing and dedicated golf shoes, I assume with younger lads they are going to be a bit more forgiving as to the attire? he doesn't have proper golf shoes as such yet. Neither do I actually. If I went to play golf locally I would just turn up in sports joggers and a waterproof jacket and trainers.

Cheers
 
Driving ranges are great for learning the basics, dont set unobtainable targets to begin with and allow him to try to thrash the life out of the ball where possible for fun. These days teaching prefers power first then accuracy which is easier to achieve rather than accuracy then power for whatever reasons. Eventually get a couple of lessons before any bad habits set in.
Club wise, get something easy to hit, a half set is plenty and a funky putter, make it interesting rather than boring 1980's stuff, itll cost a little more but itll be less likely to turn them off the game if there are various reasons for playing.
Getting onto the course isnt a priority to begin with, learn the basics as well as course etiquette (where to leave bag around green, playing ready golf, marking cards etc). There is a lot to take in but keep it fun rather than overload.
Price wise, some local public/council run courses are much cheaper and can run season tickets or junior memberships which makes a lot more affordable.
 
jaybee said:
My son is getting into Golf now and I've started taking him to pitch and putts and driving range. He's 12. Any tips or advice? We are not members of any courses and completely new to Golf being amateurs. I have played mainly pitch and putts over the years and the occasional course with my friends but I'm strictly amateur material. One thing I am finding surprising is the cost to just play a round. Is it normal to turn up to a golf club and expect to pay £30 per person for a round? Also in terms of clothing and dedicated golf shoes, I assume with younger lads they are going to be a bit more forgiving as to the attire? he doesn't have proper golf shoes as such yet. Neither do I actually. If I went to play golf locally I would just turn up in sports joggers and a waterproof jacket and trainers.

Cheers
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yes - it can be expensive...

Driving range, bucket of balls, and if he's keen a few lessons - most ranges will do kids/teen group lessons etc - My local is £5 for a group lesson - maybe 8/10 kids - so get a wee bit of time spent on the basics with the pro.

If he's keen - look around for local clubs with decent junior sections etc. Unless he's playing a private course, don't worry about what to wear. Local council/public course is fine for joggers/top etc - Private courses tend to have more strict rules on golf wear etc.
 
brendy said:
Driving ranges are great for learning the basics, dont set unobtainable targets to begin with and allow him to try to thrash the life out of the ball where possible for fun. These days teaching prefers power first then accuracy which is easier to achieve rather than accuracy then power for whatever reasons. Eventually get a couple of lessons before any bad habits set in.
Club wise, get something easy to hit, a half set is plenty and a funky putter, make it interesting rather than boring 1980's stuff, itll cost a little more but itll be less likely to turn them off the game if there are various reasons for playing.
Getting onto the course isnt a priority to begin with, learn the basics as well as course etiquette (where to leave bag around green, playing ready golf, marking cards etc). There is a lot to take in but keep it fun rather than overload.
Price wise, some local public/council run courses are much cheaper and can run season tickets or junior memberships which makes a lot more affordable.
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Cheers.
"where to leave bag around green, playing ready golf, marking cards etc"
Erm...bag on the edge of green to not mark it? Not sure what ready golf is. Marking cards...err...with a pencil? ;)
 
jaybee said:
Cheers.
"where to leave bag around green, playing ready golf, marking cards etc"
Erm...bag on the edge of green to not mark it? Not sure what ready golf is. Marking cards...err...with a pencil? ;)
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lol yea, it sounds a bit funny depending how you read it :D

Leaving your bag on the side of the green nearest the next teebox etc so you don't go trudging 40 yards in the wrong direction to collect your clubs, holding the guys up behind etc. Ready golf is basically the current way of getting round the course more efficiently by hitting when you are ready (not in the middle of someone elses swing though), basically where it used to be the honour on the tee, furthest from flag for approaches etc are now done away with at most clubs.
Rule changes like maximum 3 mins hunting for a lost ball, used to be 5, taking drops are at knee height now, not shoulder, theres a good few changes worth reading up on.
Marking cards yea, dont stand on the green pointing back down the fairway counting every shot, do it on the next tee while others tee off etc. Silly stuff but some take it for granted, others are oblivious.
 
booyaka said:
Go see a proper sports physio or alike - without proper advice you could end up doing more damage etc.

I doubt you'll get a proper answer on here.

Good luck on the return to golf....
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Hi Booyaka :)

I have done, don't worry. Unfortunately even private health care physios haven't been particularly helpful. 3 different physios gave me generic exercises to do, which after causing a lot of pain, a quick google showed I shouldn't be doing! Since then I've slowly cobbled together my own exercise and strengthening programme, from various YouTube videos etc and things have been improving. I was quite lucky really, one of the dup "Bob and Brad" has the exact same injury in the exact same location as me. So I was able to use his personal plan. Currently still not lifting weights though and can't go running due to the impact, so stuck on the cross trainer, which is always fun in a gym full of men. :p

In the USA they have a plethora of specialists specifically for this type of condition, I'm unfortunately yet to find similar in the UK. I'll keep looking though.
 
Hey guys,

clubs all arrived, just done a wee clean, and organised the bag, off to the range tomorrow..

but I must say I am happy with the condition on all clubs, minus the 4 hybrid, but it’s cosmetic "damage".

B8QPdBm.jpg
 
Very nice to begin with, I will warn you that the sweet spot on the SuperFast 2.0 is tiny though, I had one and didn't keep it longer than a few months, the R15 and then M2 (2016 model) are much better drivers but will cost more.
Zeebedy said:
Hey guys,

clubs all arrived, just done a wee clean, and organised the bag, off to the range tomorrow..

but I must say I am happy with the condition on all clubs, minus the 4 hybrid, but it’s cosmetic "damage".

B8QPdBm.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Zeebedy said:
Hey guys,

clubs all arrived, just done a wee clean, and organised the bag, off to the range tomorrow..

but I must say I am happy with the condition on all clubs, minus the 4 hybrid, but it’s cosmetic "damage".

B8QPdBm.jpg
Click to expand...

Love this.
go out hit them. get used to them.
make a not of your yardages too when you're playing a course. it will help
 
Zeebedy said:
Hey guys,

clubs all arrived, just done a wee clean, and organised the bag, off to the range tomorrow..

but I must say I am happy with the condition on all clubs, minus the 4 hybrid, but it’s cosmetic "damage".

B8QPdBm.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice. I like the setup. Can't say I'm sold on the Ram wedges though. Get some vokeys on your xmas list! :p
 
magicroundabout said:
Love this.
go out hit them. get used to them.
make a not of your yardages too when you're playing a course. it will help
Click to expand...

thanks mate. Yeah, I think dealing in yardages will be difficult as apparently the irons are fairly long, and the woods, booyaka says are quite long when hit correctly..


RossGReds said:
Nice. I like the setup. Can't say I'm sold on the Ram wedges though. Get some vokeys on your xmas list! :p
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Thanks also dude, yeah, the rams I used before, and as a temporary solution, they ain’t too bad.

and regarding the vokeys, I think they will be on this and next years list to get a 52, 56 and 60! :cry::cry:
 
magicroundabout said:
I'm saving to go to Scottsdale Golf for their same day fit and build session for my wedges. Pokeys are top of my list atm
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You know, I thought are they really worth the price (like £120 new). I mean how much technology can you fit into what is essentially just a blade. But I found the bounce on my wedges give me a good option from tight lies around the green and also from the bunker.
 
I'm getting pretty decent at my wedge-play now. Managing to use my lob to drop it within a few feet when around 25-40 yards from the pin, consistently.
Must have hit around 200 balls on the pitch/practice area a few days ago instead of the range.

I managed to win a Saturday morning competition, with about 20 people involved, scoring my best ever gross score.
Currently a 24 handicap, down from 29.5 last month - managed 4 over across the front 9 (our comps are only for 9 holes). Managed a score of 37 total strokes, which was around 27 stableford points.
Should bring my handicap down a bit more over the next month or two!
I can tell you something, golf is way easier in spring, compared to the winter :p

Just started working on distance with my golf course - so hopefully that will come over the summer, as I'm still a very short hitter right now, but I think I'm lucky enough to manage my short game well enough to keep my scores down.
 
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