Getting Your Body Ready for Winter Golf

Why November is a good time to give the golfer as much attention as the golf equipment

As the days become shorter and the weather turns colder and wetter, golfers start preparing for winter.

The waterproofs come out. Winter gloves go into the golf bag. Shoes are checked. Trolleys are cleaned. Perhaps the clubs receive a little extra attention too.

But what about the most important piece of golfing equipment you have?

Your body.

This November, I’m focusing on golfers at Every Body’s Better and encouraging players of all ages and abilities to spend a little time looking after themselves as they head into the winter months.

You don’t have to wait until something hurts or stops you playing.

Sometimes looking after your body is simply about noticing how you’re moving, recognising when something doesn’t feel quite as easy as it once did, and doing something about it before it starts interfering with the game you enjoy.

Winter golf can ask different things of your body

Golf is already a surprisingly demanding whole-body activity.

A golf swing requires a coordinated sequence involving the feet, legs, hips, pelvis, trunk, shoulders, arms, wrists and hands.

Then there is everything else involved in a round: walking several miles, negotiating slopes and uneven ground, bending down, carrying or pulling equipment and repeatedly swinging a club.

During winter, we can add some additional challenges.

Cold weather may mean that we don’t feel quite as loose when we arrive at the course. Bulky waterproofs and extra layers can make movement feel different. Wet, soft or uneven ground can alter the way we walk and balance.

We may also play less frequently than we did during the summer.

Yet when the opportunity for a round appears, it’s very tempting to step onto the first tee and expect the body to perform exactly as it did several months earlier.

Perhaps it deserves a little more preparation.

You don’t need to be injured to look after your body

This is something I think is particularly important.

We are often very good at waiting.

We wait until the shoulder becomes uncomfortable.

We wait until the back starts complaining after nine holes.

We wait until turning through the swing becomes noticeably restricted.

And then we decide that perhaps we should do something about it.

But looking after your body doesn’t have to begin with an injury.

You might simply notice that:

* your backswing isn’t feeling quite as free;
* one direction of rotation feels easier than the other;
* your hips take longer to loosen up;
* your shoulders feel tight after playing;
* you feel particularly stiff at the beginning of a round;
* an old area of discomfort occasionally makes itself known;
* or you’re taking longer to recover after 18 holes.

These are all useful things to notice.

The golf swing is a whole-body movement

It is easy to think of golf as predominantly an upper-body activity because we’re holding the club in our hands.

But a golf swing involves movement throughout the body.

Force is generated from the ground upwards. There is movement through the feet and legs, rotation through the hips and trunk, movement around the shoulders, acceleration through the arms and control through the wrists and hands.

And all of this happens while maintaining balance.

That is one reason why, when a golfer comes to see me, I don’t necessarily concentrate solely on the place where they are experiencing discomfort.

The body doesn’t work as a collection of completely separate parts.

If the shoulder isn’t moving comfortably, it can be useful to consider what else is happening through the body. Likewise, if someone is experiencing lower-back discomfort, the back doesn’t necessarily need to be the only area we look at.

My aim is to look at the person producing the golf swing, rather than just one isolated muscle or joint.

How can Every Body’s Better help?

One of the advantages of my practice is that I have several different approaches available.

I don’t need every golfer to receive exactly the same treatment.

Your session can be individualised according to you, how you’re moving and what you’re experiencing.

EMMETT Technique

The EMMETT Technique is a gentle muscle-release technique using light fingertip touch at specific points around the body.

It can be performed through clothing and many EMMETT moves can be carried out while someone is sitting or standing.

I particularly like this because it allows us to look at movement, use an appropriate EMMETT move and then reassess.

Has something changed?

Does the movement feel different?

Is turning easier?

Does the person feel more comfortable?

Rather than following a large predetermined protocol, I can choose the EMMETT moves that appear appropriate for the individual in front of me.

The aim is simple: to help improve comfort and movement.

Integrated Structural Balance

Golf is a particularly interesting activity because we repeatedly perform a powerful movement in the same direction.

Round after round. Season after season.

That doesn’t mean the body should be perfectly symmetrical—human beings aren’t—but it does give us a reason to look at the golfer as a whole.

With Integrated Structural Balance, I can consider relationships between different areas of the body.

How freely are the hips moving?

What is happening through the trunk?

How comfortable is rotation?

How are the shoulders moving?

How does the golfer transfer their weight?

Rather than chasing one individual symptom, we can look at the broader movement picture and identify areas where the body may benefit from some attention.

Photobiomodulation

I can also incorporate photobiomodulation (PBM) using my Photizo device when appropriate.

PBM uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light. It is an area that continues to attract research interest in relation to exercise, recovery and musculoskeletal conditions.

I use it as another option within an individualised approach rather than suggesting that every golfer needs it.

Depending upon what I find and what you are experiencing, PBM may be used alongside my hands-on work rather than as a stand-alone answer to everything.

And what about old scars?

This might not be something you immediately associate with golf.

But think about how many golfers have previously undergone surgery.

Hip or knee surgery, abdominal procedures, shoulder surgery and many other operations can leave scars.

A scar may be completely healed and yet the person may still notice tightness, altered sensation or changes in the way the surrounding area feels or moves.

As a Restore Scar Therapy practitioner, I can gently assess and work with suitable healed scars when appropriate.

Again, this isn’t something every golfer needs.

It is simply another part of the person’s history that may be worth considering when we’re looking at the whole body.

Your Winter Golf Body Check

Before winter really sets in, why not take a few minutes to think about your own movement?

Ask yourself:

Can I comfortably turn my upper body in both directions?

Do my hips feel free when I rotate?

Can I move my shoulders comfortably?

Do I feel particularly stiff when I first start playing?

Is there an old area of discomfort that keeps returning?

Does carrying or pulling my golf bag affect how I feel?

Am I warming up before I play?

How does my body feel after 18 holes—and the following morning?

There aren’t right or wrong answers.

It’s simply about becoming a little more aware of the body you’re asking to carry you around the course.

What does your golf warm-up look like?

Be truthful!

Is it a thoughtful few minutes getting your body moving?

Or is it two enthusiastic practice swings beside the first tee before reaching for the driver?

A warm-up doesn’t have to be complicated.

The idea is simply to give your body an opportunity to transition from whatever you were doing beforehand—perhaps sitting in the car—to the much larger movements required during a golf swing.

And on a cold November morning, that seems particularly sensible.

Start gently. Get moving. Give your body a little time before asking it for your biggest swing of the day.

Golf as we get older

One of the things I love about golf is that it can be enjoyed across generations.

You don’t have to be 25 and extremely athletic to play.

People can continue enjoying golf socially and competitively well into later life, providing exercise, time outdoors, mental stimulation and, importantly, friendship and social connection.

But perhaps our relationship with our bodies needs to change a little as the years pass.

We may need more time to warm up.

We may need to pay greater attention to recovery.

We may benefit from addressing restrictions rather than simply assuming that stiffness is an inevitable consequence of getting older.

The objective isn’t necessarily to make you move as you did when you were 25.

It is about helping your body move as comfortably as it can today.

Make your body part of your winter golf preparation

So, while you’re checking your waterproofs, cleaning your shoes and deciding whether the golf bag is ready for another British winter, perhaps add one more thing to the list.

You.

Your body is an important piece of your golfing equipment.

Give it some attention too.

You don’t have to wait until discomfort stops you playing. November can simply be an opportunity to take stock, notice how you’re moving and give your body a little care before the more difficult winter weather arrives.

November is Golfers’ Month at Every Body’s Better

Throughout November, I’ll be looking at different aspects of golf and the body—from warming up and winter movement to hips, backs, shoulders and the demands of the golf swing.

And if you’ve noticed that you’re not moving quite as comfortably as you would like, you’re welcome to come and see me.

We can look at you as an individual, rather than simply treating “a golfer.”

EMMETT Technique • Integrated Structural Balance • Photobiomodulation • Restore Scar Therapy

Every Body’s Better
Helping you improve comfort and movement—on and off the course.

Judith Johnson
Llandeilo & Swansea
07932 347 983
www.everybodysbetter.co.uk⁠