When I first moved here for PT school in 1993 and had the opportunity to attend THE PLAYERS Championship live and in person, I was in total star-watching mode and in awe. I couldn’t believe how up close we could get as spectators. Either watching my favorite golfers like Payne Stewart and others walk right past me next to the ropes or watching the pros hit balls on the range or putt and chip. I also have always enjoyed watching and trying to catch the interaction between golfer and caddy.
As I progressed through PT school and had the opportunity to become familiar with golf biomechanics with advanced training, I came to learn about physical therapists and other health professionals that actually travel with the tour. You may have heard various pros mention visiting the fitness trailer before and after their rounds. Interestingly, in the early years of the tour and probably through the ‘80s, there was no such thing as fitness per se as it wasn’t a big thing for most pros. Gary Player was one of the rare ones who embraced his fitness as part of his golf training, and it certainly has paid off. He still looks amazing. Tiger Woods obviously became the main instigator for a change of philosophy when it came to playing professional golf. Some of you may remember seeing him in his early years with those oversized golf shirts on his diminutive frame. Then we began to notice a total change of physique and other young golfers began to follow in his footsteps. Professional golfers started to look like professional athletes.
However, with bigger and stronger comes some drawbacks. Tiger’s injuries have certainly been well documented. Some are golf specific, for instance his knee and low back issues. Others, related to direct trauma from his car accident two years ago. Tiger’s emphasis on his fitness training has allowed him to come back time and time again from these injuries, although I do think some of his physical ailments may now be with him for the rest of his life.
Tiger mentions how much his team helps him daily, particularly when he is trying to compete over the course of four days of a professional golf tournament. At the recent Genesis Open where he made the cut, Tiger said about all his body has left for him is to probably compete in all four majors and a few other tournaments here and there. That is even from someone who has a tremendous work ethic and the top fitness and rehab professionals working with him as part of his “team.”
If you are an amateur golfer, do you need a team to help you? How about other sports like pickleball or tennis? Maybe just getting through the normal physical demands of life? The answer to that question should be yes! For us to function in a healthy way and to avoid injury or undue stress to our bodies, it is important to have a team who understands our needs and wants. Coaching and lessons for good technique. Understanding the importance of probably fitted equipment. And of course, health professionals who have advanced training and experience with your specific sport and activity of choice. Having someone who knows you specifically can be even more beneficial. I have several former patients and clients reach out to me periodically for a tune up. Sometimes, it is for something more significant like an injury or surgery.
If you are a resident of this area or just visiting for the tournament, I recommend you begin to build your team so you can continue to enjoy this wonderful gift of life and the opportunity to be physically active.
Dr. Chris Kopp PT, DPT, is a licensed physical therapist and is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and Titleist Performance Institute certified. He is the owner of Premier Physical Therapy and can be reached at info@premierptjax.com or online at www.premierptjax.com.
