Capelle On Golf

When I read in an article by Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch that a golfer will swing a club millions of times during their career, I thought, no way. Millions plural, as in three or more million? That seemed like a huge exaggeration, so I did the math just to prove how wrong he must be.

I made three basic assumptions: 1) A 50 year career (ages 10-60). 2) 300 days of golf a year. 3) 200 swings a day. Two hundred swings is not that many when you consider a player swings on the range, on the course, and takes tons of practice swings. Here’s the math:

50 x 300 x 200 = 3,000,000 swings!

Three hundred million, right on the button. Some of the most prolific practicers probably exceed this estimate by a factor of two to three time or more. These include Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. And then there is Mr. J.B Holmes, who is well on his way to a lifetime total of 10 million or more if he doesn’t cut out his ridiculous preshot routine that regularly consists of six or more practice swings.

All of this swinging and ball beating takes its toll. According to Jack Nicklaus, “We just beat up our bodies. It’s why I gave up golf.” Larry Yack, a physical therapist for the PGA and Champions tours revealed in the Dispatch just how much strain it puts on a player’s back.

“The compression forces on the lower back are about eight times the body weight compared to jogging, running marathons and 10ks, which is about three times the body weight.”

Lately the golf world has been focused on the condition of Woods’ left knee. All of those 125 MPH swings are taking a toll. While medical opinion is mixed, some doctors believe that the knee will be a recurring problem for Woods in the years ahead. Unfortunately his knee is not his only problem. He’s evidently been visiting a chiropractor since his teens for his back. While any problems he may have with it seem minimal at the moment, all of those swings keep piling up.

Will either or both problem areas prove to be his undoing? Who knows? Like waves against the shore, as those golf swings head well into the millions, certain body parts are prone to stage a rebellion. To stave off this day as long as possible, it’s time that Woods adopt a less is more approach to practice. Work smarter, not harder. That’s what Nicklaus did, and it delayed the day of reckoning until he was well past his best years.