Epidemiology of injuries in UK based golfers: a retrospective study

Golf participation numbers have increased in recent years within the UK and globally. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of injuries in amateur and professional golfers showed over half of golfers sustain an injury during their lifetime. This review recommended that future research should utilize the recent international consensus on reporting of injury in golf. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and severity of injuries sustained by UK-based golfers in the previous year.

A retrospective cross-sectional online survey consisting of 35 questions was disseminated to UK-based golfers. Non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals (CI) were utilized to indicate significant differences.

There were 303 participants included for analysis. The overall injury incidence was 41.26 injuries per 1000 hours (CI 35.96-47.33). Consistent with the wider literature, the lower back at 9.94 injuries per 1000 hours (CI 7.48-13.22) is the most frequent injury site. The lower back had a mean time loss of 54 ± 89 days before full recovery. Repetitive movement injuries were noted to have a higher incidence (22.00 per 1000 hours, CI 18.19-26.61) in comparison to acute injuries (10.79 per 1000 hours, CI 8.21 to 14.18).

Anatomically, the proportion of injuries observed was comparable to previous epidemiology studies, with the lower back and elbow having the highest incidences in this largely amateur group of golfers. Most injuries were identified to be a muscle strain, joint sprain, or tendinopathy; however, no single identifiable mechanism of injury was identified.