I teach tennis for a living, and I've done it for over 20 years. But if you hang around a club long enough you figure out that half your students also play golf, and the number one thing they complain about after a weekend round isn't their swing. It's their lower back.
"I'm fine on the course, then I get in the car and I can barely get out at home." I hear some version of that every week. So here's what I tell them. None of this is fancy. It's the stuff that actually keeps people playing.
Why golf is so hard on your lower back
A golf swing is a big rotation done fast, over and over, mostly in one direction. A full round can be 70 to 100 swings once you count practice swings and the range, plus four hours of bending over to tee up, read putts and pull the ball out of the cup. Then you sit in a cart between shots, which lets everything tighten back up.
The lower back takes the hit when the hips and upper back aren't doing their share. If your hips are stiff (and after 40 most of ours are), the rotation has to come from somewhere, and the lumbar spine ends up twisting more than it was built to. Tennis players get the same thing on the serve. Different sport, same problem.
Warm up like you mean it (10 minutes, not two practice swings)
Most golfers walk from the parking lot to the first tee and swing a driver as hard as they can. You wouldn't do that in tennis. You hit some mini tennis first. Give your back the same courtesy.
Here's a quick routine before you hit a ball:
- Walk briskly for 3 or 4 minutes. Around the practice green is fine. You want your body warm before you twist it.
- Hip circles and leg swings. Hold the cart or a club for balance and swing each leg forward and back, then side to side, about 10 each way.
- Open the book. Lie on your side with your knees bent and open your top arm across your body to the other side. This gets your upper back rotating so your lower back doesn't have to.
- Half swings, then three-quarter, then full. Start with a wedge. Work up to the driver last.
That's it. Ten minutes. I promise your first three holes will be better too.
Things on the course that make a difference
Bend with your knees and hips, not your back. Picking up your ball and teeing up 18 times adds up. Try the "golfer's lift": hold your putter for support, keep one leg straight and let it swing up behind you as you reach down. It looks a little goofy and it's way easier on your back.
Walk when you can. Sitting in a cart, then standing up and swinging hard, is a rough combination. If you ride, get out and walk to the ball while your partner drives, or at least stand and do a couple of easy rotations before each shot.
Watch the bag. If you carry, use both straps. A single strap on one shoulder for 4 miles pulls you crooked the whole way.
Don't swing out of your shoes. I know. Everyone wants another 15 yards. But most amateurs lose distance when they muscle it, and the back pays for it. A smooth swing at 85 percent will usually go just as far and land in the fairway more often.
After the round: the part everyone skips
This is where most people go wrong. They finish, grab a drink, sit for an hour, drive home and wonder why they're stiff. The 20 minutes right after you play matter more than people think.
- Keep moving for a few minutes. Walk to the car the long way. Don't go straight from the 18th green to a bar stool.
- Do a few easy stretches. Knee to chest on each side, a gentle figure four for the hips, and a slow cat and cow on your hands and knees. Nothing should hurt. If it does, back off.
- Drink water. Four hours in the sun dries you out more than you realize, and tight, tired muscles don't like that.
- Take care of the sore spots. This is where a topical comes in for a lot of my students.
I put together a full 5-minute recovery routine I give my tennis players after matches. It works just as well after 18 holes.
Where a pain relief cream fits
I'll be upfront: I make a cream, so take this with a grain of salt. I started Active 10 because I wanted something for my own aches after a long day on court that didn't leave me greasy or smelling like a locker room.
Active 10 Pain Relief Cream is a cooling-then-warming cream with menthol, capsaicin and magnesium. It's for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with simple backache, arthritis, strains, bruises and sprains. That's exactly the "I overdid it on Saturday" lower back most golfers are talking about.
A few tips from people who use it after golf:
- Rub it into the low back and the tops of the hips after your round, then wash your hands.
- Don't put it on broken or irritated skin, don't wrap it tight, and don't use it with a heating pad.
- If you have trouble reaching your back, the roll-on is easier. A lot of golfers keep one in the bag and the tube at home.
Always read the label for directions and warnings before you use it.
When to stop and see a doctor
A sore, tight lower back the day after golf is normal. Some things aren't. If the pain is sharp, shoots down a leg, comes with numbness or tingling, or doesn't get better in about a week, stop playing and get it looked at by a doctor or physical therapist. Same if it gets worse instead of better. Being tough about it just makes the time off longer.
The short version
Warm up for 10 minutes. Bend with your legs. Walk when you can. Swing at 85 percent. Keep moving after the round, stretch a little, and take care of the sore spots that night. Do that and you'll be back on the first tee next weekend instead of on the couch.
See you out there.
Darrin Cohen is a tennis pro with more than 20 years of teaching and the founder of Active 10.