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Stupid Is As Stupid Does…In Golf Too!

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There are more hazards than you think on the golf course...
There are more hazards than you think on the golf course…

Somehow my little girl and I got on the subject of injuries in sports.  Not sure how this came about since she’s no sports fan, but maybe she’s a fan of sports injuries.  I think we were watching a game, or maybe Sportscenter, when the subject came up.  She asked me if I ever got hurt playing a sport to which I responded “Sure, but nothing serious.”  I went over the time I took a baseball to the chest and chin thanks to a bad hop, and the time I broke my thumb playing basketball…but that’s about all I had.  She knows, for the most part, my sports career is now relegated to the golf course.

It was at that point she wanted to know if I’ve ever gotten hurt playing golf.  “Well” I tell her, “I once took a golf ball, that someone else hit, off the ankle.  That stung a bit.” So then she said, “You should write something about golf injuries.”  “What do you mean?  I’ve already sort of done that before.”  She responds with “No, I mean people getting hurt doing something stupid.”  Now we’re talkin’.  There’s nothing quite as funny as someone getting hurt doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

Anyone ever hear about Thomas Levet?  Well back in 2011, after winning the French Open, he celebrated by jumping into a lake on the course.  After that little stunt, he had to skip the British Open thanks to the broken shin he suffered after his victory leap. I’d have to agree with Colin Montgomerie when he said “I’ve always been suspect about people diving into lakes that don’t know how deep it is and what’s in there.”

Also from 2011, how about Robert Garrigus at the Tournament of Champions who ended up with a sore shoulder due to excessive fist pumping after sinking an eagle putt.  Geez…thanks Robert.  No wonder people think us golfers are wimps.  We can’t even celebrate properly!

One more from the pros…how about John Daly who injured a rib trying to stop his swing when a fan attempted to take his picture at the Honda Classic.  He actually sued the tournament organizers, but I couldn’t find any results of the suit.

But we know all the real stupid stuff comes from us – the average hack out on the public course.  I’ve found plenty of ridiculousness out there, such as one guy who, doing his best golf cart impression of Erwin Rommel, hit a large root which bounced him out of his seat and broke his finger on the steering wheel when he landed.  Or how about a guy who tried to hit a ball out of a tree only to step onto a rotten branch, fall about eight feet down and give himself a concussion.

But the probable grand daddy of them all is when NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson attempted “golf cart surfing” at a tournament.  The result…of course…the idiot fell off.  Yup, he broke his wrist.

Me personally, I’ve never suffered an injury on the course, nor has anyone I’ve played with.  I’ve also never seen an injury occur on the course.  But I’ve heard some stories!  And now we’re looking for more.  Anyone got any good ones?  Let’s hear ’em!  I’m sure some of you have seen someone out on the course get what they deserve.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Using Your Head At Golf…Literally

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With the recent suspension of the Pittsburgh Steeler’s James Harrison for that helmet-to-helmet concussion-inducing lick he dropped on the Cleveland Brown’s QB Colt McCoy, it had me wondering about head injuries. Moreso, about the recent call to action for all sports to raise awareness to the severity of head injuries.

I remember when I was younger a lot of these injuries were passed off as a “stinger” or “you got your bell rung” when in fact these could have had traumatic long term effects. Surprisingly, golf also has its share of head injuries.

The following is an excerpt from research Golf Digest did on head injuries in golf:

Accidents often occur when golfers are fooling around. Most at risk are newcomers to the game, particularly children. In 1997, nearly 25 percent of all golf-related injuries occurred to children age 5 to 14. Even more striking, a recent study from Scotland reported that 40 percent of all sport-related head injuries among children were related to golf. Many of these injuries are caused not by golf balls, but by golf clubs, often as a result of kids playing with their parents’ clubs at home.

This is not to mention, the ER sees about 40,000 golf injuries annually. On the bright side though, very rarely are these injuries fatal. Another interesting point is that Pro-Am tournaments turn out their fair share of injuries…but not to the golfers; On tour, it’s the spectators who need to watch out. I can see it now, the gallery gathers around the tee box for Jim Furyk’s drive but make the mistake of not moving when Jim’s partner, Charles Barkley, tees off. The next thing you know, Sir Charles’ ball is bouncing off onlookers’ heads like a pinball machine. Good thing is you’ll probably only make that mistake once.

All jokes aside, head injuries are very serious and I’m glad more attention is being brought to this issue. Having played a bunch of sports and having had “my bell rung” a few times I can tell you…it’s not fun. So, the next time you’re out on the course and your buddy takes one off of his melon, look for these tell-tale signs courtesy of the Mayo Clinic and get help immediately.

  • Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes
  • No loss of consciousness, but a state of being dazed, confused or disoriented
  • Memory or concentration problems
  • Headache
  • Dizziness or loss of balance
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Sensory problems, such as blurred vision, ringing in the ears or a bad taste in the mouth
  • Sensitivity to light or sound

    • Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Use your head.

    What’s Ailing Ya?

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    In any activity that requires some sort of physical output, also lies a risk of injury. It just so happens that golf falls into this type of activity.

    After doing some searching, I found the most common injuries in golf* and was surprised by some on the list. Actually, I’ve never even heard of some…please excuse my ignorance.

    1. Back Pain (this, I understand)

    2. Tennis…ahem…Golfer’s Elbow

    3. Shoulder Pain

    4. Carpal Tunnel

    5. DeQuervain’s Tendinitis – pain in the wrist near the base of the thumb caused by an inflammation in the tendons that control the thumb.

    6. Knee Pain

    7. Trigger Finger – caused when the flexor tendon sheath, through which the finger tendons run, is inhibited.

    8. Wrist Impaction Syndrome – caused when the bones of the wrist bang into one another due to excess or repetitive movements. Ah ha! I know this one…you can get it other ways too…

    9. ECU Tendon Sublaxation – caused when the sheath holding the wrist tendon begins sliding in and out of its groove.

    10. Fracture of Hamate Bone – a small bone on the pinky side of the wrist. Don’t worry Cooter, this has no affect on your bright shiny future of Ham Bonin’.

    Now, this also had me thinking about some of the strangest injuries I have experienced or witnessed in the past twelve or so years on the course. It never ceases to amaze me how some of these actually occur. For example, I was walking towards the green from the fairway and in an effort to go over the the rope barrier (signifying where carts are not allowed), I trip. Here’s the kicker, somehow the wedge I had in my hand swings up and connects with my ear. Yeah, not too pleasant…WTF!

    One of my favorites was when a buddy of mine couldn’t get his P wedge to work for the life of him. Either he would flub 3 or 4 chips in a row or skull the crap out of a ball and send it fifty yards over the green. By the 8th or 9th hole, he had enough (if you looked hard enough, you could see steam was coming out of his ears). In a fit of rage, he swung his club baseball style connecting with the rear post of the cart (that supports the roof) bending the wedge in half and with some ridiculous wrap around action, the head comes back to hit him square in the elbow. I still laugh about it.

    Hit’em long…Yell FORE!! (oh, and be safe).

    * Dr. Larry Foster – “Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf Injuries”

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