The sun’s out, the course is calling, and you haven’t played properly since October.
The temptation to dust off the clubs and go straight into a full round is entirely understandable — but it’s also how most early-season injuries happen.
After a winter of reduced activity, your body hasn’t forgotten how to swing a golf club. What it has lost is the conditioning to do it 90 times in a row, on a hilly course, carrying a bag, in the cold. Jumping back in at full tilt without easing your body back into golf-specific movement is where backs, shoulders and wrists tend to object. Here’s what to watch out for — and how to make your return to the course a good one.
Your back will be the first to complain
Golf is rotational. After months of sitting at desks, walking the dog, and not much else, the muscles that support spinal rotation — your obliques, glutes and the deep stabilisers around your lumbar spine — will be less primed than they were in September. The result is that your back, rather than your hips, takes the strain of the swing.
Before your first round, spend five minutes on some basic hip mobility work. Ten slow hip circles each way, standing, hands on hips. Then add a standing trunk rotation: feet shoulder-width apart, arms crossed over your chest, and rotate slowly from the hips 10 times each side. Neither of these requires a mat, a gym, or any particular fitness level — you can do them beside your car in the car park.
On the course itself, try taking a few easy practice swings with a short iron before each hole for the first few holes, rather than immediately trying to stripe a driver. Give your body a chance to warm into the movement before you ask it for full effort.
Your shoulders need more than a few practice swings on the first tee
Shoulder injuries — particularly rotator cuff strains — are among the most common early-season complaints. The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles around your shoulder joint that work hard in every backswing and follow-through. They respond badly to being asked to do a lot of work very suddenly after a quiet winter.
A simple activation exercise: stand in a doorway and do 15 slow arm circles — forward, then backward — keeping your shoulders away from your ears throughout. Then take a club and do ten slow, controlled swings with your eyes closed, focusing on feeling where the tension is, rather than trying to hit anything. This engages the stabilisers before the bigger muscles take over.
If you have any pre-existing shoulder issues, it’s worth having a quick check-in with your GP or physio before your first round of the season.
Walking 18 after a winter off is further than you think
Even if you’ve been reasonably active over winter — swimming, walking, yoga — walking four-plus miles on uneven ground, often with a bag, uses muscles differently. Calves, hip flexors and the small stabilising muscles around your ankles all work harder on a golf course than on a pavement or a treadmill.
Consider making your first two or three outings nine holes, not 18. It’s not a concession — it’s common sense, and it means you’ll be in better shape for the full round the following week than if you push through and spend three days on the sofa afterwards.
If you do go out for 18, think about your footwear. Golf shoes worn all winter and left damp can lose grip and support. Check your spikes before you go, and replace worn ones — a slip on a wet slope is one of the most common causes of serious spring-season injury.
Ease back in and the whole season benefits
The goal in April isn’t your best golf — it’s your last golf, in the sense that you want to still be playing come September without a nagging injury that could have been avoided. Two or three rounds at 80% effort, with proper warm-up time and realistic expectations about your game, will set you up far better than going hell for leather in week one and paying for it in week three.
Your body will find its rhythm again faster than you expect. Give it a fortnight, and the muscle memory will be back. Give it the right start, and the rest of the season takes care of itself.
Helen Barlow’s article on golf strength and mobility is well worth a read — you can find it here.
