Do you carry your bag for a full 18 holes? Do you feel fatigued after your round? Read on to find out why you shouldn’t carry your bag.
(Image: https://golf.com/gear/most-common-clubs-tour-players-golf-bags/) 1. It's going to make you work harder You may often wonder, what is easier – carrying my bag or pushing it? Well, I have some research to settle this question. A study performed in 2020 compared the effects of carrying a golf bag versus pushing it. The researchers found that pushing your bag may decrease oxygen consumption by roughly 10% (McDaniel et al, 2020). This means that that pushing your bag is going to allow you to conserve more energy over your round. 2. It may create muscular imbalances As you know, golf is already a very one-sided sport. By carrying your golf bag, you may increase the likelihood of strengthening an imbalance in your body. Most golf bags weigh over ten kilograms, so four hours is a large amount of time to be putting extra stress on your muscles. In a study from 2003, Gosheger et al commented that carrying a golf bag is ‘hazardous’ for the lower back, shoulders and ankles. 3. It can affect your balance negatively Elite level golfers share on thing in common, they have great balance. Have you seen many golfers lose their balance on television? Neither have I. By carrying your golf bag, it can actually decrease your balance for a variety of reasons. This may be due to fatigue or even the unsettling of your inner ear crystals which can commonly cause vertigo. Final thoughts The above reasons create a pretty good argument to ditch carrying your bag and to invest in using a buggy. However, if you want to burn more calories and give your cardiovascular system more work, then adding your bag to your back is a fair strategy.
Do you want further advice? Book a golf physiotherapy consultation.
Do you want personalised advice? Do you want to play better golf as soon as possible? Book in for a golf physiotherapy screening. This can be performed anywhere in the world, or face-to-face here in South-East Queensland.
I look forward to helping you move, feel and play better golf.
Billy Troy
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