How to keep playing golf with a bad back

A sore back is the most common reason golfers over 50 cut back on rounds. The good news is that most of the strain comes from a few habits you can change: skipping a warm-up, forcing a big shoulder turn, and bending over the ball dozens of times a round.

Check with your doctor first

If you have sharp pain, pain that runs down your leg, numbness, or you’re recovering from back surgery, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist before you play. This article is for everyday stiffness and soreness.

Warm up before you hit a ball

Cold muscles are where most golf back pain starts. Ten minutes is enough:

Walk briskly for a few minutes to get blood moving.
Do slow trunk rotations holding a club across your shoulders.
Make half swings with a wedge before you work up to full swings.
Save the driver for last.

Let your hips turn

Many of us learned to keep the hips still and coil the shoulders against them. That twisting puts a lot of load on the lower back. Instead, let your hips turn freely on the backswing. You’ll give up a little coil and save a lot of strain.

Lift your lead heel

If your flexibility isn’t what it was, let your lead heel come off the ground a little on the backswing. Plenty of great players in the past swung this way. It makes a full turn easier without forcing your spine to do all the work.

Flare your feet

Turn both toes out a bit at address, about 20 to 30 degrees. This gives your hips more room to rotate both ways, which takes pressure off the lower back.

Stand a little taller

Hunching over the ball loads your back before you even start. Stand a bit taller with a slight bend at the hips, and let your arms hang naturally. A club fitter can check whether your clubs are too short for this posture.

Shorten the backswing

A three-quarter backswing hits the ball almost as far as a full one for most golfers, and it’s far easier on your back. It also tends to be more accurate.

Stop bending over so much

Over 18 holes you bend down to tee up, mark and pick up the ball dozens of times. A few easy fixes:

Bend your knees, not your back, or use the “golfer’s lift” with one leg extended behind you.
Put a ball pickup suction cup on the end of your putter grip.
Use a push cart or ride instead of carrying, and lighten your bag.

After the round

Walk around for a few minutes and do some gentle stretches before you sit in the car. If you usually feel stiff the next morning, an easy walk the following day often helps more than resting on the couch.

The bottom line

You don’t need to rebuild your swing. Warm up, let your body turn the way it wants to, and cut down on bending, and most golfers find they can play more often with less pain.