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Back problems claim another golfer

By Mike Dudurich for The 4 min read
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The professional golfer who goes about his business on a weekly business with a healthy body is a rare creature.

Knees, shoulders, ankles all eventually succumb to the wear and tear of time on the practice range as well as playing a tournament schedule.

The No. 1 ailment, however, that plagues golfers is the bad back. No part of the human body takes more of a beating on a regular basis than the back. It’s been that way for years and unless someone comes up with a new way to swing a golf club, it will continue to be an occupational hazard.

In this era of teeing it high and letting it fly, backs are under siege even more. Tiger Woods’ back woes have become a critical piece of his legacy. Jason Day started having back issues late last year although those in his camp insist those are not serious.

And then last week another member of golf’s elite, Rory McIlroy, had to withdraw from an event, had an MRI and is now taking some time off to heal what has been deemed an upper back problem.

The problem for these guys, as well as those who will follow them, is that none of them have made (or will make) adjustments to their swings that might be more back-friendly. If you watched any of the Hero World Challenge in December, you saw Woods start off with some nice controlled swings, but it didn’t take long before he was wailing away again.

This is the guy who has had three procedures done on the same spot on his back.

The guys who could have been expected to battle for supremacy in pro golf — Day and McIlroy — can now be expected to have extra eyes on them in 2017 to see if their back problems become serious issues.

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I was looking through my golf library the other day and came across a book I had forgotten I had.

It’s an older book, published in 2003, but if you’re a fan of the Masters and enjoy reading about the history of the tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, The Masters, A Hole-by-Hole History of America’s Golf Classic by David Sowell, is one you should try to find.

The book is what it says it is, a look at one of golf’s great places from the first to last holes but what takes this one to an even greater look is that Sowell went deeper into the history, providing interesting stories and anecdotes about each hole.

A lot of digging and good journalistic work by Sowell has produced some great stories and give readers some insight as to how these famous 18 holes developed and turned into the classics they are.

The book was published by Brassey’s, Inc., whose website is brasseysinc.com.

It has become one of my favorites and hopefully it’s still available for those who might be interested.

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An early contender for performance of the year (three weeks into the season) goes to Phil Mickelson. After having two hernia surgeries in the offseason, Mickelson decided to open his season at the CareerBuilder Challenge this weekend.

He said he wasn’t sure what kind of game he’d have, but Mickelson posted rounds of 68 and 66 to not only build his confidence but give hope to Lefty’s legion of fans who are hoping he has another big season left in him.

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If you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.

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