Golf can be a 'backbreaking' sport

Golf isn't as hard on the body as some sports, but up to one-third of golfers have been injured while playing the game. The majority of injuries come from technical deficiencies in swings that put stress on the elbow, wrist, shoulder or back, say doctors at Harvard.

Here's some advice on avoiding injuries in general and back injuries in particular:

* Don't make up for poor mechanics by swinging too hard, which increases the chance of injury. Some golfers get the club head going as fast as 100 mph. in the downswing.

* Consider the classic swing of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagan in which the hips turn about as much as the shoulders, and the follow through ends in a pretty straight up-and-down position. Today's golfers twist more, rotating the shoulders back by as much as 90 degrees and hips by as much as 45 degrees. This brings more velocity to the swing, but puts more strain on the shoulders, back, and trunk.

* Exercise for strength and flexibility of the trunk and thighs.

* Lose weight if you're heavy.

* When addressing the ball, keep your knees bent at about 30 degrees to balance muscles of the trunk and legs.

* Allow time to warm up. Slow neck rotations, side-to-side trunk exercise, and quadriceps and hamstring stretches are a good start. Stiff hip and back muscles are often the root causes of a flawed swing.

* Stick to your natural swing instead of using a mixture of styles.

* Ease back into it if you've hurt yourself. Take time off, then practice with a more lofted iron. Always chip and pitch before working up to a full swing.

* Save your back by maintaining as upright a position as possible while using a putter with a longer shaft.

* Avoid bending over with straight legs to tee up the ball or pick up your clubs.