This year’s US Open is going to be an interesting event. It’s being held at Chambers Bay, just south of Seattle, Washington. This is the first time the US Open is being held at this venue. There’s also excitement and buzz around the fact that the tournament is being held at a public golf course. It’s a neat situation because someone like you or I could go and play the same course where these major championships are held.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzB6hPracR4
Dr. Ryan Smith and I are participating on the USGA’s wellness staff. In fact, this is the sixth year that Tulsa Spine and Rehab has been fortunate enough to travel to the event and provide services to the players, caddies, and even some of the USGA officials. I’ve mentioned at length in past posts about how I’m passionate about all things golf—playing golf, treatment of golf-specific injuries, and functional training with golfers in the area.
We developed a concept here at Tulsa Spine and Rehab called Swing Fit. We’re Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) providers, and Swing Fit is our organization where we help golfers to figure out where they have any functional limitations. It could be in the form of tightness throughout the mid back or hips, weakness in the glutes or core, or other similar issues. Once we find limitations and assess how they can potentially contribute to a swing deficiency, the player can work with a golf instructor to learn how they can move their body more effectively.
Our primary demographic is males and females in their upper forties through seventies. These people are amateur players who enjoy golf, but they notice pain or discomfort the day after a round. They might also commonly notice loss of distance. Of course, golf is an interesting sport because many of us hope to be able to continue to play throughout our seventies and beyond. A large number of the players that we see just want to maintain the abilities that they have, gain a little bit of extra distance, and play with their buddies injury-free.
On the other side of the spectrum, we’re dealing with players at the US Open. They might come into our trailer with general aches and sprains. The might also be trying to get warmed up or stretched out. Overall, there isn’t much injury-specific treatment. Our role is more general chiropractic manipulation, active release or soft tissue therapy, or physical therapy. The professional players that we see are also extremely athletic—in fact, I was astonished to witness how well they take care of their bodies during my first year at the US Open. These people work out every single day while focusing on flexibility and mobility. You might see someone like Ryo Ishikawa on TV and think that he’s very thin. Once you see him in person, you get an idea of how fit he really is.
If appropriate, we’ll occasionally coordinate with other health professionals. Some of the players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson travel with their own providers. Other players may be traveling overseas and are unable to bring their usual providers. Generally speaking, however, we’ll obtain a quick history of the player and determine what they want to focus on. They typically give us a fair amount of feedback about the treatment they’ve received in the past. Our goal is to provide them with some consistency and give them a treatment that they respond well to.
Overall, it’s a neat experience to be at the US Open. We really enjoy going early in the week to work on the players. The atmosphere is a bit more relaxed at that time. As the week progresses, you can see the screws start to tighten. It’s definitely not as laid-back anymore once it gets closer to game time. We’re very blessed to have the opportunity to participate, and we’re thankful for the relationships we’ve been able to develop with the touring pros throughout the year.
To learn more about our involvement in the US Open and Swing Fit golf performance training, contact us online or give us a call at (918) 743-3737.
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