Golf for the mature athlete.

Golf is a different sport from all others discussed in this issue in one important aspect: Almost all of its practitioners play more, rather than less, as they mature. A great many of them play better, too. This additional play and skill can be highly satisfying to the participants; however, it puts them at risk for a number of overuse syndromes directly caused by the motion requirements of golf. In addition, the repetitive nature of the activity can exacerbate pre-existing and age-related orthopedic pathology as well. There is no substitute for attention to the preplay aspects of golf (warm-up, flexibility, and strengthening).