Golf is a great way to exercise and have fun. In fact, we laugh about golf off the course too. Remember those cartoons where the golfer yells "fore", hits the ball in some unanticipated direction, and smacks someone else on the head? In the cartoon it's funny, but in real life getting hit in the head, or someplace else for that matter, can be fatal.

The most common golf injuries reported to the emergency rooms across the country are from the ball or the club actually impacting the face or head. This finding led to a study by Janda reported in Golf Digest magazine in which an automobile crash dummy took a vacation to the world of golf. The way crash dummies work is that oad cells implanted at various places in their wonderfully resiliant bodies tell us how hard they were hit, then a researcher decides if that force hitting that particular area on a human would hurt. Using a golf ball machine to propel the ball, the dummy was hit in the head, chest and arm. Then computer equipment measured the impact to determine the extent of injuries. Janda found that most of the simulated injuries could be serious or fatal unless treated properly and quickly. That crash dummy was probably thinking "Duh! if you get hit with a ball or a club in the head, it's going to hurt! Who's the dummy here?"

The same articles goes on to quote experts who say most injured golfers ignore their injuries and continue to play. It is important to note that injuries from a golf ball or a club account for only an extremely small part of the injuries players receive on a golf course. Most injuries are repeditive strain injuries, and statistics from the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicineshow that 30% of professional golfers are playing with such injuries and that 70% of golfers at all levels experience back pain which is significant enough to hamper golf performance. They also point out that about 2 million people take up the game of golf each year, and about the same number leave the game, many because of injuries. These injuries are attributed to overuse injuries, repetitive faulty swing mechanics, fitness/conditioning level, forcing the body into positions it cannot naturally achieve, and improperly fitted equipment. Pretty much, if you play golf, chances are real good that you are ignoring a lot of pain. Head injury is not on the list.

The warning is that if you're having symptoms of a head injury, headaches, blurred vision, double vision, nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, you should be checked out by a doctor because head injuries can smolder over time and can lead to possible death. I'm left wondering how many of those golfers who ignored their possible head injuries were actually throwing up. Doesn't seem like something that would fit in well with the fashion conscious golf club set.

The articles ends with some good information -- that some head injuries happen when people stand too close to a golfer and get hit with a golf club, and children playing with golf clubs can also cause serious injuries. At this point, the crash test dummy probably got up and went back to his job at the automobile factory.

The final warning was "Perhaps the most dangerous thing to do after a golf course injury is to head to the clubhouse for a couple of drinks. Alcohol with a head injury can be deadly." Especially if you are planning on driving home.