An analysis of exercise mechanics and swing patterns for verification of new type golf game effects with reduced risks of injuries

With our society entering an aging society, elderly people are on the increase and they, despite declining physical power, have a growing interest in leisure and sports activities. Thus, we developed a new type of golf (soft golf) which is easy for people across all ages to learn safely with the same rules as with the existing golf, and that can reduce the risk of injuries. The newly developed golf club, compared with existing golf clubs, has a broad hitting surface, and light weight. In order to prove that this new golf with such strengths can maintain the same fun and exercise amount as the existing golf while reducing the risk of injuries, it was compared with the existing golf so as to measure loading and exercising amount applied to the body of the player. First, the ground reaction force and angles of various joints, resulting from the swing of the existing golf club and the soft golf club, were measured. Second, the torques applied to various joints were measured. The ground reaction force generated by swings was measured using force plate, and various joint angles were measured by performing simulation of the body movement. The torques applied to various joints were also measured using a simulation program. As a result of experiments, it was revealed that the ground reaction force and joints angles were nearly similar, and that the torques were drastically small. The fact that ground reaction and various joint angles are similar means that there is no difference in exercise amount between the new type golf and the existing golf. Also, the load applied to the body of the player is drastically small with the new golf, compared with the existing golf, meaning that swings with the new golf are far safer than with the existing golf.