Golfweek

By JAMES ACHENBACH
Senior Writer

There is an old, not-so-funny joke that goes:

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Arthur.
Arthur who?
Arthur Itis.

Some 50 years ago, with knock-knock jokes on the lips of insipid joke tellers, arthritis was perceived mostly as one of those maladies of old age.

If you lived long enough, you might get it, but at least you still were upright and on the right side of the turf.

Today, though, people take arthritis much more seriously. The condition has invaded the world population with unbridled vigor and fury. It strikes relentlessly in all countries, the rich and poor equally, and clearly does not confine itself to the oldest of citizens.

“Arthritis is a worldwide condition,” said Dr. Patience White, a rheumatologist and chief public health officer for the nonprofit Arthritis Foundation.

“Those who still think arthritis is a disease for old people have got it wrong. Most are under the age of 65.”

What is arthritis? It is a term used to describe more than 100 different conditions that affect joints as well as other parts of the body. From joint stiffness, inflammation and pain to the inability of joints to function, the symptoms of arthritis are especially bad news for golfers.

On May 4, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention released a highly anticipated report on arthritis in the United States. The numbers were staggering: 46 million adults in the U.S. have been told by a doctor they have some form of arthritis; this costs the U.S. economy $128 billion annually; by 2030, 67 million Americans 18 or older will be diagnosed with a form of arthritis.

Arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. In the U.S., the affliction will have a particularly high visibility as the Baby Boom generation faces retirement.

Because many Baby Boomers are golfers, arthritis has attained a new and prominent place in the American golf vocabulary.

Potential arthritic problems for golfers include difficulty holding the club and turning the body on both the backswing and throughswing, as well as intense pain during the swing – particularly at impact. Some golfers with arthritis face a double dilemma – they cannot easily walk, and they fear riding in carts, where vibrations from bumps can jar their sensitive bodies.

The hands, though, remain the most vulnerable area of the body. Nobody can play golf without being able to grip the club and hold onto it for the entire swing.

There are two common forms of arthritis – osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Some other related diseases include lupus, gout and fibromyalgia.

Dave King, 65, has been one of the country’s top senior amateur golfers for 10 years. He also has ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that has caused his spine to fuse and his body to ache and swell.

“I feel like my body’s been 70 for about 30 years,” said King, who once qualified for the U.S. Senior Open despite playing with an immovable left thumb that had doubled in size.

“If I got the wrong grip with the left thumb,” said King, whose top eight vertebrae have been fused for 30 years, “I had to use my right hand to pull it off the club and reset it. I didn’t complain. No golfer my age complains. Everybody’s got something wrong.”

Some, though, suffer more than others.

“With osteoarthritis, it gets worse as you use it,” explained White. “With rheumatoid arthritis, activity makes you feel better, but you get stiff after you play golf or later in the day.”

White has a firm two-sided message: Don’t smoke, and lose weight. Smoking can be one of the triggers for arthritis, she said, while extra weight places a huge burden on an arthritic body.

When it comes to arthritis and golf, Keith Chatham has seen it all. The owner of PrecisionFit Golf in Kerrville, Texas, Chatham was named 2006 International Clubmaker of the Year by the Professional Clubmakers’ Society.

Chatham is acknowledged as an expert in fitting senior golfers along with those who have physical disabilities.

Ninety percent of his customers are 62 or older, and 50 percent of them have arthritis or another physical disability.

So what does he do?

“I make clubs from scratch for each individual,” Chatham said. “I look at all parts of the club – the grip, the shaft and the clubhead. Some heads have vibration-dampening materials in them, and that can be very important.”

Because holding the club is crucial, Chatham is familiar with numerous grips.

Oversized grips are common for golfers with arthritis. Chatham says the oversized Winn grip is most popular among his customers, but he also offers arthritis-fighting grips from manufacturers such as Kelmac, Star, Enlow and Feel.

Feel’s Release grip is a reverse taper grip, with the biggest part near the bottom where the fingers grip the club. Enlow’s enormous grip weighs 140 grams (compared to about 50 grams for a normal grip) and features a slight reverse taper.

At its worst, arthritis can mean the end of a golf career. For most people, though, there are methods of dealing with the symptoms.

For example, Bionic golf gloves from Hillerich & Bradsby and Shockstopper gloves from FootJoy have earned ease-of-use commendations from the Arthritis Foundation.

The gloves contain reinforcements and curves that enhance grip comfort and strength.

The introduction of the Bionic glove, invented by hand surgeon Dr. James Kleinert, marked the start of this new grip category.

“The Bionic was developed for overall performance,” Kleinert said. “Arthritis was a secondary benefit. What we are seeing is that the hands don’t fatigue as much. Some golfers are reporting less pain.”

White has encouraged some arthritis sufferers to use a shorter, more compact swing, a diagnosis with which teaching professional Don Trahan adamantly agrees. Trahan says a shorter swing is more efficient and consistent, and it’s easier on the body.

“The three-quarter swing does not lose clubhead speed,” said Trahan, whose golf academy is headquartered at Eagle’s Point Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C., near Hilton Head Island.

“The huge turn is not needed for power.”

Big swing or little swing, White stressed that fitness, proper diet and medical treatment are keys to living successfully with arthritis.

Kleinert said it in a different way, harkening back to the old knock-knock joke: “Arthritis is almost universal. If you live long enough, you’re going to get some form of it. By age 75, most folks will develop osteoarthritis is some part of their body.

“You want to live long enough to get some. You’re still alive. You’re still excited by golf.”

Amen.

• • •

James Achenbach is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail jachenbach@golfweek.com.






Posted: 5/10/2007

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