As a golf coach, you may encounter various neurological conditions that will require an element of research. Here are the key considerations for a player with the neurological condition – multiple sclerosis.
Typical MS symptoms can include:
- Fatigue
- Issues with balance and walking
- Muscle spasms and stiffness
- Bladder and bowel problems
- Low mood, anxiety and depression
There are lots of options for treating and managing MS. These include medication, exercise, physiotherapy, diet and alternative therapies. Research tells us exercise can improve people’s mood, mobility, muscle strength, and some other MS symptoms. Golf, therefore, can be an excellent sporting option for people with MS.
Research from the EDGA player database confirms that golf can:
- Help manage MS symptoms, including fatigue, balance and walking.
- Improve mood and well-being.
- Improve overall health when MS is mild.
- Help players stay mobile and active when MS is more severe.
- Decrease the risk of other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. If someone is training or being active with MS, they may experience different symptoms from day to day or even within the same day or same activity.
- Every day can provide a different challenge. As a golf coach, you need to be ready to put your skills to the test and constantly assess by watching and listening to the person and modifying any golf session when the participant shows or communicates anything untoward.
- People with MS tend to know their own symptoms very well, and a change in symptoms might not happen during the session but later. It is, therefore, important to ask how people were after their last session and be prepared to adapt your next session based on their feedback.
- MS affects people differently, so what works for one person might not work for someone else.
- Dealing with symptoms: Start off slow and continue to get feedback from the student.
- People with MS tend to become fatigued quickly, so start slowly. As with any unconditioned person, the intensity of the coaching session has to correspond to the individual’s fitness level.
- The coach needs to exercise patience and strike a balance between not pushing for too much too soon and providing a level of intensity that will challenge the client toward a higher level of play.
- Be creative and do not overcomplicate coaching, as a player with MS can have dips in concentration.
- Check for understanding via regular questioning.
- One of the symptoms often experienced by people with MS is neuropathy or numbness in their hands. This sometimes presents as a feeling of ‘pins and needles’, making holding the golf club difficult. Be prepared to adapt and explore alternatives in handle size, material or specialist gloves.
- Other symptoms can include bladder and bowel issues. Some practical suggestions would be to ensure people know the nearest toilet area and have time to go to the bathroom during the coaching session. Build in ‘rest’ breaks and provide shaded rest and seated areas.
- It is also essential for people with MS to stay cool during their golf sessions. Heat is not a friend of MS; overheating can worsen symptoms. Some practical interventions could include:
- Encourage people to wear light, loose-fitting clothes that can be ‘added’ to if required, i.e., layers.
- Divide exercise sessions into smaller sections, with regular breaks and provide a seating area.
- To help exercise for longer, suggest consuming ice drinks, wearing a ‘cooling vest’, and taking a cool bath before exercise.
- Keep the coaching space well-ventilated if delivering an indoor golf session. A fan might help avoid overly hot areas and seek driving range shade if outside; ideally, the temperature is below 29ºC.
- Optimise training and playing schedules to maximise rest cycles and minimise fatigue. For example, delivering a coaching session to an MS player after they have played 18 holes would not be recommended.
- Maximise the efficiency of your sessions by concentrating on one learning outcome over a short period of time. For example, you might divide your session into 15 minute blocks of instruction and application.
- MS can influence spatial awareness and depth perception, so be prepared to manage and incorporate regular aim and alignment exercises.
*This material remains the intellectual property of the EDGA development team and may not be distributed or used further without written consent from the EDGA development team.