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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 13, 2006 Book helps golfers deal with pain and injury There is violence in golf. It's not as obvious as a safety leveling a wide receiver or a body check in hockey, but physical well being is both a concern and a challenge for many golfers. So much so that Darcy Dill, a 1968 Medford High graduate who recently returned to the Rogue Valley, has written a book on the subject. "There are certain moves in the golf swing, especially if you have a violent golf swing, that are harmful for the body," says Dill, who moved to Ashland 11„2 years ago. "You're going to get disc problems, arthritis. It can build up slowly. Sometimes you do micro trauma, and even though you don't feel it, it just builds up over time. Pretty soon, it's the straw that broke the camel's back." Some will scoff at the notion of a violent swing or golf being much of a physical risk. But in "Body Friendly Golf" (1st World Library, $39.95), Dill produced nearly 300 pages devoted to injury prevention and treatment specific to the sport. It took three years for him to write it and produce an accompanying DVD that serves as a nifty cross-reference tool. Advertisement Dill describes the golf swing as "a unilateral movement requiring the lumbar spine to forcefully rotate, laterally flex, and extend. This creates imbalances between the muscles and joints on the opposing sides. These repetitive strains build up over the years." It's not surprising, then, that a Golf Digest study earlier this year shows 80 percent of all golfers suffer some sort of pain, injury or illness, including 27 percent from back pain or injury. The study further indicates golfers are relatively unhealthy as a group. Dill's book runs the gamut, beginning with the premise that a golfer's most valuable piece of equipment is his body, not something in his bag. It gives remedies for pain in the lower back — Dill's specialty — elbows, wrists, knees, etc. It then ventures into the benefits of fitness, nutrition and body awareness, swing techniques and drills that are body friendly and a host of exercises from which to build a personal routine. Illustrations show how to do the drills, but the DVD is much more informative and closely follows the text. As an exercise or swing drill is demonstrated, the corresponding book chapter is shown on the screen. The package also addresses posture and swing traits, such as coming over the top, casting or hitting with a "chicken wing," whereby the forward elbow is bent at impact. Essentially, most any ardent golfer will find something in it that resonates. "It's really a whole program on how to get in shape and stay healthy around the game of golf," says Dill. He doesn't pretend to come across as a golf pro. "I'm there to help make sure the person can do the moves that the golf pro wants him to do," says Dill, "because if the golf pro says bring your body here or move this or get the club over here, and you can't do it because of body flaws, then you make some kind of compensation." The book originally was to be targeted to professionals to help them treat golf patients, but it turned into a sort of self-help manual for the everyday player. It's also taken over Dill's life. His professional career is on hold to promote the book, which was completed in May. He has a book signing scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at Barnes and Noble, hopes to give seminars locally and is even considering work as a golf-specific personal trainer. Eventually, he'd like to travel around the country, giving presentations and raising golf-fitness awareness. "I want to see where it takes me," says Dill, noting he has a motor home for that purpose. "I know all authors don't make money on their books. They make money on stuff they do in relation to the book. This is all something I'm learning as I go along." He learned golf a long time ago, playing for a Black Tornado team that was led by Allen Brooks and finished fourth in the state. Dill was the last man on the team, he says, but thoroughly enjoyed the game. Once he went through the University of Oregon and chiropractic school in Atlanta, he began playing golf frequently. His handicap got as low as a 7, but his lower back suffered from increased play. "I knew a lot about the mechanics of how the body works and what creates lower back pain," says Dill, 56, who has lived in a variety of places, notably St. Simons Island, Ga., and Steamboat Springs, Colo. "In terms of the golf swing, it was absolutely aggravating it. I wanted to figure out a way to play golf better without the pain." He studied the golf swing and its impact on the body and became something of an authority. He worked for a summer with a group of traveling physical therapists and instructed other doctors and personal trainers on how to relate to and treat golf patients. "Golfers are great patients," says Dill. "The avid golfer not only wants to get out of pain, but he wants his game to get better. They're excited about it (going to the doctor) and don't complain about the money so much." The book incorporates principles of a smooth golf swing and techniques that those familiar with David Lee's "Gravity Golf System" will recognize. Dill took lessons from Lee and also sat with him for three days, picking his brain about the machinations of an effortless swing that, Dill says, is critical to body health. Dill cites a Wall Street Journal study that shows only 20 percent of golf injuries are due to overuse but 77 percent can be linked to technical mistakes in the swing. "Even Tiger changed his swing around," says Dill. "Tiger, in my mind, used to have a very violent swing. And as good as he was, I thought, 'Tiger's going to have some problems.' And as fit as he is, he has had knee surgery and back pain." Many others do to, which could make Dill's work a valuable resource on the bookshelf. 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