Golfers: CBD Could Be Your Secret Weapon
CBD is a Golfer's secret weapon
Cannabidiol (CBD) products are trending in the golf industry and it is not surprising given the therapeutic benefits they may provide. While golf is considered a low impact sport, golfers still experience a wide range of symptoms CBD may help to alleviate. Most serious golfers experience some pain and inflammation, performance anxiety, or have days where your ball striking is off due to lack of focus and concentration. Luckily, CBD may be the secret weapon you've been looking for to help you optimize your golf game.
What is CBD and how does it work?
CBD is one of many cannabinoids that can be extracted from cannabis plants. The two most common cannabis plants that you may have heard of are hemp and marijuana. While CBD can be extracted from both hemp and marijuana, CBD is generally extracted from hemp. CBD from hemp contains less than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which means it won’t get you “high”. Malibu Wave's CBD is broad spectrum which goes through an additional process to remove all THC from our products.
CBD works with the body’s own endocannabinoid system, along with the brain and nervous system, to keep pain and inflammation in check and helping with a variety of conditions[1].
How can CBD help my game?
Going out for a full round of golf is known to put stress on your entire body with the repetitive twisting and turning; especially on those days when you're swinging to hard. Some common injuries and areas of pain among golfers include your back and spine, golfer’s elbow, knees, rotator cuffs and wrist pains [2]. CBD could be your best friend with these types of inflammation-based and soft-tissue injuries as CBD may be considered a natural, safe alternative to conventional pain relievers [3].
Along with the physical game of golf is the mental aspect. Whether you are a professional golfer or recreation golfer, most golfers will experience some form of pre-game stress, tee-box or putting anxiety that gets in the way of their performance on the golf course (and causes shanks and pesky 3-putts).
Research shows that CBD may help to relax and calm the central nervous system to help you with jitters [4]. It is shown to be a safe option with minimal sedative effects [5]. Relieving stress and anxiety can promote the concentration and focus needed for your game. It can also help you to get more restful sleep which can help the body to recover between games.
I personally love to take CBD mid-round for relief rather than drinking alcohol which throws my game totally off the rails. I typically carry around our Natural Fruit Gummies and Softgels (without melatonin) in my golf bag to take throughout the round when my anxiety or back pain flares up. I've also had a lot of succes using our MCT-based Salve for both pre- and post-round for back pain relief on my bulging disk. CBD has saved my golf game, and is used by some of our favorite tour pros [6].
References
[1] Rosenberg, Evan C., Tsien, Richard W., Whalley, Benjamin J., Devinsky, Orrin. (2015). Cannabinoids and Epilepsy. Neurotherapeutic 12(4):747-768. doi: 10.1007/s13311-015-0375-5.
[2]Palacios-Jansen, Karen. “10 Common Golf Injuries.” Golf Channel, 10 March, 2009 Golf Fitness Magazine, www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-fitness-magazine/10-common-golf-injuries. Accessed: 10 June, 2020.
[3] Bruni, N., Pepa, C.D., Oliaro-Bosso, S., Pessione, E., Gastaldi, D., and Dosio, F. (2018). Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment. Molecules 23(10):2478. doi: 10.3390/molecules23102478.
[4] Shannon, S., MD, Lewis, N., ND, Lee, H., PA-C, and Hughes, S., PhD. (2019). Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. Perm J. 23: 18-041. doi: 10.7812/TPP/18-041.
[5] Blessing, E.M., Steenkamp, M.M., Manzanares, J., and Marmar, C.R. (2015). Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders. Neurotherapeutics 12(4):825-836. doi: 10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1.
[6] GLT Content Team, "DID PHIL MICKELSON TAKE CBD OIL IN THE 2019 MASTERS." GLT Golf, (2019). https://www.gltgolf.com/golf-blog/golf-equipment-blog/did-phil-mickelson-take-cbd-oil-2019-masters.html. Accessed 21 June, 2020.