Nearly 16% of Australian amateur golfers may expect to sustain a golf-related injury per year. The injuries in golf are most likely sustained in the lower back region as a result of the golf swing. Based on statistical analysis, only game play and a changing of clubs seem to be significantly associated with risk of injury after adjusting for other risk factors (P < .05). Other factors such as age, gender, handicap, practice habits, and warm-up habits were not significant.

Synoptic weather typing depends on the method and its implementation. This paper demonstrates the utility of a 2-phase batch self-organising map procedure (CP2) in comparison with a procedure (CP1) consisting of T-mode principal component analysis followed by convergent K-means clustering, for classifying the synoptic weather types over east Australia. Four classifications were obtained for the 52-year NCEP/NCAR dataset, one from CP1 and three from CP2. These classifications were examined in terms of grouping quality, mean type maps, type frequencies, lifetime and transitions, and in relation to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI).The results showed that the classifications derived from different procedures are inter-confirmative and capture a similar set of major synoptic situations influencing east Australia, each having counterparts in previous studies and conforming well to local synoptic experience. In particular, this study demonstrates that CP2 is a promising tool for the purpose of weather typing with a two-fold utility: CP2 can perform data projection (neighbourhood width > = 1) and provide a flexible means for visualising the broad distribution of the daily weather patterns in the dataset; and the procedure can also conduct cluster analysis (neighbourhood width = 0) and produce results equivalent to those from CP1. It was found that performing data clustering or data projection may affect the inference associated with type frequencies. While focusing on methodology, the analysis has also shown that the frequency of synoptic weather types fluctuates on the seasonal, interannual, and decadal scales. From the 1970s to 1995 there was a decline in the occurrence of a few weather types associated with an east-coast trough extending over New South Wales from the north, and a slight increase in the activity of some anticyclonic types. Significant correlations were also identified between SOI and frequencies of synoptic weather types on the annual and seasonal timescales.

ABSTRACT:The two-fold utility (data projection and cluster analysis) of a two-phase batch self-organizing map (SOM) procedure (CP2) has been previously explored using the NCEP/NCAR geopotential height data for east Australia. That study focused on examining the performance of CP2 in comparison with a traditional cluster analysis procedure, CP1, for the purpose of synoptic typing. The present paper provides additional documentation on the implementation of CP2 for the same region, with broader considerations on the effect of SOM map size, seasonality, data standardization and the choice of neighbourhood functions.A total of 215 SOMs (classifications) were trained through CP2 with various data processing and parameter settings. The examination of these SOMs shows that the two-fold utility of CP2 leads to supplementary visualization of the dominant synoptic patterns over the study region. For SOMs of the same map size (i.e. number of synoptic types), cluster analysis via CP2 provides data groupings with relatively high accuracy and large separation but reduced level of pattern self-organization, while data projection via CP2 tends to create data groupings with a high level of pattern self-organization but reduced accuracy and separation. The choice of map size affects the accuracy, separation and self-organization of data groupings. As a compromise, a map size of 10-20 for cluster analysis and 20-30 for data projection is recommended for the study region. To account for the seasonality and latitudinal heterogeneity in the activity of synoptic systems, a relatively larger SOM size is needed to capture typical synoptic features prevailing in different seasons. Data standardization helps to provide a relatively balanced representation between larger-scale synoptic systems (e.g. anticyclones) and smaller-scale synoptic features (e.g. thermal lows), and also improves the level of pattern self-organization on the SOM across seasons. The additional documentation in this paper encourages a wider application of CP2 in environmental research.

Golf is one of a few activities that people of all ages and skill level can play. Injury as with all sports can occur. The low back is the most common injury sustained whilst playing golf, and the dynamic action of the golf swing is a major contributing factor to injury. The golf swing is a complex movement that utilises the whole body in a coordinated fashion and when repeated frequently can result in injury. Injury can be overuse or traumatic in nature. Overuse injuries predominate in the professional golfer, and amateur golfer injury tends to occur secondary to an incorrect golf swing. Upper limb injuries are also common due to their role in linking the fast moving golf club with the power-generating torso. Fortunately, injury from a club or ball strike is rare. More common are the overuse injuries associated with the back, neck and shoulder. Most golf injury data have been collected retrospectively and further epidemiological study of a prospective nature is required to determine injury incidence and factor relating to the onset of injury.

Objective: This study describes the playing characteristics of golfers who had an injury to their lower back in the course of play or practice in the previous year (12 months). Methods: A retrospective survey was mailed to members of randomly selected golf clubs across Australia. Statistical methods used included 2-sample t test to compare means of 2 independent populations and the v 2 test to examine the association between categorical variables/factors in the study. Results: Of 1634 Australian amateur golfers surveyed, 17.6% of golfers sustained at least 1 injury in the previous year. The lower back accounted for 25% of all golf-related injuries in the previous year, making the lower back the most common site of injury. The golfer with a golfrelated lower back injury was likely to have a previous history of lower back injury, while the injury had a progressive onset compared with an acute single onset. The follow-through phase of the golf swing was reported to be associated with the greatest likelihood of injury compared with other phases of the swing. Most of the injured golfers received treatment of their injury with a general practitioner (69%), a physiotherapist (49%), or a chiropractor (40%). Conclusion: Practitioners treating golfers with a history of lower back injury should evaluate the golf swing follow-through to identify potential causes of aggravation to the lower back. Targeted measures such as spinal manipulative therapy, soft tissue and back exercise, and conditioning programs to assist the strength and mobility of the golfer could then be implemented.