Golf Ball Therapy - The Hidden Healing Power in a Small Dimpled Sphere

Golf Balls for Breakfast - photocredit: schoeband via photopin cc

The modern golf ball is an amazing feat of science and engineering.  Composed of an array of different polymers layered, in varying strengths, around a rigid core, their current form is the result of decades of extensive research.  And that research has paid off in added yardage for golfers.

So stealthy are today's balls, there have even been calls to "slow them down" and impose limits on their performance. Otherwise... the reasoning goes... even the mega-long courses that have become standard in the US will be too short for the long hitter.

Meanwhile, away from the fairways and greens, innovative individuals have discovered and developed some interesting off label uses for the dimpled orbs we chase so relentlessly.

A recent post in Men's Journal suggested there might be some value in standing on golf balls, the premise being that this excruciatingly painful rather uncomfortable activity will train your body to tolerate discomfort, and will stimulate nerve endings.  The description of said activity made me hope I never need to develop my tolerance for discomfort... and for the time being my nerve endings appear to be sufficiently stimulated.

Hand Reflexology    photo via Firebert

Then there's the cure for sinusitis.  Unlikely as it may seem, rolling a golf ball over the palms of your hands... paying particular attention to the area directly below your thumbs... may help alleviate sinus problems.  This treatment is based on reflexology, the popular alternative therapy that associates certain areas of the hands and feet with with specific organs or "zones" in the human body. By applying pressure to these areas, reflexologists believe one can treat the associated organs.  It has to do with unblocking energy flow... or something like that.  In any case, though the curative effects of reflexology have yet to be proven, I'm pretty sure that very few golfers... or nongolfers for that matter... would refuse a well rendered hand massage.  I just don't think a golf ball would add much value to the operation.  If, however, you feel it would, and if you happen to be experiencing some tummy trouble, you may just want to roll that ball down to the heel of your palm. That's where digestive disorders are treated.

By far the most alluring golf ball therapy I've uncovered is the one practiced... and perfected... by Heather Karr, a licensed massage therapist who has created unique devices that hold golf balls in ergonomic casings and enable a smooth and penetrating Golf Ball Massage.  The treatment has become one of Heather's most popular services, and thanks to her products, plus the volumes of information on her website, those who aren't located in her Thousand Oaks, CA neighborhood can  also reap the benefits of her golf ball therapies.

Heather has done a stellar job with the branding and marketing of her products. Both her SPAball Kaddy and the KaddyBACK are available to therapists and individuals on Heather's site and at retail locations.

So there you have just a few of the ways people are attempting to harness the healing powers of the not-so-humble golf ball. Now, as Heather herself would say, "Go put your balls to work".

UPDATE: Check out "Golf Balls that Make You Go Ahhhhhhhhhm" for Mike Dojc's take on the wonders of golf ball massage.