Most people DO get back to golf after a hip replacement. About 9 in 10 golfers return, and many play with less pain than before surgery.
A typical path: putting at around 4 to 6 weeks, chipping and half swings from around 6 weeks, full swings from around 2 to 3 months, and a full round somewhere between 3 and 5 months. Your surgeon’s clearance comes first, and your hip’s progress sets the pace, not the calendar.
Golf is one of the activities the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lists as lower impact and suitable after a hip replacement. The questions are when, and how to protect the hip while you get there.
Stage by stage, with criteria
- Weeks 4 to 6, putting: short sessions on the practice green. Move on when you walk without a stick or limp and can stand on the operated leg without holding on
- From around week 6, chipping and half swings: short irons, small bucket, easy tempo. Move on when a session leaves no groin or buttock ache the next day
- From around 2 to 3 months, full swings: build from short irons to long irons, then woods and driver, on the range. Move on when you can hit a full bucket without pain that night or the next morning
- From around 3 to 5 months, the course: 9 holes in a cart, then 9 holes walking, then 18. Move on when you can walk for an hour on uneven ground without a limp
Your surgeon may give you different dates. Use theirs. For the wider recovery picture, see hip replacement recovery week by week.
Lead hip vs trail hip
- Lead hip: the hip nearest the target, which is the left hip if you hit from the right side of the ball. It takes your weight and turns inward as you swing through to the finish
- Trail hip: the hip further from the target. It loads up in the backswing, then you pivot off it onto your toes at the finish. One study measured slightly MORE force through the trail hip than the lead hip during a driver swing
- Either side is fine for most people: the hip turns a modest amount in a normal swing, and a replaced hip copes with it well once healed
- If the operated hip is your lead hip: turn your lead foot out a little toward the target at address. The foot then shares the turn, and the hip twists less
- If the operated hip is your trail hip: let the trail heel lift freely in the follow-through instead of keeping it planted
Putting comes back in weeks. The full swing comes back when your hip can turn under load without pain.
Precautions by surgical approach
- Posterior approach (from the back): early on, avoid deep bending combined with the knee crossing inward and the leg turning in. On the course, the risk is less the swing and more bending down: teeing up, picking the ball out of the hole, crouching to read a putt
- Posterior fixes: use a suction cup on the end of your putter to pick up the ball. When you do reach down, bend from the good side and let the operated leg extend out behind you
- Anterior approach (from the front): some surgeons ask you to avoid taking the leg far behind you while turning the foot outward in the early weeks. A long, full finish on the trail leg comes close to that, so keep your finish short until cleared
- How long: many people can go back to these positions around 6 to 8 weeks after surgery, but it depends on your surgeon’s technique. See hip replacement precautions and anterior vs posterior hip replacement
Spikes, carts and walking the course
- Shoes: spikeless or soft-spike shoes let the foot pivot. Shoes that bite hard into the turf make the hip absorb more of the twist
- Cart first: ride for your first rounds. Stick to paths, and park on flat ground so you aren’t stepping out onto a slope
- Walking the course: 18 holes is a long walk, often with hills. Walk 9 before 18, and use a push cart rather than carrying your bag at first
- Slopes, bunkers and wet grass: these are where falls happen. Step into bunkers from the lowest side, and skip steep lies until your balance is solid
- Keep training off the course: hip strength and balance work keep the swing stable. See exercises after hip replacement
Go to the emergency department if
- The hip pops or gives way with sudden severe pain and the leg looks shorter or turned
- You can’t put weight on the leg after a fall
- You have chest pain or sudden shortness of breath
Call your surgeon today if
- The wound becomes red, hot or leaks, or you feel feverish
- Your calf becomes swollen, tender or warm
Mention it at your next review if
- Groin or buttock ache after golf lasts into the next day
- Your limp comes back after rounds
- The hip clicks, catches or feels unsteady in the swing
- Your lower back aches after playing, which can mean the hip isn’t turning freely yet
Golf suits a new hip. Earn the full swing on the range before you take it onto the course.