Golf (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1212
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Golf (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 49/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 36,909 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 49/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 36,909
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 14.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 65-74
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1212 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 49/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for golf (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume36,909 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)14.6%
- Fatality rate0.35%
- 5-year trend+4%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Golf (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 1212, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 36,909 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 738,177 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 49/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (43,708 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (30,047 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for golf (activity, apparel or equipment) is other to the upper trunk, accounting for approximately 72,813 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the all parts body (62,969 cases). The 65-74 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 166,124 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 14.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.35%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 9 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how golf (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 15,236 | 7,473 | |
| 5-14 | 71,117 | 27,970 | |
| 15-24 | 40,535 | 12,223 | |
| 25-34 | 38,943 | 10,454 | |
| 35-44 | 39,946 | 9,509 | |
| 45-54 | 53,253 | 14,205 | |
| 55-64 | 81,912 | 21,438 | |
| 65-74 | 132,958 | 33,166 | |
| 75+ | 102,528 | 25,142 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Mouth | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
57YOF WAS GOLFING AND DEVELOPED LEFT-SIDED LOW BACK PAIN DX: LOW BACK PAIN
71YOM WAS STANDING BEHIND SOMEONE WHO WAS SWINGING A GOLF CLUB AND STRUCK IN FACE DX:LIP LAC
62YOM WAS PLAYING GOLF WHEN HE TWISTED HIS LEFT THUMB DX: STRAINED FINGER
63YOM HAD A FALL WHILE SWINGING HIS GOLF CLUB DURING GAME WHILE PLAYING GOLF STRIKING HIS CHEST DX:CONTUISON RIBS
80YOF WAS PLAYING GOLF AND TWISTED LOWER BACK DX:INTRACTABLE LOWER BACK PAIN
79YOM WAS GOLFING ON SATURDAY AND DEVELOPED PAIN IN LOWER BACK DX: LUMBAR RADICULOPATHY
57YOM WAS GOLFING OVER THE WEEKEND WHEN HE DEVELOPED SHORTNESS OF BREATH LIGHTHEADEDNESS AND CHEST PAIN WHICH HAS CONTINUED DX: CHEST PAIN WITH HIGH RISK OF ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME
72YOF WAS PLAYING GOLF AND DEVELOPED NUMBNESS IN RIGHT HAND AND RIGHT LOWER ARM DX: ATHEROSCLEROSIS OF AXILLARY ARTERY
43YOM PRESENTS WITH LEFT SHOULDER PAIN AFTER A FALL WHILE PLAYING GOLF WHERE HE MISSTEPPED AND FELL ONTO CURB LANDING ON SHOULDER DX: HILL SACHS DEFORMITY, SHOULDER PAIN, SHOULDER DISLOCATION
79YOF WAS PLAYING GOLF WHEN SHE TWISTED HER UPPER BACK DX: THORACIC STRAIN
76YOM WAS AT THE GOLF COURSE IN THE CLUB HOUSE AND WAS BENDING DOWN TO PICKUP A GOLF BALL FROM OFF THE FLOOR WHEN HE FELL STRIKING HIS HEAD DX: CONCUSSION, NECK PAIN
2YOM PRESENTS WITH WOSENING BRUSING TO CHEEK AND BILATERAL LOWER EXTREMITIES AFTER PLAYING GOLF WITH BROTHER AND ACCIDENATLLY HIT HIMSELF WITH GOLF CLUB THEN DROPPED CLUB AND STARTED RUNNING AND FELL FORWARD ONTO HIS FACE 2 DAYS AGO DX: ECCHYMOSIS
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
I own 6 Under Armour golf hats. After having washed the hats several times, metal spikes appear on the inside of the hat. When putting the hats on, the metal spikes then piece my scalp and cause bleeding. This is so unusual. I have never had this happen with other golf hats. 3 of the 6 hats that I have are now unusable because of the metal spikes that have appeared. I have washed many other golf hats and never had this happen before. I have written to Under Armour Consumer Affairs and as expected, I have had no response.
i purchased a set of Top Flight XL golf clubs from Dick's sporting goods for my 15 year old grandson, the driver and 3 wood both broke at the shaft and club head joint. the club head nearly struck a by-stander. I took them back and replaced them with a more expensive set of Top Flight XLT clubs. While using them for the third time both the 3 wood and driver clubs broke at the same spot. these are graphite shaft clubs that apparently have a very bad problem. These are dangerous as a head can and does break away fro the club shaft. i would be surprised if there have been no reported injuries.
I purchased this golf driver from Amazon on April 23 Pinemeadow PGX driver with additional warranty . I used it a few times andI was at a driving range on July 9th and after a few drives the club head flew off almost hitting a fellow golfer. Obviously angry the golfer had a narrow escape and I had to bear the brunt of his anger and paid a $100 to keep him from complaining. When contacted the company casually mentioned they can repair it . No apologies no concerns about safety
This the second time this happens with this piece of equipment. It is a retractable golf ball retriever. the sections where the shaft retracts to (slides inside of the previous section) is extremely sharp. Sometimes these sections bind, won't retract. As one has to use force it gives/slides in very fast, thus catching your fingers in between these sharp sections where the shaft is sliding into it. These receiving sections are extremely sharp, thus causing severe cuts. I have reported it to "igotcha" ball retriever company and nothing has been done to protect a golfer's fingers/hand. The retriever in question here is the XL igotcha golf ball retriever.
When this box was first opened, we set it up in our backyard. A ball was hit into the net and struck a person behind the net at very high velocity after apparently going directly through the net. No "hole" could be found in the net. Given the location of the person who was hit, as well as the velocity at which the impact occurred, it seems impossible that the ball went under or over the net, besides that the ball visually impacted the net as intended. The person impacted was hit in the glasses, which let to a very significant impact including a black eye and swelling and bleeding in the eye which indicated a torn retina.
SKU 19550557 Maxfli Electronic Putting device is emitting an electrical arc of some sort from the metal cylinder that returns the ball. This happens nearly 90% of the time as demonstrated in the video. The device plugs into the wall versus using batteries. My son was shocked/electrocuted when a ball didnt return properly and sat in the cup, as soon as he grabbed the ball the return mechanism was engaged and shocked him. I have reported this to Dick's and was assured it would be investigated. I am returning mine and will buy something else. You can find a video I posted on [REDACTED] so I could share this issue with the public, simply type in the product name. I attempted to put a review on their website but received an email stating they did not approve it and would not publish it.
I ordered and received a can/golf ball launcher from a manufacturer in Washington state. This is not a weapon but rather a novelty item. There is a critical part, the locking lugs, that is necessary for proper function a most of all safety. I never used the item having recognized the this critical item was missing. Attempting to use it would have caused a dangerous explosion back into the users face. I contacted the seller about the issue. First they said it wasnt necessary for the item to operate, which is false. If someone, who doesnt understand the mechanics of this item, used it the consequences could be devastating .
I am a fire investigator with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST). We responded to a structure fire in San Diego, CA that involved a battery-powered golf bag caddy. The product was an MGI ZIP Navigator with serial number UZXNV7212231622. The battery pack appeared to have failed and caused this fire. Please note though, we do not have any engineering experts to conclusively determine this.
Showing 8 of 9 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to golf (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are golf (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, golf (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 49/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 36,909 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from golf (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is other to the upper trunk, accounting for approximately 72,813 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from golf (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for golf (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 65-74 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 166,124 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by golf (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving golf (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 14.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (85.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with golf (activity, apparel or equipment)?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 49/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 65-74 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.