Having recovered from a hip replacement last year I can relate. Biggest lessons / things which helped me are:

1. Listen to your physio and do the work - every day, as often as possible.
2. Listen to your knee. If you are like me you will be pushing getting back out as soon as possible - take it slow and take the opportunity to work on the fundamentals we sometimes neglect - my putting and chipping have really improved!
3. Know it just keeps getting better. What I mean by that is, this will be a season of recovery and learning how to walk & swing a golf club 'normally' and not hampered by the injury. Keep at it.

Best of luck with the recovery - I never knew how bad the joint was - until it wasn't!

Like you mentioned everyone is different however your doctor will give you the greenlight when it is time...I would not chance setbacks .... typically 6-12 weeks is a rough time frame. I usually schedule surgeries like this in October for myself....been through a few (shoulder, knee, etc...)

Listen to your body and more importantly... Your Doctor!

Hey Pat-

I had my left knee replaced early December. The first few weeks are miserable after surgery. My PT's let me start swinging an orange whip at about 8 weeks. I was cleared to chip and putt at the same time. Full swing was cleared at 11 weeks. The surgeon's team told me to swing every few days for 3 weeks. At the end of March I was released practice every other day for a couple of weeks. So now I am about to be able to go back-to-back days.

The best advice I can give you is to listen to your PT's and the surgeons team. Work hard during your sessions and do your work at home on strength building and range of motion. Don't let any setbacks get you down.

Good luck with your rehab.

The important factor is following your treatment team’s goals aggressively. That’s the one takeaway I’ve gotten from all my friends and neighbors. Recovery time and level of recovery are individual and the effort affects both.

Golf is an actual athletic sport. I have knee issues and looking for a sports medicine opinion. I want to resume golf and prior therapy cases were only focused on “normal” activity. If you are confident your team understands you expect more than getting in and out of a car or climbing a set of stairs, great!

Great news if you are a right handed golfer is the right knee will take on less stress in the swing than your left knee. You can wear a brace and if swinging properly, will be putting most weight and stress on the left side in the down and through swing. If you fear future problems with the left knee, be sure to open up that left foot in your stance to minimize twisting. A good golf physical therapist like a certified TPI program would be a great idea to help strengthen your legs and ensure your swing is optimal for your body. Hopefully many more enjoyable years of golf is in your future.

I had a hip replaced so I can't help with timeline but the one thing that was drilled in my head was to make sure to do your PT and keep moving. Follow your doctor's orders and you should be fine. For point of reference though, I was chipping at 12 weeks. Full swings were around 6 months if I remember correctly. I do know that knees usually take longer to rehab.

I wish you well Pat, and a speedy recovery. I just went in for an orthopedic exam and the x rays don't lie; I'm bone on bone in both knees and out of options. I'm going to try and get through this golf season, but will need both replaced next year.

I had a total right knee replacement at the end of January of 2022. With PT and following my therapist's at-home exercises diligently, he released me to hit easy shots at the driving range by mid-March and released me fully by April. I was back on the course taking full swings and playing a full round by the end of April-early May.

My suggestion is what others also told me prior to my surgery: Do everything your physical therapist tells you. Go to every scheduled therapy session, let them do their work and continue doing your exercises at home. I hated how much it hurt at first, fully believing I would never recover when I saw other people making strides. But it's honestly the best thing I've ever done for myself.

I wish you a speedy recovery! I know before the replacement of my left knee I could not play at all due to the pain. I was ready in 4 months. Some of that may have been me being afraid of hurting something by I started lightly with chips and short game and gradually worked my way up through irons, hybrids and driver.

April 20th will be the 1 year mark for my right knee replacement. It takes that long for the swelling to completely subside. The 1st month or so sucks, but you have to work thru it to get that all important range of motion back. My PT person worked my knee until I was yelling, but now I'm glad she did. She got me to 120 degrees of bend in 4 months. My surgeon is an excellent golfer and guided me back to the golf course. After 4 months we started a program of 1 week putting, next week chipping, next week irons and finally last week, woods. After that it was 2 weeks of 9 holes, then turn it loose for 18. Once your incision gets fully healed you get clearance to go in the pool and don't forget to keep using the stationary bike. Good luck and don't forget to put in the work. You won't be sorry.