Golf great Greg Norman says he is "damaged" and lucky to still have a left hand after a chainsaw accident.

Australia's former world number one posted a photo to Instagram of himself lying in a US hospital bed with his left arm heavily bandaged.

Norman, 59, issued a warning alongside the photo and suggested he had come close to severing one of his hands.

"Working with a chainsaw ALWAYS be respectful of the unexpected. I was one lucky man today. Damaged, but not down & out. Still have left hand," he wrote.

Norman last week posted a photo of himself working with a chainsaw to cut back a small tree at what appears to be one of his seaside properties.

He posted a follow-up photo on Sunday at the "scene of the crime" of the injury after being released from hospital with a large pink cast on his arm.

"Thank u all for your concern & good wishes. All well the morning after the accident. Here I am at the scene of the crime w/my new fashion statement!" he wrote.

Norman had one of the most high-profile careers in golf, winning two British Opens and reigning as world number one for 331 weeks in the 1980s and 1990s.

Norman last week posted a photo of himself working with a chainsaw to cut back a small tree ( Instagram: @shark_gregnorman )

AFP