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Golf Gives More Golfers Tennis Elbow Than Golfer’s Elbow. Here’s Why.
Yes, golf causes tennis elbow. In amateur golfers it’s more common than golfer’s elbow.
It usually hits the lead arm (the left elbow in a right-handed golfer). The usual causes are a death grip, fat shots into the turf, and too many range balls off hard mats.
Most golfers keep playing with changes. Expect 6 to 12 months for full settling, often less if you change things early.
Where are you right now?
- Outer elbow on your lead arm: this article is yours.
- Inner elbow, usually the trail arm: that’s golfer’s elbow.
- Pain in the palm on the little-finger side after a fat shot: read the red flags first.
- Wanting to know when to play: go to the return-to-golf table.
Why golfers get tennis elbow
The muscles that bend your wrist back all start from one tendon on the outside of the elbow.
In the golf swing, the lead arm’s forearm muscles brace the wrist through impact. Hit the ball clean and that’s a short, sharp load. Hit it fat, or off a hard mat, and the shock travels straight up the club into that tendon.
Add a grip you’re squeezing at 9 out of 10, and 150 range balls on a Saturday…and the tendon is doing more work than it’s built for.
Happy Gilmore swung like that for comedy. Your elbow doesn’t find it funny.
Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow?
| Tennis elbow | Golfer’s elbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it hurts | Outside of the elbow | Inside of the elbow |
| Arm in golf | Usually the lead arm | Usually the trail arm |
| What hurts | Gripping, lifting with palm down | Gripping, lifting with palm up |
Full detail on the golf side in golf wrist, hand and elbow pain.
What to change
- Grip pressure: aim for about 4 out of 10. You should be able to feel the club head.
- Grip size: grips that are too thin make you squeeze harder. Get them checked.
- Turf and mats: hit off grass or a good mat. Worn, hard mats jar the elbow on every fat shot.
- Ball count: half your usual range session for 4 weeks. Short game and putting are usually fine.
- Warm up: 5 minutes of easy swings before you hit a ball hard.
- A counterforce strap helps some golfers during the round. See tennis elbow strap.
Most golfers’ tennis elbow comes from the turf and the grip, not the swing speed.
Tennis elbow from golf, week by week
Pain during golf or exercise should stay at 3 out of 10 or less, and settle by the next morning.
- Weeks 0 to 2 (OPEN): changes above. Putting and chipping. Wrist isometrics: hold the wrist back against your other hand, about half effort, 5 holds of 30 to 45 seconds, once or twice a day.
- Weeks 2 to 6 (OPEN): slow wrist extensions with a light dumbbell, 3 seconds up, 3 seconds down, 3 sets of 15. Half-swings with irons.
- Weeks 6 to 12 (OPEN): heavier, slower wrist and grip work. Full swings and 9 holes.
- Months 3 to 12 (CLOSING if nothing has moved): most settle in this window. Three months of rest-then-play-then-flare means the plan needs changing.
The full exercise plan is in how long tennis elbow lasts.
Is this normal?
Usually expected:
- A tender spot on the bony bump outside the elbow.
- Pain lifting your golf bag, a kettle or shaking hands.
- An ache after a round that’s better by morning.
Check with a doctor or hand therapist if the pain spreads down the forearm, aches at night, or the elbow catches or locks.
If it isn’t going to plan
It’s been 3 months. You skip a week, play on Saturday, and it’s throbbing by the 9th hole.
Resting a tendon calms it. It doesn’t strengthen it. Each time you rest and go back to the same grip, the same mats and the same ball count, the tendon is weaker than the load you’re asking of it.
Fix the load (grip, mats, ball count) and build the tendon with slow loading work. If 6 to 8 weeks of that hasn’t moved it, get assessed by a hand therapist or sports doctor.
When can I play again?
Typical ranges for tennis elbow. A fracture runs on a different clock.
| Activity | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Putting and chipping | Usually straight away, if pain stays low |
| Half-swings, irons | Often 2 to 6 weeks |
| Full range sessions | Often 6 to 12 weeks, built up gradually |
| Full 18 holes, no flare | Often 2 to 3 months, sometimes longer |
Get it checked today if
- You felt a sharp pain in the palm on the little-finger side after a fat shot or hitting a root, and gripping now hurts. That can be a hook of hamate fracture, which a normal X-ray often misses.
- New numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers.
Get it checked if
- No improvement after 6 to 8 weeks of changes and exercises.
- Pain at night or at rest.
- The elbow locks, catches or won’t straighten.
Golf gave you tennis elbow. A softer grip, better turf and fewer range balls usually take it back.
Related: tennis elbow from weightlifting · table tennis elbow
Written by Nigel Chua, hand occupational therapist in practice since 2005. Thousands of hands, wrists and elbows assessed and treated. My credentials are here. This article explains; it doesn’t examine. If your palm hurts after a fat shot, get it imaged properly.
Part of: Hand, wrist and elbow pain by job, sport and hobby
Every article on this site is written using the Closing Window Method: name the window your condition runs on, find where you are in it, and act while it’s still open.