Fine on the first tee, stiff by the 14th, and you can feel every swing the next morning?
Here's what I tell the golfers in my lessons, after 20+ years of teaching.
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Why a tennis pro is writing about golf
I teach tennis, but at least half of my adult students also play golf, and in the winter a lot of them play more golf than tennis. They come to Monday clinic and tell me about the round they played on Saturday: the elbow that ached after a bucket on the range mats, the stiff back on the drive home, the knees after walking 18 on a hilly course. Golf looks easy on the body from the outside. You walk, you swing, you ride in the cart. But you make the same fast rotation 80 to 100 times in a round, plus every practice swing and every range ball, and almost always to the same side.
Where golfers get sore, and the usual cause
Lower back. The most common one by far. It usually comes from rotating with the back instead of the hips, standing up out of the shot, and a cold first tee with no warm-up. I wrote a whole guide on it: sore lower back after golf.
Forearm and the inside of the elbow. This is the range-mat one. Hitting off a mat means every slightly heavy shot thumps into a hard surface instead of taking a divot, and that jolt goes straight up your arm. Add a death grip and 150 balls in an hour, and you've got a sore forearm by dinner.
Lead wrist. Same story: fat shots and hitting off hard ground. Also, players who try to flip the club at the bottom to help the ball up put a lot of strain on the wrist.
Shoulders. A big backswing with a stiff upper back makes the shoulder do the turning the spine should be doing. The lead shoulder usually complains first.
Hips, knees and feet. Walking 18 holes is 5 or 6 miles, often on hills, often in shoes that are really just spikes on a dress shoe. The lead knee also takes a twist on every full swing, more so if your feet are planted hard and can't turn.
What I'd change first
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Grip pressure. Same advice I give my tennis players: on a scale of 1 to 10, hold the club at about a 4. Tight hands make tight forearms. If your knuckles are white at address, you're too tight.
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Grip size and condition. Slick, worn grips make you squeeze harder without knowing it. If your grips are shiny and hard, they're done. Grips that are too thin for your hands do the same thing.
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Range sessions. Fewer balls, more purpose. 40 balls with a target and a routine beats 150 balls raked over one after another. Hit off grass when you can. If it has to be mats, tee up more of your iron shots so a heavy one doesn't jar you.
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Let the lead foot turn. Flaring the lead toe out a little at address lets the hips turn through and takes some of the twist off the lead knee and lower back.
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Shoes and walking. If you walk, wear shoes you could walk 5 miles in, and use a push cart instead of carrying the bag over one shoulder.
My 5-minute warm-up before the first tee
Most golfers I know take two practice swings and pull driver. Here's what I'd do instead. It takes five minutes in the parking lot or next to the cart:
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Walk briskly for 2 minutes. To the range, around the putting green, anywhere. Get warm first.
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Trunk turns with a club across your shoulders, 10 each way. Slow and easy, with your hips turning too.
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Hip circles and leg swings, 10 each. Hold the cart for balance.
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Wrist and forearm circles, 20 seconds. Then open and close your hands a few times.
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Swings that build up. Five half swings with a wedge, then five three-quarter swings, then a couple of full ones. Only then hit driver.
For after the round, the 5-minute recovery routine I give my tennis players works just as well in the clubhouse parking lot.
Winter golf and golf trips
Winter is when I hear the most complaints. Up north, the only golf is the heated range bay, which means mats and lots of balls. Everybody else heads to Arizona, Florida or the desert for a golf trip and plays 3 or 4 rounds in 4 days after barely swinging a club for two months. That's the setup for a sore back and arms by day two.
If you've got a trip coming up, start swinging a couple of times a week for three or four weeks before you go, even if it's just a short session at the range. On the trip, ride one of the rounds if you're walking the rest, keep the warm-up even on early tee times, and don't spend the afternoon on the range after a full round. Cold mornings in the desert are real, too. Wear a layer for the first few holes.
How much is too much?
Mild soreness the next day after a big round, or after a range session on mats, is normal and usually gone in a day or two. Pain that's sharp, swelling, numbness or tingling in your fingers, or soreness that gets worse week to week is not normal. Take a few days off, and if it doesn't settle, see a doctor or a physical therapist before it costs you the season.
Where Active 10 fits
I made Active 10 because my students and I needed something for the minor aches and pains that come with playing a lot. It's for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with simple backache, arthritis, strains, bruises and sprains. The actives are menthol, capsaicin and magnesium: it goes on cool, warms up, and rubs in clean.
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The 4 oz tube for your back, hips and legs after a round.
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The 3 oz roll-on for the golf bag: forearm and wrist, with no cream on your hands and grips.
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The 8 oz pump if you keep one at home for the whole family.
Quick questions
Can I put it on before I play?
Yes, but wash your hands well afterward, or use the roll-on, so it doesn't end up on your grips or near your eyes.
Does it smell like a locker room?
It has a light menthol smell that fades. Your playing partners shouldn't notice it by the second hole.
Anything I shouldn't do?
Don't use it on wounds or irritated skin, don't wrap the area tightly, and don't use it with a heating pad. If it gets worse or lasts more than 7 days, stop and see a doctor.
How often can I use it?
Follow the directions on the label for how much and how often. More isn't better.
Play tennis or pickleball too? Here's my guide for sore arms and shoulders after tennis and for pickleball players.
Other sports? Read about sore legs and back after cycling or sore shoulder and back after bowling. Shopping for a golfer? Here's my gift list.
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