Why Does My Golfer's Elbow Hurt More With My Irons Than My Driver?

Your inner elbow may hurt more when hitting irons because those shots often require a firmer grip and create more stress on already irritated tendons than swinging your driver.

You might hit your driver with only mild soreness, then immediately feel a sharp ache on the inside of your elbow when you switch to your irons. The difference can be frustrating because your swing feels similar, yet one club consistently aggravates the pain more than another.

Iron shots usually involve repeated contact with the ground, steeper swings, and more swings from uneven lies throughout a round. If your elbow is already irritated, those repeated impacts can keep the area from settling down, so the pain builds as you continue playing.

Taking A Divot Makes The Elbow Flare Up

The inside of your elbow may hurt most right after striking the ball and turf.

You may notice a clean iron shot still leaves your elbow aching, while a slightly heavy shot is noticeably worse. Even small amounts of repeated turf contact can make an already sore tendon feel more sensitive over the course of a round.

Iron Shots Make You Grip The Club Harder

A tighter grip can make the pain easier to trigger.

You may naturally squeeze the club more firmly for approach shots or difficult lies without realizing it. That extra gripping places more demand on the tendons attached to the inside of your elbow, making every iron shot feel a little more uncomfortable than your driver.

Why The Pain Keeps Returning With Irons

Your elbow has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your elbow feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Elbow Feel Better

Your elbow starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these same Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and tissue fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating local circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing local circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why do my irons hurt my golfer's elbow more than my driver?

Iron shots often involve firmer gripping and more turf contact, which can place greater stress on an already irritated tendon.

Can taking divots make golfer's elbow worse?

Yes. Repeated impact with the ground can aggravate the inside of your elbow, especially if the tendon has not fully healed.

Should I stop hitting irons if my elbow hurts?

If iron shots consistently increase your pain, reducing practice and allowing the tendon time to recover can help prevent symptoms from worsening.

Does hitting from hard ground affect golfer's elbow?

Yes. Firmer ground can increase the shock felt through the club, making an irritated elbow more painful during impact.

Can golfer's elbow improve even if I keep golfing?

Mild cases sometimes improve with activity modification, but persistent pain usually needs adequate recovery before symptoms settle down.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.