Lets Be Honest About “Golfers Elbow”

Golfers Elbow? More like Android Elbow. And let me know if you can squeeze the word “iphone” into ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’ somehow.

Your golf swing is supposed to be effortless.  A strong and fluid motion.  Functional, efficient and dependable.  

Hitting the ball should bring feelings of bliss and harmony.  Hitting the ball on the sweet spot and holding your finish is deeply satisfying and delightful.  

Unfortunately its tough to feel ‘Bliss’ if youre dealing with pain in your hands, elbows, forearms, shoulders, or anywhere else that will affect your swing.  

In order for your golf swing to be long lasting, your body and muscles need to be built to last as well.

Great for Warming Up

Of course you can golf with an elbow brace at the risk of your group partners referring to you as RoboCop or Half Man/Half Machine etc..

I will make fun of you, I promise.

Or you can find out whats causing the pain and cut it out at the source.  

“Iphone Elbow” or “Android Elbow” is what these new hand and arm pains should be called. 

New variations of carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis.  Any kind of numbness, tingling and pain should be treated seriously.  

You’re probably not going to give up your phone or your endless scrolling.  So you might as well get used to golfing like shit. 

Forget stretching and exercises.  Just learn to feel good about shooting 107.  

Problem solved. 

But if you’re like me and would rather die than lose on the golf course heres what you might consider. 

Delete your most scroll worthy apps off your cellphone.  You can check facebook from your home computer for 10 minutes later at night.  No need to be scrolling during the day.  Which can turn into scrolling all day. Same for Instagram. You need to self police your scrolling just like you self police your own golf game.

These arm, wrist, and elbow pains are symptoms of phone scrolling posture.  We can treat the symptoms, but they’ll keep coming back.  The only way to really cut these pains out is to cut them off at their source. Stop scrolling and texting.

Create a short arm, shoulder and neck stretch routine you can do anywhere anytime.  These are the areas of the body most affected by phone scrolling.   Your arms and shoulders are tense and in an unnatural position with your head looking down.  

The best training aid for golf is a heavy club.  If you don’t have one then just hold onto to two clubs and take slow and smooth practice swings.  This will help your muscles get activated and warmed up.  And when you swing on the course the club will feel lighter and you wont feel as fatigued at the last few (most important) holes.  

The best exercises for golfers are any and all stretching.  Find yourself a short and easy to remember stretching routine.  I start from my head and work my way down to my feet, stretching all the muscles along the way.  

1. Say YES with your head and neck ten times.
2. Say NO ten times slowly looking side to side.
3. Roll your heal from side to side ten times slowly.
4. Roll your shoulders in circles slowly 10 times each direction
5. Make big circles with your arms getting smaller and smaller
6. Change directions
7. Make circles with your waist nice and slow
8. Keep your waist in place and make circles with your upper body (like a boxer)
9. Touch your heels to your bum, ten times each leg
10. High Knees stepping in place, ten times each leg
11. Ten calf raises followed by calf stretch of your choice.
12. Roll circles with your ankles, ten times each foot
13. Roll circles with your wrists and hands ten times each arm

Theres a beginner stretching routine you should do before you hit balls on the range, and once more for good measure before you tee off the 10th tee.  

1. Stretching  2.Quit Scrolling

I urge you to consider these two activities for the sake of your golf scores.  Bet of Luck!!