If you’re a golfer, you know that blisters are one of the biggest annoyances. They can slow you down, make it difficult to grip the club, and possibly ruin your day. In this article, we discuss how you prevent golf blisters and what causes them.
Nobody enjoys developing blisters from golf; they are uncomfortable and make it difficult to swing the club. I’ll go through how to care for blisters in this article so you can play golf pain-free.
A golf blister is a small, raised skin area filled with fluid. It can occur on any part of the body but is most common on the hands, feet, and legs. Blisters are caused by friction, infection, or burns. They can also be the result of an allergic reaction. Golf blisters are usually painful and can make it difficult to play the game. In severe cases, they may even require medical attention. Treatment for a golf blister usually involves draining the fluid and protecting the area from further injury. With proper care, most blisters will heal within a few days. However, some may take longer to heal and leave behind a scar.
What Causes a Golf Blister?
Any golfer knows that blisters can be a nuisance on the course. But what causes them? Blisters are created when the friction of your golf swing rubs against your skin, causing the top layers to separate from the lower layers. This separation creates a pocket of fluid that helps to protect the underlying tissue from further damage.
However, this fluid also creates a weak spot in the skin that can easily be ruptured, causing the blister to break open and release its contents. In addition, blisters are more likely to form in areas with damaged skin, such as a callus or dry patch. As a result, it’s important to keep your hands well-moisturized and free of any breaks in the skin to help prevent blisters from forming.
How To Prevent Golf Blisters?
1 – Wear a glove to protect your hands from blisters
Wearing a glove adds a much-needed layer of protection between the club and your delicate skin because blisters are caused by friction by rubbing the skin.
Use high-quality gloves, such as this leather and nylon TaylorMade glove, or wear two gloves to prevent blisters on both hands. Learn more about our best golf gloves here.Â
We recommend getting you a golf glove holder to keep your golf gloves lasting a long time!
2 – Prevent golf blisters by using finger sleeves
Blisters can be avoided by putting on soft finger sleeves, which can also be used as a painless bandage to cover existing blisters.
They can be used in place of or in addition to golf gloves, won’t interfere with your swing, and are composed of breathable material that wicks away sweat to keep your grip firm and comfortable.
They have the advantage of golf tape since it gets sticky and may come off mid-round, leaving sticky goo on your hands and your clubs. They only influence your target regions.
3 – Don’t grip the club too tight
Golfers make mistakes with their grip, which should be applied from the soft area of the palm rather than the thumb. First, from the driver to the wedge, you should retain the club in a neutral position, similar to how you would hold a little bird trying to escape.
How hard should you swing a golf club? If you grasp the club too tightly, it will not only result in greater friction and discomfort to your hands, but it will also hurt your wrist’s tendency to tilt, put more strain on your non-dominant elbow, and decrease the speed of your clubhead.
If your shoulder aches after a round of golf, you’re holding the club too tightly. Learn how to grip the golf club here.
4 – Use golf tape to wrap the blisters and prevent further pain
Athletic tape is a terrific way to lessen friction and enable pain-free play. Just wrap the athletic tape around the blisters to stop the condition from worsening.
Athletic tape won’t prevent blisters from forming, unlike decreasing your grip or donning gloves or fingerless sleeves, but it’s a terrific way to continue playing while your blisters are still tender.
5 – Use bandages or a bandaidÂ
The traditional method of reducing friction is to apply a bandage, but you must place the adhesive side across the blister to prevent aggravating the problem more. You want to lessen, not increase, the amount of skin friction!
Gloves combined with bandages and athletic tape are excellent techniques to reduce blisters and enable pain-free golfing.
6 – Try a different grip to prevent blisters
You may not be aware of it, but your grips have a significant role in the friction your swing creates. Many golfers suggest Winn Dri-Tac grips because they are softer and cling to your hands better than corded grips. They accommodate a light grip better than Golf Pride grips but are a bit more expensive and prone to premature wear. You can also learn more about the best golf grips for sweaty hands here.Â
7 – Use Blister Pain Relief Gels
These squares of medical-grade gel are manufactured from water, so they don’t hurt when you rip them off. They are small enough to lay directly on the blister and won’t restrict your fingers’ flexibility or ability to swing a club.
The only drawback is that they might not stay on your hands the entire game, so cover them with gloves or bandages.
8 – Strengthen Your Hands
Naturally, the strains of swinging a golf club will harm soft hands that have not been used for hard labor.
Try to perform more physical labor; this will strengthen your skin and lessen the risk of callouses forming. You can accomplish this by lifting weights without gloves or doing household chores.
9 – Rub Vinegar On Your Skin
This advice from guitarists is to apply vinegar to the blister-prone areas of your hand daily. The vinegar helps toughen the skin and prevents blisters from forming, resulting in much less uncomfortable calluses. Learn more about the benefits of vinegar on your skin here.Â
10 – Play more golf
Once your hands develop a callus, your skin will be much less prone to developing golf blisters. The more you play, the more it toughens up the skin in your hands which will allow you to swing worry-free.
How to Treat Golf Blisters?
- First, cleaning the affected area with soap and water is important.
- Then, the blister should be punctured with a sterile needle and drained of any fluid.
- Next, you should cover the area with a bandage or adhesive tape.
- Finally, keeping the area clean and dry is important to prevent further irritation.
Blisters can be painful and disruptive, but if you follow these few simple steps, golf blisters will typically heal within a few days.Â
LongBombs Golf Final Say
Golf blisters can be a nuisance, but there are a few simple steps that you can take to prevent and treat them. First, it is important to keep the affected area clean and dry. Second, the blister should be punctured with a sterile needle and drained of any fluid. Finally, the area should be covered with a bandage or adhesive tape. Golf blisters can usually be treated in a few days if treated promptly.