Golfing with shoulder strain: causes, gentle exercises and when to rest

Golfing with shoulder strain is usually possible if the pain is mild, but the shoulder needs a lighter load while it settles. Most golf shoulder pain is in the lead shoulder (the left, for a right-handed golfer) and comes from overuse rather than one bad swing. A shorter backswing, fewer range balls, gentle daily exercises and a sensible pause from full swings when it flares help most golfers keep playing.

"Strain" is a loose word, and golfers use it for several different problems. This guide explains which ones are most common, what the research says helps, and when a sore shoulder deserves a proper look from a doctor or physiotherapist.

Why the lead shoulder takes the strain

In a 2004 review of shoulder injuries in golf in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, shoulder specialists from Harvard and the Kerlan-Jobe clinic described the lead shoulder as particularly vulnerable. The same review reports that injuries to the left shoulder were almost three times more common than the right in a survey of professional golfers, and that more than 90% of shoulder problems in golfers involved the lead shoulder.

The reason is the top of the backswing. As you turn back, the lead arm swings across your chest and the shoulder rotates inwards and lifts. The 2004 review explains that this cross-body position can aggravate two common sources of pain: the space under the bony tip of the shoulder, where the rotator cuff tendons sit, and the small joint on top of the shoulder where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade (the acromioclavicular, or AC, joint).

The usual suspects

These are the problems the 2004 review lists as common in golfers. Only a clinician can tell you which, if any, applies to you.

• Rotator cuff irritation and impingement. The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that keep the ball of the shoulder centred in its socket. The review cites a series of 412 golfers with golf-related injuries in which 85 had shoulder symptoms, and 79 of those (93%) had rotator cuff or subacromial problems.
• AC joint pain. Pain on the top of the shoulder, often worst at the top of the backswing. In a series of 35 professional and low-handicap golfers with shoulder pain, 34 had pain in the left shoulder, and 53% had a problem related to the AC joint.
• Wear and tear in the main shoulder joint. The review notes that older golfers can have rotator cuff injury and arthritis of the ball-and-socket joint.
• Instability or biceps irritation. Less common in older golfers, and more often felt at the end of the follow-through, when the lead arm is lifted and turned outwards.

What about the trail shoulder?

The trail shoulder (the right, for a right-hander) is less often the problem, but it is not immune. The 2004 review reports that one muscle at the front of the shoulder, the subscapularis, was the most active rotator cuff muscle in both shoulders, especially as the club accelerates towards the ball. If your trail shoulder aches, the same principles below apply: reduce the load, keep it moving gently and get persistent pain checked.

Does age make golf shoulder pain more likely?

Partly, yes, but not in the way many golfers fear. Rotator cuff changes become more common as we age, and many of them cause no pain at all.

When researchers scanned the shoulders of 664 residents of one Japanese village, full-thickness rotator cuff tears were found in 10.7% of people in their 50s, 15.2% in their 60s and 26.5% in their 70s. Around two-thirds of the tears in people over 60 caused no symptoms. A 2014 pooled analysis of 30 studies reached a similar conclusion: rotator cuff changes are common enough in people without symptoms to be considered a normal part of ageing.

So a scan showing "wear" does not mean your golf days are over. It does mean that a tendon that has been quietly coping for years may become irritated if you suddenly hit three buckets of balls before a golf holiday. The age of the golfer also guides diagnosis: the 2004 review notes that middle-aged golfers tend to have impingement, rotator cuff or AC joint problems, while older golfers can also have arthritis of the main shoulder joint.

Golfing with shoulder strain: can you keep playing?

Often, yes, with changes. Here is a sensible way to think about it, based on the NHS advice on shoulder pain and the treatment approach in the 2004 review.

• Mild ache that eases as you warm up and settles by the next morning. Usually fine to keep playing with the swing changes below, fewer practice balls and a good warm-up.
• Pain that builds during the round or lingers for a day or two. Step back from full swings for a while. Putting, chipping and short pitches are usually kinder, and the review suggests golfers can often keep up short game work during a rehabilitation programme.
• Sharp pain, weakness lifting the arm, or pain that wakes you at night. Stop playing and get it assessed before you return.

The NHS is clear that you should not stop using the shoulder completely, as this can stop it getting better. Gentle movement, not total rest, is the aim.

Swing changes that ease golf shoulder pain

You do not need a new swing, but a few adjustments, ideally worked through with your club professional, can take pressure off the lead shoulder. The 2004 review recommends several of these, and its authors note that after shoulder surgery, shortening the backswing or follow-through may not significantly harm ball striking or driving distance.

1. Shorten the backswing. Stop when your lead arm starts to feel tight across your chest. A three-quarter swing reduces the cross-body position that loads the AC joint and rotator cuff.
2. Shorten the follow-through. Finish with your hands around shoulder height rather than wrapping the club high behind your neck.
3. Keep your arms in front of your chest. The review suggests keeping the arms and hands in front of the body as much as possible to limit shoulder stress.
4. Turn more from the hips and mid-back. The same review notes this is helped by working on trunk, hip and leg flexibility, so the shoulder turn comes from the body rather than the arm reaching across. Our golf mobility test is a quick way to see where you are stiff.
5. Check your grip. The review lists adjusting the grip as one of the changes that may help prevent further injury. A professional can tell you whether yours is putting the lead arm in an awkward position.
6. Limit range balls while it settles. The review suggests restricting practice balls until the swing changes and strengthening programme feel comfortable.

Fat shots are worth a mention too. The review notes that amateurs can also be injured by hitting the ground awkwardly when taking a large divot. Teeing the ball up slightly in practice, or using a forgiving club, can reduce that jolt while the shoulder recovers.

Gentle shoulder exercises for golfers

Moves 1 to 5 are adapted from NHS physiotherapy leaflets by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust. You need only a table or chair and a wall. The holds use gentle effort, not a maximum push. Move within comfort throughout: mild stretching discomfort is acceptable, but sharp or spreading pain is a signal to stop. The NHS suggests keeping shoulder exercises going for 6 to 8 weeks to help stop the pain coming back.

1. Pendulum swings. Lean on a table with your good hand and let the sore arm hang loose. Using small movements of your body, let the arm swing gently forwards and backwards, then side to side, then in small circles each way. Do each for 30 to 60 seconds. The arm should feel heavy and relaxed, not lifted.
2. Shoulder blade squeeze. Sit or stand tall with your arms by your sides. Gently draw your shoulder blades back and slightly down, as if tucking them into your back pockets, without shrugging. Hold for 5 seconds and relax. Do 10.
3. Wall finger walk. Stand facing a wall, about an arm's length away. Walk your fingers slowly up the wall as high as is comfortable, hold for 10 seconds, then walk them back down. Do up to 10. Stop short of any pinching at the top of the shoulder.
4. Wall press, forwards. Stand facing a wall with your upper arm by your side and your elbow bent to a right angle. Make a soft fist and press it gently into the wall, without the arm moving. Keep your neck long. Hold for 10 seconds. Do 10.
5. Wall press, outwards (external rotation). Stand side-on to a wall, sore side nearest, upper arm by your side and elbow bent to a right angle. Press the back of your hand gently into the wall, as if turning your forearm outwards, without the arm moving. Hold for 10 seconds. Do 10. This works the rotator cuff muscles at the back of the shoulder.
6. Seated trunk turns. Sit tall near the front of a chair, feet flat, arms crossed over your chest. Slowly turn your chest to one side as far as is comfortable, pause for a breath, then turn to the other side. Do 8 each way. This frees up the mid-back so your shoulder does not have to reach as far in the backswing.

Start with fewer repetitions if anything feels sore and build up over a week or two. When the shoulder feels calmer, the wall slides and chest stretch in our golf stretches for seniors make a good next step.

Golf shoulder pain relief after a round

A little care after you play can stop a niggle becoming a stiff week. These come from the NHS shoulder pain guidance.

• Use cold or heat. The NHS suggests a bag of frozen peas in a tea towel for up to 20 minutes, up to 3 times a day, or a wrapped hot water bottle for up to 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day.
• Keep it moving. A few gentle pendulum swings in the evening help it settle.
• Ask a pharmacist about pain relief. The NHS mentions paracetamol or ibuprofen. Check first, especially if you take other medicines.
• Sleep supported. The Dudley leaflet suggests lying on your back with a pillow under the sore arm, or on your good side with a pillow in front of you to rest the sore arm on.
• Avoid slouching and heavy lifting for now, including heaving your bag in and out of the car.

Be patient. The NHS says these steps usually need about 2 weeks before shoulder pain starts to ease, and that recovery can take 6 months or longer. If your elbow is aching as well, our guide to golfing with golfer's elbow covers that separately.

When to see a professional

Most mild golf shoulder pain settles with a lighter load and gentle movement. The NHS advises seeing a GP if the pain is getting worse, has not improved after 2 weeks, or it is very difficult to move your arm. In many areas of the UK you can also refer yourself to a physiotherapist through NHS community musculoskeletal services.

Get an urgent GP appointment, call NHS 111 (or contact your doctor or urgent care in the US) if:

• the pain is sudden or very bad, or started after a fall or accident
• you cannot move your arm
• the shoulder has changed shape or is badly swollen
• you have pins and needles that do not go away, or no feeling in the arm
• the arm feels hot or cold to the touch
• you have severe pain in both shoulders, or you feel feverish or unwell

The encouraging news from the 2004 review is that most golfers with these shoulder problems respond to non-surgical care, and that a doctor, physiotherapist and teaching professional working together is an effective route back to the course.

Turning this into a daily habit

What helps a sore shoulder most is little and often, along with keeping the hips and mid-back turning so the shoulder is not asked to do their job. Evergreen, coming soon to iPhone, turns that idea into a 10-minute daily mobility routine. A short in-app assessment asks where you feel stiff or sore, including the shoulders, then builds equipment-free sessions shown as illustrated, step-by-step demonstrations with a timer, and a simple stiffness check-in shows whether things are easing. You can read more about how Evergreen builds your daily plan.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have shoulder pain that worries you, or that is not settling, speak to your GP, doctor or a physiotherapist.

Sources

• Shoulder injuries in golf, The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004
• Acromioclavicular joint injury in competitive golfers, Journal of the Southern Orthopaedic Association, 1995
• Prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic rotator cuff tears in the general population: from mass-screening in one village, Journal of Orthopaedics, 2013
• A systematic review and pooled analysis of the prevalence of rotator cuff disease with increasing age, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2014
• Shoulder pain, NHS, accessed 2026
• Basic shoulder exercises, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, accessed 2026
• Shoulder injury, soft tissue only, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, accessed 2026