Types, Causes and How to Prevent Golf Blisters

Golf blisters are painful, that is something that cannot be disputed. Also, they are exceptionally annoying since they effectively get in the way of your shot due to often forcing you into changing your grip, and that alone is going to open up a whole host of potential problems.

However, the best way to tackle this problem is, of course, to stop yourself from developing them in the first place. To do that, you need to have the knowledge as to what causes them, and the changes that need to be made to stop them. 

So, that’s what we are going to focus on.

But let’s begin by talking about who is likely to get blisters. Well, the answer is clearly going to be anybody is capable of getting them, but it’s more common for high handicappers. 

The reason why people with a high handicap tend to get them more often will be explained in the causes section later. At that point, it’s all going to make sense.

However, what are the different types of blisters that you may end up developing?

Common Locations of Blisters

Most players are going to get blisters on either the palms of their hands or on their fingers, and it’s all connected to the way in which they hold the grip. Of course, if you are wearing incorrect shoes, then you can also get blisters on your feet, and when you think how far you need to walk through a round, then those blisters can become quite severe.

However, let’s look at some of the types more closely.

Thumb Blisters

Thumb blisters can form on either hand, not just your dominant one. Also, they can happen even if you have a golf glove on, so don’t think that you are immune. You aren’t.

The pressure and twisting of the grip through the swing is the main cause of blisters. They are also more likely to happen on the thumb when your hands are very dry. But we will look at the main causes of blisters shortly.

However, dry hands won’t be the cause if you get thumb blisters in a gloved hand. At that point, it’s more likely to be caused by your hands sweating too much. With that, the sweat is going to lead to your hand becoming damp. That can then lead to blisters developing.

The Same Applies to Other Fingers and the Palm

While we are going to look more at the causes shortly, blisters can appear on other fingers and the palm for the very same reason as the thumb. Dry or sweaty skin usually causes it, and excess friction on the grip. 

It’s also relatively easy to develop more than one blister on your hand at any given time. You can easily search for images online where people have several blisters on both hands just by playing golf.

The Feet

Walking around over a distance can lead to blisters on your feet, and when you factor in ill-fitting shoes, and the twisting motion of your ankle through your swing, then it can be a recipe for disaster.

Most people can understand why the wrong shoes, or those that are brand new, can ultimately lead to blisters, so when you then add in the distance covered on a golf course, then it makes even more sense.

The Causes

A couple of potential causes were mentioned earlier, but let’s delve into more of them. Let’s face it, knowing the causes can help us to prevent getting them in the first place. 

The Grip

The grip is clearly a leading cause, and it’s at the root of most of the blisters that you could develop during a round. 

Overgripping is going to increase the level of friction between hand and grip. If that friction increases, then so does your chances of developing blisters. 

So, if you are prone to developing blisters, then looking more closely at your grip and how you hold the club may prove to be useful. 

But here’s something people don’t really expect with the grip, and it’s the fact that having too weak a grip can also lead to blisters developing. 

This particular outcome is due to the grip turning too much on loose hands, so it can slide around a fair bit. Over time, this sliding around of the grip leads to that friction. It may not happen as quickly as it does with overgripping, but it can still occur.

Playing too Much

While the main reason is the grip, it’s also the case that playing too much can ultimately lead to blisters developing on your hands. 

What we are talking about here is spending too much time on the driving range, working on your short game, and then going out for a round before repeating the process. Some people who are really into working on their game will be quite happy to work as hard as this, but it can lead to problems.

Remember, even with the perfect grip in tow, you can still develop blisters simply because our hands are not designed for this sort of pressure. If you have never really picked up a golf club before, and then gone crazy with practice, then the skin has no idea what has hit it.

The Treatment

Let’s presume you have developed even a single blister on your hand, so what’s the best form of treatment that will stop things in their tracks?

The first thing you need to do if you develop blisters while playing a round is to cover them as quickly as possible. Use a band-aid, but make sure that things are not wrapped too tightly. That’s only going to make matters worse.

Another option, if you have it with you on the golf course, is to add some padding. This is usually in the form of gauze, and it’s going to make it harder for that friction to continue to affect the blister. Admittedly, this is going to impact on your golf swing, but so will the blister.

But the most important thing to remember when it comes to dealing with golf blisters is not to pop them. This is the one thing that most people want to do, but it’s a bad idea. In fact, it’s the worst thing you can do.

Under the blister bubble is some raw skin. That’s going to be exposed, and not only will it hurt, but there’s a real chance of infection.

But then, the most effective form of treatment is to look at how to prevent developing the blisters in the first place. 

How to Prevent Golf Blisters 

So, how do you manage to prevent getting these blisters in the first place? Well, there are several things you can do to make life easier.

Of course, if you find that the wrong golf shoes are causing your blisters, then it stands to reason that you should replace your existing pair with something that fits correctly. This is perhaps the easiest one to prevent.

However, even those blisters on your hands can be easily preventable, and it’s all to do with the grip and working on how you hold the club.

The Grip

If the grip is the problem, then you may want to add some tape to your existing grip to change how you hold it. This slight alteration, and we are really talking about just a thin line of tape, can make a huge difference.

The tape is the key here. It changes the line of the tread on the grip, while this then changes where your hands sit. You need to test out this method if blisters are a problem, but it may still be ineffective, as there’s a chance you still get blisters.

Also, if you have not been wearing a glove, then start to wear one. Like we mentioned earlier, you can still get blisters even with gloves, but it will reduce the odds of that happening if you have never worn them before.

Alternatively, you can also change your entire grip. It may be the case that there’s too much grip, and it’s not right for your hands. This leads to trouble, so changing the grip for even a completely different brand may be helpful.

Unfortunately, this is something you are going to have to mess around with in order to get the sort of outcome you were hoping for. 

The Conclusion

So that’s all you need to know about where you can develop blisters, what causes them, and also how to treat them. As you can see, it’s not rocket science at any point.

The main part you need to focus on has to be your grip. That’s the leading cause, and it’s something you need to concentrate on for your game anyway. 

If you are suffering from blisters on a regular basis, then scale things back a bit until they are completely healed. Trying to play through those blisters will only lead to continual problems, and that’s not something you need to be dealing with.

But once you are on top of the blisters, then let rip with your game, but just pay close attention to your grip from here on in to stop the problem from happening over and over again.