A question for "senior" golfers

[Sean2]

3 hours ago, GLF4EVR said:

I'm 62 & the youngest of the group I play with.  The local course has it at 60 for the senior tees.  If I went to use the senior tees on the group that I play with, I would get get hurt...badly.  

I think I follow, but am not 100% sure what you mean by "hurt...badly". 

[Tanner25]

For the senior golfer, what do you think of this approach of letting the elbow to bend in the backswing? I find if you let it bend too early, you can't turn in the backswing. 

 

https://golf-info-guide.com/video-golf-tips/senior-7-allow-small-front-arm-bend-to-aid-full-back-swing-video/

 

Start at 6:40 (below)

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by Tanner25

[jobin]

Seniors, of any age, will have a more difficult time changing the swing.  Does not matter how useful the change may be coz older bodies and minds do not change well.

Acceptance is not easy.

 

I went to the range yesterday, spent 2 hours.  90 minutes under 100 yards, picked up those 50 balls and hit a 7i trying to incorporate a new technique regarding my hip movement.  Can hardly move today.

[GLF4EVR]

19 hours ago, Sean2 said:

I think I follow, but am not 100% sure what you mean by "hurt...badly". 

Actually would not come to violence.  One of the guys is 72 and a total left hip.  Before the surgery, he was strictly an upper body hitter.  Spent two seasons trying to get him to use the lower body after he was cleared from physical therapy.  Did not make much of a dent so his best tee shot now may make a total of 180 yards.  It used to really bother him on the par 3's with me hitting from the white tee's while he is using way more club from the senior tees.  This last season I noticed it did not seem to affect him as much as it used to.  Just every so often a, "I don't understand why I can't hit a ball anymore", might come out.  The oldest guy is 81 & can still easily carry 200 with a driver.  The other guy just turned 70 last summer and still plays from the white tees due to still having the length.

 

So thinking if all of us started playing from the senior tees because of age, the one guy might not play with us any longer.  In reality, that is the actual part that hurts.  The four of us have tried to play just about every weekend for over 10 years, so it's all about the company way more than the actual play.  That is the thing that would hurt....badly.

 

Did not mind the question....just gave the honest answer.😁

[Miss_Tee]

A golf course I worked at a few summers ago had an age+handicap requirement for playing from the senior tees in men's league. I believe it was that your age + handicap from the white tees had to be 90 or greater if you wanted to move up to the senior tees.  

 

At the course I play now, there are no criteria for moving up. I find it interesting that some men move up too soon (according to some of their competition) and others say they would quit playing golf, rather than move to the forward tees. 

[Hawkeye77]

On 1/13/2021 at 1:35 PM, hybrid25 said:

To me, liking or disliking snow really depends on where the snow is. Suburban snow I just hate, it slicks up the roads for driving to and from work, gets dirty and slushy and doesn't really even look like snow, and has to be shoveled. Snow in the more rural areas can be beautiful, aid recreation like skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, etc. It really depends on where it falls, and snow doesn't discriminate.

We are having blizzard conditions, so surrounded by it and disliking it very much in town and in the rural areas, haha! But Sunday we'll put on our boots and take the dog out for a run on the snowy, frozen golf course.  

 

@Miss_Tee I'm hooking up the simple little trainer thingy for my road bike this weekend and my wife said she'll help me move the bed I not so accidentally blocked the folded up treadmill in a corner with when I set up the bed in the "guest room" ("why did you leave the treadmill back there?" Really, lol, she's never been on it!). 

 

But sitting here typing, those are still mere intentions!

Edited January 15, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Sean2]

1 hour ago, GLF4EVR said:

Actually would not come to violence.  One of the guys is 72 and a total left hip.  Before the surgery, he was strictly an upper body hitter.  Spent two seasons trying to get him to use the lower body after he was cleared from physical therapy.  Did not make much of a dent so his best tee shot now may make a total of 180 yards.  It used to really bother him on the par 3's with me hitting from the white tee's while he is using way more club from the senior tees.  This last season I noticed it did not seem to affect him as much as it used to.  Just every so often a, "I don't understand why I can't hit a ball anymore", might come out.  The oldest guy is 81 & can still easily carry 200 with a driver.  The other guy just turned 70 last summer and still plays from the white tees due to still having the length.

 

So thinking if all of us started playing from the senior tees because of age, the one guy might not play with us any longer.  In reality, that is the actual part that hurts.  The four of us have tried to play just about every weekend for over 10 years, so it's all about the company way more than the actual play.  That is the thing that would hurt....badly.

 

Did not mind the question....just gave the honest answer.😁

Couldn't you all just play the tees you are most happy with? Some play white, some play senior? It would be a shame to break up your group. 

[Gsea]

9 minutes ago, Sean2 said:

Couldn't you all just play the tees you are most happy with? Some play white, some play senior? It would be a shame to break up your group. 

If its really about company guy is a being an word not allowed if he cares who plays from where. Find a new player. 

[Gsea]

44 minutes ago, Miss_Tee said:

A golf course I worked at a few summers ago had an age+handicap requirement for playing from the senior tees in men's league. I believe it was that your age + handicap from the white tees had to be 90 or greater if you wanted to move up to the senior tees.  

 

At the course I play now, there are no criteria for moving up. I find it interesting that some men move up too soon (according to some of their competition) and others say they would quit playing golf, rather than move to the forward tees. 

Just curious how the hell did they enforce such a pos rule as age + handicap lol

[hybrid25]

I took a lesson from a reputable teacher in the area, and it included a video of my swing in slow motion. I always though I had a decent swing, but when I saw my swing in slow motion I was rather discouraged due to the swing flaws that were evident. I am trying to correct some of the flaws but it is so difficult due to my physical limitations. At age 65 many maladies are creeping in, like muscle tone, eyesight, arthritis in my surgically repaired right ankle that is really debilitating. It's not easy to make changes, as and earlier poster mentioned. I accept what I can and can't do, and enjoy the game very much. I play in net style tournaments, so everything is evened out.

[deadon500]

The assoc, I play in sr. men is 55 and up 55 to 70 white tees  over 70 red tee.  But you can not move up if your handicap is below 12 if you are over 70..

[Miss_Tee]

2 hours ago, Gsea said:

Just curious how the hell did they enforce such a pos rule as age + handicap lol

It really wasn't an issue to enforce it. It was a league rule.

I don't remember there being any conflicts regarding it.

[Gsea]

4 hours ago, deadon500 said:

The assoc, I play in sr. men is 55 and up 55 to 70 white tees  over 70 red tee.  But you can not move up if your handicap is below 12 if you are over 70..

 

2 hours ago, Miss_Tee said:

It really wasn't an issue to enforce it. It was a league rule.

I don't remember there being any conflicts regarding it.

Oh these are "league" rules not course rules. Another whole thing.

[wmblake2000]

I'm 68. I am definitely not as long as I once was, so I play 6000-6200 instead of 6500-6800.  But in every other way, I am a better player now than I have ever been. Of course, I wasn't very good, so there was a lot of room for improvement.  I have learned a lot - A LOT - about better ways to swing, pitch, chip & putt the ball over the last 10 years.  Just last week, first 9 holes ever under par (!!!). So, better technique, better confidence, smarter course management outweigh loss of speed.  And to be honest, when I am really on, my distance isn't that much less than 25 years ago.  

 

If I had any one bit of advice about golf, it would be to be patient about improving.  Go about the process of slowly letting new, more constructive feels, that seem so difficult at first, sink in.  Better technique means prolonged playing level. At least that's been my experience.

[Sean2]

20 hours ago, Miss_Tee said:

 ...others say they would quit playing golf, rather than move to the forward tees. 

Sounds like an ego issue, lol. That's like saying "I'm going to quit running if I can't run a marathon anymore". It's a game...I think that means it's supposed to be fun. 🙂

Edited January 16, 2021 by Sean2

[torbill]

On 1/14/2021 at 7:13 PM, Tanner25 said:

For the senior golfer, what do you think of this approach of letting the elbow to bend in the backswing? I find if you let it bend too early, you can't turn in the backswing. 

 

https://golf-info-guide.com/video-golf-tips/senior-7-allow-small-front-arm-bend-to-aid-full-back-swing-video/

 

Start at 6:40 (below)

 

 

Tanner, to answer your question, like so much golf instruction, this is unsound.  “Creating another lever” is meaningless.  “Creating another lever” helps nothing regarding distance (nor does it hurt).  The sources of power have nothing to do with how many “levers” you create in your arms.  The way to get power in the golf swing is to store and release as much energy as possible in the large muscles.  If bending your arm helps you to store more energy, then by all means do it. 

 

One of the biggest myths that has been taught endlessly over the years is to “maintain the radius” by playing with a stiff left arm.  I challenge anybody to provide tangible evidence that this, in and of itself, leads to greater power.  The video is right about one thing, for sure, and that is that you can see long drive champions all the time “losing radius”, proof positive that the notion of getting more power from a stiff left arm that “maintains the radius” is simply false.

 

Now, if playing with a straight arm helps the golfer to wind up the muscles and store more energy then that’s a plus. But you can store equally as much energy with a bent arm, so long as you wind up the big muscles.  

 

Personally, I find that playing with a stiff arm creates tension and tends to prevent my arm from folding on the follow through, creating a chicken wing effect that *does* reduce power.  

 

I have a couple of degrees in mechanical engineering and have a very good understanding of forces and motions, and so much of what is commonly taught is inconsistent with basic mechanical principles.  I know about lever arms, and what he is talking about is not even a lever arm. It is a hinge.  He doesn’t even understand the difference, it seems.  Hinges do not create a mechanical advantage and do not add or subtract energy/power.  Whether the elbow becomes a hinge or not is meaningless. If the elbow becomes a hinge during the backswing the centrifugal force created by the downswing will unhinge the hinge by the moment of impact.  If the elbow does not become a hinge because the golfer plays with a stiff arm it turns out to be the same thing at impact. 

 

Separately, there is an earlier video from a fellow who gives three “tips” that supposedly will help senior golfers.  Note that he isn’t providing a shred of evidence in support of what he claims, which to say, what is the before and after for these tips?  I mean, he has a swing monitor right there. Why not demonstrate the value of these tips, if there is something to them?

 

 I feel that his first tip is especially bad for most seniors - splay out the right foot and close the feet/hips.  Most of us seniors lack the strength of our youth.  If we do this tip we are going to have a terrible time opening-up/clearing the left hip on the down swing, and we are either going to block shots or flip our hands to get the clubface squared-up and start hitting nasty hooks - we just do not have the strength to clear the left side and square the club from a closed setup.  Much better for most seniors to do exactly the opposite of his tip - square the right foot to the target, or even turn the toe a bit toward the target, and open up the stance a bit.  This will allow the left hip to get out of the way, leading to more power and less dispersion,  

 

And why is he teaching this?  To “lengthen the swing”.  This idea of “lengthening the swing” is not the correct goal.  The correct goal is to do what it takes to wind up the big muscles of our legs, hips, shoulders in the backswing and not worry about how long the swing is.  Does Tony Finau have a “long swing”? No. Does Tony Finau wind up his big muscles to the limit?  Absolutely.  People seem mystified about how far Finau can hit it with such a “short swing”.  Don’t look at his arms, they are just along for the ride.  Look at the way is winding and unwinding his big muscles and creating enormous power with very little flailing of the arms.  

Edited January 17, 2021 by torbill

[Tanner25]

9 hours ago, torbill said:

Tanner, to answer your question, like so much golf instruction, this is unsound.  “Creating another lever” is meaningless.  “Creating another lever” helps nothing regarding distance (nor does it hurt).  The sources of power have nothing to do with how many “levers” you create in your arms.  The way to get power in the golf swing is to store and release as much energy as possible in the large muscles.  If bending your arm helps you to store more energy, then by all means do it. 

 

One of the biggest myths that has been taught endlessly over the years is to “maintain the radius be playing with a stiff left arm.  I challenge anybody to provide tangible evidence that this, in and of itself, leads to greater power.  The video is right about one thing, for sure, and that is that you can see long drive champions all the time “losing radius”, proof positive that the notion of getting more power from a stiff left arm that “maintains the radius” is simply false.

 

Now, if playing with a straight arm helps the golfer to wind up the muscles and store more energy then that’s a plus. But you can store equally as much energy with a bent arm, so long as you wind up the big muscles.  

 

Personally, I find that playing with a stiff arm creates tension and tends to prevent my arm from folding on the follow through, creating a chicken wing effect that *does* reduce power.  

 

I have a couple of degrees in mechanical engineering and have a very good understanding of forces and motions, and so much of what is commonly taught is inconsistent with basic mechanical principles.  I know about lever arms, and what he is talking about is not even a lever arm. It is a hinge.  He doesn’t even understand the difference, it seems.  Hinges do not create a mechanical advantage and do not add or subtract energy/power.  Whether the elbow becomes a hinge or not is meaningless. If the elbow becomes a hinge during the backswing the centrifugal force created by the downswing will unhinge the hinge by the moment of impact.  If the elbow does not become a hinge because the golfer plays with a stiff arm it turns out to be the same thing at impact. 

 

Separately, there is an earlier video from a fellow who gives three “tips” that supposedly will help senior golfers.  Note that he isn’t providing a shred of evidence in support of what he claims, which to say, what is the before and after for these tips?  I mean, he has a swing monitor right there. Why not demonstrate the value of these tips, if there is something to them?

 

 I feel that his first tip is especially bad for most seniors - splay out the right foot and close the feet/hips.  Most of us seniors lack the strength of our youth.  If we do this tip we are going to have a terrible time opening-up/clearing the left hip on the down swing, and we are either going to block shots or flip our hands to get the clubface squared-up and start hitting nasty hooks - we just do not have the strength to clear the left side and square the club from a closed setup.  Much better for most seniors to do exactly the opposite of his tip - square the right foot to the target, or even turn the toe a bit toward the target, and open up the stance a bit.  This will allow the left hip to get out of the way, leading to more power and less dispersion,  

 

And why is he teaching this?  To “lengthen the swing”.  This idea of “lengthening the swing” is not the correct goal.  The correct goal is to do what it takes to wind up the big muscles of our legs, hips, shoulders in the backswing and not worry about how long the swing is.  Does Tony Finau have a “long swing”? No. Does Tony Finau wind up his big muscles to the limit?  Absolutely.  People seem mystified about how far Finau can hit it with such a “short swing”.  Don’t look at his arms, they are just along for the ride.  Look at the way is winding and unwinding his big muscles and creating enormous power with very little flailing of the arms.  

 

torbill, Thanks, for sharing your thoughts. Good to know about using the big muscles when allowing the elbow to bend. I am just excited to feel the up in the backswing. Previously, if I don't go up, I sway. We often see one way of teaching. But, in my opinion, seniors, ladies and juniors - all have separate abilities and limitations. 

Edited January 17, 2021 by Tanner25

[torbill]

Agree 100%.  All of the time we see instruction that emulates what the tour pros are doing, rather than help us with things that we are actually capable of doing.  I remember, when I was young, the rage was the book “Golf My Way” by Jack.  I bought it.  I worked at it.  And even when I was young I was no Jack.  And it took me many years to undo the stuff that I learned from Jack, that I had ingrained, and that I couldn’t possibly do correctly/consistently.

 

Now I am old and my muscles are weaker.  The thing that I used to be able to do, that I have no shot at doing anymore, is squaring the clubhead from a flat backswing.  Since I can’t turn my chest like I used to, when my backswing is flat my arms go around and the club gets too far behind my chest. Young tour pros can use heavy rotation and a relatively flat swing, and square it up by cranking the hips like crazy while holding the head back and posting up the lead knee.  I just can’t do this.  Most of us can’t.  And if we could we would likely destroy our backs and knees.

 

What seems to work best for me is to bring the clubshaft up and not around, and it sounds like you are doing the same thing.  I feel that it makes it much easier for seniors like myself to square the face.  I don’t lift, as you do.  I do it by keeping my lead elbow pointed down at the ground, which keeps the elbow on or near my body, and just doing my normal swinging action.  If the elbow stays pointing at the ground, the clubshaft is constrained to go up and not around as my weight shifts and the backswing develops.

 

I just re-read my post and edited a couple of late night typos.  Playing with a straight left arm, maintaining the radius - most everybody seems to teach it.  Most seniors just can’t do it, and it doesn’t matter anyway.  I challenge anybody to show, on the basis of forces and motions, why it is necessary to play with a stiff left arm in order to play great golf.  I maintain that the only radius in golf that matters is the radius that the player sets up at address, which is to say the distance from the chest to the center of the clubface.  This is the key radius because if you don’t have it at impact you miss the ball.  And the physics doesn’t care if you maintain this radius throughout the swing.  Or if the elbow bends, collapsing the radius, and then the elbow straightens toward impact, re-establishing the radius.  What sport, other than golf, teaches a throwing/hitting motion through the use of a straight arm?  Do baseball sluggers play with a stiff left arm?  No sport other than golf comes to mind.  And yet it is gospel in modern golf.  IMHO seniors, above all others, shouldn’t listen...   

Edited January 17, 2021 by torbill

[RainShadow]

I'm 59, will be 60 in September. I've been a " serious" golf addict since my early 30's, and have played off and on since I was old enough to swing a club and get on the course, 7 or 8yo or so.

The past 2 years my game has fallen off from solid 7.5-8 index to now 10-11.

I moved to Tucson 3.5 years ago so I could play more golf and my goal was to get to a 5 index. Lowest I'v ever been is 6.8 about 10 years ago.

3 years ago I got rear ended and messed up my lower back, took almost a year to get my body to move correctly again. 

On the Mental side, my parents have all passed in the past 2 years so my mental focus during rounds has wandered/ declined. Trying to stay focused for 18 holes feels impossible some days.

Then, in June 2020, I was in another car accident ( not my fault, again) that resulted in a torn rt rotator cuff and bruising to the bones in both wrists. Took me out of the gym, along with COVID and needless to say, has screwed up my golf swing. I've regained about 85% of my strength in my shoulder, but my mechanics are erratic at best at the moment.

I still enjoy the game, but some days it's very frustrating to not be a able to perform like I was before injuries.

My dad was a solid 6 index until his mid 70's and my hope is that I can get my physical mobility issues fixed so I can achieve that goal.

Going to have a local teacher see if they can help my in my rehab.

Good thread,

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by RainShadow
Spell check sucks

[GLF4EVR]

On 1/15/2021 at 1:56 PM, Sean2 said:

Couldn't you all just play the tees you are most happy with? Some play white, some play senior? It would be a shame to break up your group. 

I is 100% ego.  All of us have know each other for close to 30 years.  It took us over a year to finally convince the guy to move up to the senior tees.  Last season was the first year in quite a few that I was able to get out & play.  There were a few times where it would be just him & I out.  I found that I could actually get him to relax more on his bad shots when it was just the two of us.  We are out early enough in the morning that it is not busy, so I just have him hit another ball after the bad shot.  Sometimes it would be more than one extra ball.

 

Next season I will see what work throws at me, but hope to get more of the one on one rounds with him.  The guy will never spend any time on the range or practice green, so hoping to get the time to very slowly work on things.  Towards the end of the season I did finally start with putting.  Started to see he was actually paying attention.  It is something that seems I can only do when we are solo.  With the other guys around, he just does not seem to really want the help.  However, just the two of us makes a big difference.

 

So......time will tell.  Will try to get some more solo rounds next year.  First, putting....then chipping....then approach....etc.  Will be baby steps.

[Miss_Tee]

1 hour ago, RainShadow said:

I'm 59, will be 60 in September. I've been a " serious" golf addict since my early 30's, and have played off and on since I was old enough to swing a club and get on the course, 7 or 8yo or so.

The past 2 years my game has fallen off foam solid 7.5-8 index to now 10-11.

I moved to Tucson 3.5 years ago so I could play more golf and my goal was to get to a 5 index. Lowest I'v ever been is 6.8 about 10 years ago.

3 years ago I got rear ended and messed up my lower back, took almost a year together my body to move correctly again. 

On the Mental side, my parents have all passed in the past 2 years so my mental focus during rounds has wandered/ declined. Trying to stay focused for 18 holes feels impossible some days.

Then, in June 2020, I was in another car accident ( not my fault, again) that resulted in a torn rt rotator cuff and bruising to the bones in both wrists. Took me out of the gym, along with COVID and needless to say, has screwed up my golf swing. I've regained about 85% of my strength in my shoulder, but my mechanics are erratic at best at the moment.

I still enjoy the game, but some days it's very frustrating to not be a able to perform like I was before injuries.

My day was a solid 6 index until his mid 70's and my hope is that I can get my physical mobility issues fixed so I can achieve that goal.

Going to have a local teacher see if they can help my in my rehab.

Good thread,

 

Wow. You’ve been through a lot. I hope you get back to pre-accident form this season 

[Miss_Tee]

3 hours ago, torbill said:

All of the time we see instruction that emulates what the tour pros are doing, rather than help us with things that we are actually capable of doing. . . .

 

. . . Playing with a straight left arm, maintaining the radius - most everybody seems to teach it.  Most seniors just can’t do it, and it doesn’t matter anyway.  I challenge anybody to show, on the basis of forces and motions, why it is necessary to play with a stiff left arm in order to play great golf  .  .  .  
 

. . . What sport, other than golf, teaches a throwing/hitting motion through the use of a straight arm?  Do baseball sluggers play with a stiff left arm?  No sport other than golf comes to mind.  And yet it is gospel in modern golf.  IMHO seniors, above all others, shouldn’t listen...   

@torbillI read your last comments with great interest, especially the parts above. Even without hearing it from instructors, I think a lot of us try to emulate the pros (either consciously or subconsciously). I know I am guilty of that. This upcoming season I will try to focus on swinging my own swing (that of a 59 year old woman). 

[bilbry57]

I played yesterday and was really happy with my driving definitely the work I have done with Rob’s 400 program has helped.  It’s a lot of work staying on top of soft tissue mobility but I moved better even in 35 degree weather.  Distance control, putting and short game comes from playing more than once every 5-6 weeks.  So I wasn’t bothered with the 5 three putts and a couple bladed chips it’s to be expected.

 

Looking forward the Retirement in June

[stryper]

45 minutes ago, Miss_Tee said:

@torbillI read your last comments with great interest, especially the parts above. Even without hearing it from instructors, I think a lot of us try to emulate the pros (either consciously or subconsciously). I know I am guilty of that. This upcoming season I will try to focus on swinging my own swing (that of a 59 year old woman). 

 

I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing to try to emulate the pros, since their swings pretty much represent the ideal.  Unfortunately age often puts limitations on how close we can get the the ideal.  

 

Right now, I’m in the gym and on the sim going full Bryson.  Not so much for his exact swing, but for his attitude toward pushing the boundaries and not accepting limitations (brought on by age, for seniors).  It hasn’t been particularly easy, especially on the back, but it has been satisfying to see my average SS increase ~5 mph over the last few weeks.  (The goal is to get another 10 mph in the next few months....if I can just reset my CNS. 😉)  

[torbill]

2 hours ago, Miss_Tee said:

@torbillI read your last comments with great interest, especially the parts above. Even without hearing it from instructors, I think a lot of us try to emulate the pros (either consciously or subconsciously). I know I am guilty of that. This upcoming season I will try to focus on swinging my own swing (that of a 59 year old woman). 

 

Yeah, I think we all look at the pros and want to emulate some of what they do.  But we have to pick a player who mechanics are right and that we can physically perform.  Here is probably the best swing model I have come across, I have looked at this video endlessly:

 

 

 

I watch the simple set up and posture, lack of tension, left elbow points at the ground as the backswing starts, club shaft comes as much up as around, no stiff left arm tension, none of the “keep the head down and behind the ball” nonsense that causes so many back problems, left arm folds after impact.  With those mechanics she can put a driver in her hand and step on the gas and put it out there 260.  In my view the greatest female golfer ever to breath air, and she will play without a back problem until she is 105.

 

So, there’s a model that most of us can emulate and will never lead anybody down a swing mechanics rabbit hole.

[torbill]

2 hours ago, stryper said:

 

I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing to try to emulate the pros, since their swings pretty much represent the ideal.  Unfortunately age often puts limitations on how close we can get the the ideal.  

 

Right now, I’m in the gym and on the sim going full Bryson.  Not so much for his exact swing, but for his attitude toward pushing the boundaries and not accepting limitations (brought on by age, for seniors).  It hasn’t been particularly easy, especially on the back, but it has been satisfying to see my average SS increase ~5 mph over the last few weeks.  (The goal is to get another 10 mph in the next few months....if I can just reset my CNS. 😉)  

 

I read your comments as two different ideas -  emulating the pros as best we can, and being all we can be and never giving up on trying to improve ourselves.  To these I say - well OK, and yay.

 

I’ll be 77 on my birthday, low handicap, have an occasional par round, and drive the ball far enough to be a scratch player (but I don’t have the irons and short game to carry through).  I’ve done everything that I know how to do to get better, and I keep working on improvement.  So, we’re birds of a feather. And how - in the past 5+ years I have pretty much had to rebuild my swing entirely, along principles that spare my back and actually comply with the laws of physics - when we get old we can’t fool Mother Nature any longer.

 

Distance isn’t a thing to me because I have enough of it, for now.  But we’re all concerned about an eventual loss that will limit our ability to play a really nice round.  I’ve always said that if I can consistently drive the ball 230 or more I have enough to play scratch golf from the white or even blue tees (assuming, of course that I have a great irons and short game, which I don’t, but hey, hope springs eternal).  At my age the concern is, how long will I be able to keep it up?  Fortunately I have a very good friend who is my idol/inspiration.  We have comparable overall games, but he drives it past me, regularly.  If I drive it 240 he drives it 260.  You would look at his swing (without seeing the result of it) and say that it is shorter than Tony Finau’s.  But it isn’t short at all. It is just that he doesn’t swing his arms all over the place.  His arms stay connected and he has beautiful/perfect swing mechanics with his large muscles, and he just nuts it again and again. He is probably about 5’10” and 170#.  At his last birthday he was... 80.  And he is constantly trying to make his game better. My idol. 😉

[willie991]

74 years young.  Over 200 18-hole rounds carded in 2020.  Worked until I was 70.  Have a group of "geezer golfers".  We play every day we can.  It's social interaction.  It's not sitting in a recliner and rotting away.  Someday your the bug.  Somedays, the windshield.  The oldest in our group is 80.  He will shoot his age, or under 5 days out of 7.  

We all say that if we get to where we are shooting in the upper 90's... we will still play golf.  It's good for mental health.

For me, it's putting the ball in play off the tee... and the short game.  "Never belittle a ball in the middle!"  "It ain't how you drive.  It's how you arrive!"  My drives aren't as long as they were 15 years ago... but they are in the fairway.  We have postage stamp greens.  Gotta have confidence in your chipping and putting.  Up and down.  Up and down.

We play from the senior tees.  Had the third ace of my life this past week.  Carded the lowest round of my life this past summer... 68.  Two eagles this past year.  I can't hit it as far as the young flat-bellies, but will play with most of them due to a short game.  

Don't let age get in your head.  Go play!  Go have fun!   

[jobin]

Good points, @torbill.  And i appreciate the Annika vid.  But if you look, her left arm does seem pretty straight to me, so that's a consideration.

And the moving head thing is hardly a teaching item.  What teacher would recommend that?  "Keep the eye on the ball"....golf advice from long, long ago.

 

But i have heard that even blind folks can play golf.  So just seeing the ball is not critical.  Must be another reason to keep the head still or to learn to move it, as Annika does, without moving the shoulders from desired path to ball.  Sure, most of us move our eyes, then the head, then the shoulders, then the club head hits the ground or misses entirely the da*m ball. So i guess keeping the head still keeps (or may keep) the clubhead path radius constant.  Which obviously is fundamental to striking the ball cleanly. 

 

Annika perfected her technique over many years, starting when young, no doubt. If i were to do that now, move my head prior to impact, i believe nothing good would result. She is very machine like, that's for sure.  And effective, so kudos for her.

 

I tried the free flowing form she offers and yes, felt good but will take me some time to get more club speed onto the ball as i now am thinking of all those other things; load back, load forward, hips inward not outward, ...etc. 

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Took some time over the weekend to work on an actual golf plan - highly recommend it.  Spent a lot of time thinking about course management, fitness, weaknesses, psr, you name it during our little blizzard on Friday and in the aftermath.  Relaxing, and the good news --- the longer you take to work on the plan the more you can postpone getting on the bike, treadmill, etc.! I may keep refining it until August, lol.

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[golfarb1]

Annika used to do pull-ups with 25lb suspended from her ankles. Few on Golfwrx , let alone seniors can do that