To be honest, it’s very common for older golfers to find the sport more physically challenging. Playing with a previously suffered injury, stiff neck or back, or simply just not as much strength and flexibility you once had back in the days are some of the most prevalent struggles that many senior golfers have to deal with on the turf.
BUT the good news is that there are effective senior golf tips to make your every round of golf much, much easier. And along the way, you also learn how to improve the marginal error for chipping, strike the irons better, and achieve longer distances off that tee.
So let’s get to these useful tips right away, shall we?
Every golfer would agree that a golf swing requires a certain combination of movements that depends on the flexibility of muscles and joints. Even an activity as simple as walking on a daily basis can keep your swing intact well into your senior years.
You could obviously perform other exercises too, such as strength conditioning, biking, etc. The goal here is to stay fit and active because, after all, golf is a sport that demands physical exertion.
Another commonly neglected habit is to skip warming up before the round of golf. The routine includes exercising and stretching. You could also come to the golf course a little early for hitting some balls. Start with your short iron first, then mid-iron, and finally get some drives up in the air too before you embark on your golf journey for that day.
Do you know why Tour-grade golfers play so remarkably well? Well, no denying, it’s partly because they’ve worked REALLY hard to get to that level (putting in years and years of training of course). And partly because their golf club shafts have been tailored accordingly to fit their game.
Likewise, customized clubs, no doubt, can allow other types of golfers too to gain the upper hand. That’s why there are Senior-flex shafts, says professional golfer Carolyn Heller. She stresses the importance of older golfers choosing clubs that promote a faster swing speed, such as these most forgiving irons for seniors.
To be more specific, shaft flex should be Senior and shaft material should be lightweight graphite. Both work together to generate a faster swing speed.
Even the golf balls you include in your round of golf matter a great deal. Because it only makes sense to not buy balls that someone like Dustin Johnson or Lydia Ko would use. Instead, seniors should be choosing low-compression golf balls.
What a low/soft compression rating does is accelerate ball speed even on off-center shots. So even with a slower swing speed or mis-hit, you can achieve the performance you desire with your every shot.
Is less really more in the case of golf swing follow-through? Yes, absolutely. Consider this – when your shoulder turn is bigger on your way back, does it always mean more distance? Nope, not necessarily; you simply just increase your chances of something else going wrong.
Turning back strongly during your follow-through doesn’t really affect the power or speed of the swing. Instead, focus more on making slight adjustments in the golf ball position and stance. Open the front foot a little more, so your follow-through can be fuller and wider. And lastly, walk after your golf ball post-impact.
Another correct approach would be to create an extended circle of power. In simple words, shift your weight into the back during your backswing. Then reverse the weight placement while shifting down and through during the follow-through part of the golf swing.
So you’re moving all of your weight from the back foot to the front foot as the hips and chest perform the rotation through that golf ball till both are seamlessly pushed ahead of the original address position.
Here’s a video demonstration you might find incredibly helpful.
Let’s start with chipping first.
60-percent of your weight should be maintained on the front foot. Both hands ought to work as a single unit, which means no flicking of your bottom-placed hand. You grip 2-3 inches down the club shaft in order to gain more control over where exactly you wish for the golf ball to dock.
Now it’s time for you to create a smooth pendulum-like movement. Once again, the backswing and follow-through should travel the same range in terms of length.
Not many senior golfers are aware of the fact that poor chipping, in most cases at least, is a result of excessive leg movement. So keep that minimal all across your swing, thus mainly using your shoulders and arms instead to drive the ball.
Moving on to putting now. Bend from your waist in order to encourage your shoulders and spine to produce the same pendulum-like movement used for putting. This way, you don’t make the common blunder of moving with the rest of your body.
Moreover, at impact, keep the eyes fixed over the golf ball, or at least closer to it. The ball should be somewhat forward than the center, thus creating a slightly more upward strike.
But then older golfers are the most likely to miss a larger number of putts precisely due to poor alignment. So what can you do at such times?
Growing older comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, right? But the biggest gift of entering your senior years of life means being able to discern what’s right for you. And that, no doubt, is a life skill you can apply to your golfing experiences too.
Many golfers practice this in the form of making the right decisions and maintaining the right attitude or temperament on the golf course.
No denying that golf is an amazing sport to play at any age. But it would be very biased indeed to say that playing a round of golf is as easy for older players as it is for their younger counterparts. Because that is NOT TRUE. But what’s true, and solvable, is making the game less challenging.
You can make the most of opportunities like using the right, which means more forgiving and lightweight, golf clubs. They have the ability to correct your common weaknesses, such as a slower swing speed, greater potential of mis-hits, etc.
At the same time, some much-needed changes in your fitness/exercise routine, golf swing, chipping/putting technique, and the like can also fix more errors than you can imagine.
Carolyn Heller, the founder of a very promising go-to platform, Golf Depends, for everything golf, has spent enough time on the turf to comprehend the difference between what works and what doesn’t. Her persuasive AND completely authentic, honest style of writing is merely a reflection of her highly-developed professional skills as a golfing coach.
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