Becoming a Senior Golfer

Becoming a Senior Golfer is a short golf blog post that looks at the transition from Golfer to Senior Golfer. We may not want to see this day come, but at some point, it’s going to hit you. The time is coming when retirement will be upon us and we will be wanting to play golf every day of the week. The question is, Will we be able to play every day of the week? What will Senior Golf be like? What changes should I expect? Well, some of the answers to those questions will be positive, but some will also be negative. Becoming a Senior Golfer The swing will shorten through Less Strength & Flexibility As your body gets older, it will tend to start seizing up. The amount of body turn will decrease because your flexibility will not be as good. You will depend more on your hands & arms. With less body behind the ball, your swing will be less powerful. With a shorter, less powerful swing, the ball speed & ball flight will reduce too. The Equipment will change As your swing is less powerful than it used to be, you should start to look at upgrading your equipment. If you play with steel shafts, you may wish to change to graphite shafts. The new graphite shafts will help you get the ball airborne and increase the ball flight. You may wish to look at cavity back irons or at least a set of progressive irons. Swapping out the long irons for hybrids will be a huge advantage. We all know that pensioners tend to have weak backs, especially when putting for a long time. A great tip is to use a more upright putter with a longer shaft. This will reduce the pressure on the spine. This will help you to practice your putting stroke with less pain. Membership will become cheaper Yeehah, there is an advantage of getting older, your membership fees decrease. The day will come when you go from a Full paying member to a Senior member. Eyesight will worsen Just like everything else to do with your body, your eyesight will deteriorate with age too. It is always recommendable to check your eyesight regularly, more so the older you are. I would always suggest that you play as long as you can with contact lenses before eventually switching to glasses. Drive with a hot water bottle or car seat heating If the weather is below 15° Celsius then it would be recommended to put your car seat heating on. The alternative is to use a hot water bottle. Both options will help your back warm up and be a little more supple. Warm Up more Whether you want to or not, it will become a vital part of your game. Create a warm-up routine before it is too late. Check out my earlier golf blog post……………… Use a Hot tub or a Sauna after the round Don’t be tempted to go straight to the bar. Use the sauna or Hot tub at the club. If all else fails, get yourself under a hot shower and soak up the heat. Try Yoga If you are serious about your game, go to a beginner’s yoga class. It will open your eyes. A great way to help your social life and to supple up your body. Great for your game and your life in general. Change your Set Up position For me, this section depends on how your knees are. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and parallel to each other. Whichever knee is the weakest, turn that foot outward slightly (10 to 2) Whatever side you turn outwards will be the side that your body can turn more than before. Choose wisely, if in doubt, ask your local PGA Golf Professional for advice. Strengthen your grip As you struggle to turn and your power decreases, you need to pick up a bit of strength from somewhere. Also, as a senior golfer you will find that the ball flight will tend to curve to the right. Strengthening your grip on the club will help square up the club face at impact reducing your slice. Enjoy your golf, Tee up the ball on fairways and play off the forward tees. You may have started on the Yellow tees and then moved back to the tips but that was then and this is now. Get back to the Yellow tees and every third game, play off the Red or Blue tees. Enjoy yourself, it’s a game. What are your thoughts on Becoming a Senior Golfer? Have I missed something out? Please leave a comment by filling out a Contact Form. To read more of my golf blog posts, click here. Image by 27707 from Pixabay