Are you still hitting bombs off the tee? If you’re like the seniors in our golf lessons, you’re probably not. This loss of distance stems from decreased clubhead speed—a common problem for senior golfers. As you get older, you tend to lose flexibility in your body, which shortens your swing arc. That slows swing speed, costing you yardage off the tee.
The golf drill below can help you increase clubhead speed whatever your age. Work on these drills faithfully and you’ll hit the ball longer off the tee.
Golf Drill: Leveraging the Ground
We use this drill in our golf lessons frequently. The key with the golf drill is moving from the ground up. That boosts swing speed and power:
Hold a ball in your trailing hand. Fold your lead hand behind your back. Now, take your golfing posturer. Then, throw the ball sidearm as far as you can down the target line while in your golfing stance. Try to throw the ball hard as you can from this posture. Use the ground for leverage as you throw the ball.
Next, grip your driver and make a practice swing. Aim to replicate the throwing motion in the first part of this drill while looking down the fairway. Focus on developing speed as if you were going to throw the club as far as possible down the target line. Use your hips and glutes to start your swing, which adds speed to your motion.
Throwing the ball first reminds you of the feel for swinging a club with your lower body driving the club’s release. When you’re used to that feeling, hit some balls.
Five Golf Tips That Help Senior Golfers Drop Strokes
If you’re like the seniors in our golf lessons, you’ve probably accepted the fact that you’re not going to hit the ball as far as you once did. As golfers age, the lost flexibility in their swings, which shortens their swing arcs. That robs you of distance, especially off the tee. And that can cost you strokes.
Just because your swing is slower, however, doesn’t mean you can’t score well. Or that you can’t break 80 anymore. You can. You just have to approach the game a little differently. Below are five stroke-saving golf tips we give senior golfers in our golf lessons:
- Make scoring your focus
- Eliminate bad holes
- Play the correct ball
- Learn to hit a draw
- Perfect your short game
Below we review these golf tips and tell you how they can help you cut strokes and compete with players half your age:
· Make scoring a focus
Some senior golfers worry about how they look when swinging. That can get you in trouble. Instead, focus on your score—and only your score. Use your experience and brains to make up for your physical limitations.
· Eliminate bad holes
Sure, making birdies is great. But that’s easier said than done. Instead, focus on eliminating bad holes. It’s much easier than making birdies or pars on tough holes. Also, try to keep your efforts in line with your ability. In other words, play within yourself.
· Play a low compression ball
If you’re lost something off your swing, play a low-compression ball. That makes up some for whatever swing speed you’ve lost. In other words, you want a ball that compresses at an average or lower swing speed, giving you the added distance you want.
· Learn to hit a draw
Many golfers on the Champions Tour have done it. Hitting a draw gives you 10-15 yards more, especially off the tee. Also, try turning your grip clockwise (to the right for right-handers). This adjustment allows your hands to be more active in the swing, juicing up the ball at the end of your swing.
Pump Up Your Power: 3 Exercises for Seniors
Senior golfers are no different than other players. They’re always looking for golf tips that can help them boost their competitiveness. Many of the seniors in our golf lessons still have the fire in their bellies that drive players to improve.
If you’re a senior golfer that wants to stay competitive, you can’t worry about what you look like when playing with 30-year olds. So, don’t worry about what you look like while driving the ball or hitting your irons. Instead, focus on one thing and one thing only—your score.
Mental Key to Competing
If you can train yourself to focus strictly on your score, you can compete with the young guns on the courses you play. But to do that, you’ll have to use your brains and your experience. You’ll also have to put some time into staying in shape.
Staying in shape is critical as you get older. Just because you’ve aged a bit doesn’t mean you can let yourself go—not if you want to continue to play competitive golf.
Read More:
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Below are three proven exercises we recommend for senior golfers in our golf lessons. They’ll not only help you play well, but they’ll also help you feel better. These exercises zero in on three things: flexibility, strength, and spinal stability.
The Hip Loader
Many consider this among the most productive exercises for senior golfers because it strengthens their hips. We agree. But it’s also among the hardest to do if you have weak knees or hips. So, go slowly at first. You may also want to check with your doctor about doing this exercise. When done right, the exercise improves functional hip strength for more power and stability in your swing.
Standup straight with your feet slightly apart. Take a long lunge forward, bending at the knees and slightly forward at the hips. Touch the floor with your fingers Then reverse this position by pushing back until you’re standing straight again. Now, go to your right side and bend sideways over your right foot until your right-hand touches the floor. You’re still lunging to the side. Then do the same on the left side. Do 1 to 3 sets of 4 in each direction.
Side Stride with Arm Reach
This exercise is also a productive exercise for senior golfers. The key to this exercise is to push back to the standing position with some force as quickly as possible. When we say “push back as fast as you can,” we mean push back as fast as YOU can. Start slowly at first, then try to push with more force as you get used to doing the exercise.
Start from a standing position again. Take a large step or lunge to your right, bending your knee as fast you can while rotating your left arm underneath your chin as you do in your downswing. Push back with force to your standing position. Now do the same exercise on the left side. Start slowly at first. Perform 1 to 3 sets with 8 to 12 reps on each side.
Resisted Rotation in Chair
This exercise is easier than the first two. You’ll need a chair with armrests and an exercise band. This exercise addresses golf strength and flexibility in one exercise. Doing this exercise helps a declining spinal motion, which can cause golfers to come over the top of the ball, short-circuiting power. Start slowly at first.
Anchor the band in the door jamb at chest height. Now sit in the chair with your right side facing the door. Sit far enough away from the door so that your arms are straight across your chair and at rest. Keeping your arms relatively straight, rotate your arms and torso away from the door in a wide arc as much as you can. Now do the same with the left side facing the door. Perform 1-3 sets with 12 to 15 reps in each set.
We kept the exercises to three because you may not have time to do more. Plus, you’ll get the most out of the time you put in exercising. If you’re a visual learner, you can find videos of these exercises on the Internet.
Also, check with your physician before doing any golf exercise—especially if you have arthritis in the back, knees, or hips. Getting permission from your physician is the smart thing to do. We also recommend to students in our golf lessons to do Tai Chi or Yoga as ways for seniors to boost golf strength and flexibility.
· Perfect your short game
This golf tip is also a no-brainer if you’re a senior golfer. It’s also good advice for younger players. Work hard on your chipping, pitching, and putting. Mastering these skills can help take a big bite out of your score. That’s especially true of your chipping. An accurate chip turns three strokes into two.
One additional senior golf tip we stress in our golf lessons is to workout and exercise regularly. If you keep your muscles in shape, you’ll hit the ball farther. Plus, you won’t get as tired on the back nine.
