The Back Nine - Golf’s Golden Years

Aging does not have to equate to poor golf shots. It may equate to a loss of power, speed and distance, but that is not the same as poor golf shots. 

I work with many senior golfers as well as some with physical limitations. Most of them swing the driver under 90 MPH and are physically incapable of swinging much faster than that. All that means is perhaps shorter drives - it does not have to mean crooked drives. Many of them have bad backs and/or limited range of motion. That does not mean they have to hit fat or thin shots, shanks, or chili dips. Not applying maximum force impact is quite a different issue than not applying correct force impact.

Because the golf ball is not compressed the way a more physically capable player would, it does not have to mean a bad shot. “Poor shots” are thin, fat, slices, hooks, pulls, pushes, toe hit or heel hits. Every one of those mistakes can be corrected for any age golfer without getting stronger, younger, less arthritic, and so on. Poor impact is one of the following:

Open or closed club face

Too steep or too shallow attack angle

An out-to-in or in-to-out swing path.

That’s it! The golf ball, as an inanimate object, does not know the age of the player who just hit it. It only reacts to one of the above!

I advise my students, particularly the seniors I teach, to be honest, and not be too quick to blame their age or aches and pains for their poor shots. Let’s get to the real issues! I am a club professional and, now into my 70’s, I simply cannot hit the ball as I once did. But I do still hit the golf ball cleanly and solidly most of the time. It just doesn’t go as far (or as high, or spin as well). But I do not hit behind it, top it, shank it, slice it or hook it (on any regular basis). Consequently, when I play the tees designed for my age group, I can shoot my age and enjoy the game as much as ever. That said, we do have to consider how certain limitations may negatively affect impact. 

A classic example is restricted lower body motion. When I see a loss of mobility in the lower body limit a student’s ability to “get through the ball,” I have to do what is possible within that available range of motion. I’m using this example because as we age this is a common problem. One “solution” for this might be a more restricted, narrower backswing, which will allow a student to stay more centered over the ball. Where a bigger, wider arc might have been possible when the muscles were more supple, it may not be now. Employing a more restricted, narrow arc may not be optimal, it is clearly more functional with aging or injury. (NOTE: this is one of many examples). A slight loss of distance does not have to cause big numbers on the scorecard if you play the right tees. If speed slows down, so what? A golf ball can be hit just as cleanly at 80 MPH as it can at 100 MPH. Notice, I did not say as powerfully!

The point is this: There are always some things we can adjust to help get the golf club on the ball a little more solidly. In my many years of teaching, poor golf shots (as defined above) are less the result of aging than they are of poor swing habits.

In sum, if you’re a senior golfer beginning to see declines in distance or soundness of contact, get with your pro, or get a video and take a close look. Example: you may not be able to hold the club as you once did or position the golf ball where you used to or even aim in the same direction. However, with some small changes to accommodate the natural aging process, you can still hit solid golf shots! And, after all, isn’t that the real fun of our game?

Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional and a seven-time PGA award winner, including Golf Professional of the Year and Teacher of the Year. Dennis now teaches at Bobby Clampett’s Impact Zone Golf Indoor Performance Center in Naples, Florida and Eagle Lakes Golf Club. Some articles have previously appeared in Dennis’ popular column on GolfWRX.com.