One of our simplest tips for seniors to improve their ball striking with irons involves making it as easy as possible to move into the lead leg when striking the ball – something the best players consistently do. Imagine there’s a line moving up the outside of your back leg when you address the golf ball.
Should you hit up or down on your driver and Irons?
It’s very simple. You want to hit up on your driver and down on your irons. What does this mean? Think of the shape your club head makes as you swing through the golf ball. As you move through the transition at the top of your swing, towards the ball, the club head is traveling at a downward angle.
Why do senior golfers have a hard time with distance?
One thing that most senior golfers struggle with is distance. As we age, our bodies slow down and we lose flexibility. Both are critical to swinging a golf club with any sort of power. But, even if we can't hit the ball as far as we did 5, 10, or 20 years ago, we can utilize the proper equipment in order to offset the decrease in clubhead speed.
What is the best golf stance for seniors?
Option #1: The Open Golf Stance for Seniors The open golf stance consists of dropping your front back several inches and up to a foot and having your stance open up. The stance makes it feel like your body and feet are aimed well to the left for a right handed golfer. However, the club remains aimed at the target.
How does golf swing speed change as seniors age?
As golfers become seniors, they can feel a need for extra power and have a greater tendency to pull down to try to create power or to try to open up with the hips which doesn’t allow the proper slotting of the club. With the proper shallowing of the club and utilize the hands to fire away, the golfer may see an increase in golf swing speed.
How far should a 65 year old hit a 7 iron?
Generally, you'll hit the ball longer when you're in your 20s and 30s, but your distances will slowly decrease as you get older. The reason is most likely that your swing speed isn't as fast as before....Average 7 Iron Distance By Age.Age RangeAverage 7 Iron Distance50-60139 yards60+128 yardsAll Golfers145 yards3 more rows
What are the easiest irons to hit for seniors?
What are the easiest irons to hit for seniors? Our testing has shown the Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite, Wilson Launch Pad, TaylorMade Stealth and Ping G425 to be noticeably easy to hit, both in terms of generating speed and distance and maintaining this on off-center strikes.
How a senior should swing a golf club?
2:157:08The Best Swing For Senior Golfers | Simple & Repeatable - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI want to feel like my right shoulder is under promoting more of a draw. And i'm going to feel likeMoreI want to feel like my right shoulder is under promoting more of a draw. And i'm going to feel like the palm of my right hand is more under the grip there too again getting under this club.
How seniors can hit the golf ball further?
10 tricks to boost your driving distance as you get olderUse your hands and wrists. ... Close your stance. ... Turn early. ... Turn your hips, too. ... Make the club lighter on your backswing. ... Lighter clubs. ... Use more loft. ... Proper ball position.More items...•
How far should a 70 year old drive a golf ball?
A 70-year-old man should be hitting a driver anywhere from 180 to 190 yards. This number has grown a bit in the last few years with the introduction of improved driver and shaft technology. At 70 years old, some golfers are having no trouble getting the ball to fly 200 yards or more.
What shaft should a senior golfer use?
Senior flex shafts are appropriate for golfers who swing between 75 and 90 mph and carry a driver about 180 to 200 yards. Regular flex shafts are designed for golfers who swing 90 to 100 mph and carry a driver about 200 to 240 yards.
What loft driver should a senior use?
11 degreesWhat loft driver should seniors use? Most seniors should use a driver loft of at least 11 degrees. While some players might get away with 10 or 10.5 if they still have a higher swing speed, most golfers should between 11-13 degrees.
What is the average swing speed for a 75 year old golfer?
What is the average swing speed of a senior golfer? Anyone over 50 belongs to the senior golfer category. Unlike women, who, on average, have a maximum 60 mph swing speed, men usually have a minimum 75 mph swing speed, with 90 mph being their average.
Should senior golfers use a strong grip?
Senior golfers tend to enjoy using the slightly stronger grip. The strong grip can help to give players a more firm feel on the club and help them get the ball speed that they need to succeed.
How often should seniors play golf?
Summary: Regularly golfing, at least once per month, was found to lower the risk of death among older adults.
Why do senior golfers lose distance?
The key to distance in the golf swing is the ability to make a full turn away from the ball and swing the club smoothly and swiftly back through. Older golfers lose the ability to do this, as their muscles become less flexible and they lose strength in their core, arms, legs and shoulders.
Will senior flex increase distance?
If you are playing with a regular shaft currently and it is not the right fit for you, the senior flex shaft could help you increase distance.
What is the easiest iron to hit?
From experience, most golfers will tell you that the 7-iron is the easiest club to master. A 5-iron will go further, and you can be on the green in three if you are lucky, but a 7-iron will go at least 120-130 yards, getting you easily on the green in four.
What clubs should senior golfer carry?
1 and 3 hybrids have replaced 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons in many senior's golf sets. Finally, in order to increase how high you can hit the ball on your drives, consider increasing the degrees of loft on your driver. Depending on your swing speed, you should be looking at a 12.5 to 15-degree loft on your club face.
Should older golfers use lighter clubs?
While drivers and woods, because they need to be hit with faster speed, feature lighter graphite, Senior flex shafts. However, if your swing speed is very low and distance very poor as a senior golfer, make sure ALL your clubs have Senior shafts.
Are graphite shafts better for older golfers?
Generally speaking, graphite shafts are better for seniors than steel shafts unless the senior still maintains very high swing speeds. There are some seniors in incredible shape that can easily hit a regular steel shaft in their iron.
What is the line moving up the back of your back leg when you address the golf ball?
Imagine there’s a line moving up the outside of your back leg when you address the golf ball. This is what we refer to as the ‘sway line’ .
How to chip a golf ball?
You may have previously been told that the key to good chipping is to put the ball back in your stance, to lean forward, to lean the shaft forward, and then hit down on the ball.
What happens if you move away from the target over the sway line?
If you were to move away from the target over the sway line, you’d have to work much harder and move more to get onto the lead leg when you swing.
How to get a late release on a golf swing?
Swing to the top of your backswing and then pull your arms down, keeping your thumbs pointing up at the sky until your hands are lower than the alignment pole. The club handle should drop under the alignment pole first, followed by the club head. If you are making this movement, then you will be achieving a late release with ...
What happens when you strike the golf ball at the last second?
More consistent players and longer hitters release this angle into a straight line at the very last second as they strike the ball. This then results in maximum club head speed being delivered to the golf ball as it is struck and produces longer golf shots.
How to get better at golf club release?
To improve when you are releasing the golf club and to get it as late as possible, work on keeping your thumbs up as you make your downswing. Initiate your downswing by rotating your lower body towards the target, so turn your knees and then pelvis towards the target. As this rotation moves into your upper body, ...
What does it mean to release your golf club late?
When you release during your golf swing, this simply means that during your downswing the angle that you create between your left arm and the club shaft at the top ...
What are the challenges of senior golfers?
One thing that most senior golfers struggle with is distance. As we age, our bodies slow down and we lose flexibility. Both are critical to swinging a golf club with any sort of power. But, even if we can't hit the ball as far as we did 5, 10, or 20 years ago, we can utilize the proper equipment in order to offset the decrease in clubhead speed.
When you lose speed, do you need loft?
When you lose speed, you need loft to get the ball in the air with the right shaft and the right weight for your swing. I think it's critical for seniors (including me) to understand that we need more loft with smaller heads. Don't be afraid to go against what you see on television because here we're teaching you to improve your swing so you don't need a club that is built for flawed mechanics.
Where is the sweet spot on a golf club?
They also put the sweetspot on the clubface out near the toe of the club . The more the club designers put the sweetspot near the toe, the harder it is to square the club up. They're making clubs for golfers who make bad swings, which is noble.
Do we slow down as we get older?
We've got to understand that when we get older, we slow down. If you do any activity today that you did 5, 10, or 20 years ago, like riding a bike or running, you can probably still do it but you're probably not doing it as fast. As we age we're able to do similar physical activities, we just lose our speed when doing them. We slow down. I'd be willing to bet that even walking from the house to the mailbox is a longer trip than it used to be.
Can you hit a driver and 3 wood off a tee?
Many golfers can hit a driver and 3 wood off a tee with no problem, so if you're struggling doing that then you know it's time to get more loft. Remember, smaller heads, more loft. You'll find that you hit it more solid, straighter, and longer. Get to a certified fitter soon and make the proper adjustments.
What is the difference between swing speed and smash factor?
But in addition, the quality of strike plays a huge role to determine how far you hit the ball. Smash Factor is ball speed divided by club speed. Smash Factor relates to the amount of energy transferred from the club head to the golf ball.
Who owns My Golf Heaven?
Francesco is the owner of My Golf Heaven and manages the team of experts writers on the site. He currently plays off a 4 handicap.
What is the difference between lob wedges and drivers?
For example, drivers are built for distance, hence they have a low angle of loft. Lob wedges on the other hand are designed to propel the ball into the air and present a steep angle of descent. That way, the ball will stop closer to the point of impact.
How to avoid steepness when swinging a long iron?
However, you don’t want your angle of attack to be as steep as it is when you’re hitting a short iron. In order to avoid that steepness, position the ball just slightly forward of center.
Where should a short iron be placed in golf?
When using a short iron, make sure the ball is positioned in the center of your golf stance. In other words, it should be centered between your feet.
How does the club head change direction?
Think of the shape your club head makes as you swing through the golf ball. As you move through the transition at the top of your swing , towards the ball , the club head is traveling at a downward angle. At some point (more specifically, at the low point), your club head changes direction.
What irons are considered long irons?
First, make sure you know which irons are considered “long” and which are “short.”. Your long irons (2, 3 and 4) have a lower loft and are designed for more distance. (1 irons if you have them) Short irons (8, 9 and pitching wedge) have a higher loft and help you pop the ball up in the air as you get closer to the green.
How to hit down on a golf ball?
To Hit Down on the Golf Ball: At setup, position the ball in the center of your stance. Shift your hands toward the target just slightly so the club is in front of the club head. In the transition, think about pulling on the club with your lead hand instead of throwing the club out and down with the trail hand.
What is the goal of an iron shot?
For an iron shot, however, the goal is to hit down on the golf ball. Another way to say this is that your moment of impact should occur before the low point of your golf swing. It’s important to make this distinction when discussing how to hit irons because this whole down/up thing trips up a lot of golfers.
Why do you swing away from the ball?
As you swing away from the ball, allow your head to slide away from the target. This accommodates for better rotation, better speed, and a better shot.
Why do seniors pull down in golf?
As golfers become seniors, they can feel a need for extra power and have a greater tendency to pull down to try to create power or to try to open up with the hips which doesn’t allow the proper slotting of the club.
What is the Best Golf Stance for Seniors?
We would recommend trying out two different stances that vary from the normal. These include:
What line does the golf ball curve away from?
The golf ball will then curve away from the swing path. There are two different lines that we must understand. The target line and the start line. The best golfers start the ball left or right of the target line and then curve the ball back towards the target.
Why do golfers have open stances?
As golfers reach the level of being a senior golfer, some flexibility and movement may have been lost and the open stance allows the golfer to cheat a little bit and have those hips already open.
How does shallowing affect golf swing speed?
With the proper shallowing of the club and utilize the hands to fire away, the golfer may see an increase in golf swing speed. Let’s face it, as we lose some balance in the golf swing as we age, relying on the hands and setting the body open can be a great thing for many golfers.
How to find an effortless swing?
If the thought is to keep your head behind the ball, a golfer can truly find an effortless swing where the club is taken back and dropped into the proper slot to hit a draw or fade.
How to close stance golf for seniors?
The closed stance in golf for seniors is where you take your back foot and drop back several inches up to 1-2 feet. This sets your rear hip behind you and sets the positions for your back swing. However, your club face should remain somewhat square to the target line.
How high should the driver head be on a golf club?
Take your driver setup, but hold the club out so the driver head is about shin-high, hovering above the golf ball.
What is a golfer's foot?
The golfer’s feet are parallel to one another, pointed in the direction of the ball. If you drew a straight line from toe to toe, that line would run parallel to the target line. This is a beautiful driver setup. But if you’re an older golfer, it comes with some significant hazards.
Why is a shorter swing length important?
As many golfers know, swing length is crucial for generating swing speed. And we find that length in the backswing. Once again, traditional advice does not help experienced and senior golfers get the length they need. This is why a shorter swing length is among the biggest distance killers for older golfers.
What does more length in the backswing mean?
You know the formula: more length in the backswing equals more speed. And if body rotation can’t give us that length, we need to get it another way.
How to pack your driver shots with more power?
This is how you pack your driver shots with more power. As you take your driver setup, bump your lead hip towards the target. This allows you to access that side-to-side power source. You want about 60% of your weight on the lead foot, 40% on the trail foot. This should happen naturally with that hip bump.
What is Power Clinic Golf?
Power Clinic Golf is a six-part series that confronts the techniques that are killing your game. It’s based on the same principle as this article:
How to get better hip rotation?
Rotate your toes outward slightly so that the red lines lead to the insides of your heels instead of the center of your toes. This simple flare helps you find better hip rotation. Then close your stance. To do this, you step your trail foot back away from the golf ball just slightly.
