What happens to your body when you get older in golf?
Instructions. Older golfers lose the ability to do this, as their muscles become less flexible and they lose strength in their stomachs, arms, legs and shoulders. Stretching and light workouts can help avert distance-robbing tightness in the muscles and shortness in the golf swing.
How much distance do you lose playing golf as you age?
Again, it’s not news that you’ll likely lose distance as you age, but we can zero in on precisely how many yards players can expect to lose in each age range. On average, each bracket loses four yards, with those who are 60+ have a 140-yard Smart Distance with their 7-iron.
Why do senior golfers struggle 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.
Why is my golf swing slower as I age?
As you age, you feel less stable in your golf swing. And when the body feels less stable, it instinctually slows its motion. This results in a slower clubhead speed. There’s also the aggravating truth that we all simply lose strength as we get older. Without the power of your youth, it’s hard to generate speed.
What age do you start losing distance in golf?
Around the age of fifty, golfers start to lose distance in their game. As you move towards sixty and seventy, the changes are much more pronounced and noticeable. At the age of 70, you will see many golfers switch to senior tees simply because of distance loss.
Do golf drivers lose distance with age?
Yes, drivers can lose distance over time. Admittedly, that timeframe can be greatly reduced if you're a tour pro like Bryson DeChambeau, who has the fastest swing on the PGA Tour this year at 133 miles per hour.
How much distance do you lose as you get older?
Collecting data from male golfers over a three-year period (2017-'19), Arccos says driving distance for those age 30 to 39 is about 234 yards. For those 40 to 49, it falls to 226—an eight-yard loss. For those 50 to 59, it declines another nine yards to 217, for a total loss of 17 yards.
How far should a 70 year old hit 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.
How far should a 60 year old man hit a driver?
Average Driver Distance By AgeAge RangeAverage Driver Distance40-50220 yards50-60211 yards60+196 yardsAll Golfers219 yards2 more rows
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.
How can a senior get more distance in golf?
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...•
What is the average golf score for seniors?
The average score for someone over the age of 60 is 92 on a par 72 golf course. These people have a lot of time to play golf but they're getting older and their body doesn't work quite as well as it used to. Obviously, you'll have some golfers shoot much better and some that shoot much worse.
What age is a senior golfer?
50 and aboveIn men's professional golf senior tournaments are for players aged 50 and above. In other branches of the sport the lower age limit varies, but is usually 45, 50 or 55.
Why am I losing distance with my driver?
Distance Killers #1: Hitting Down on the Ball When using your driver, Kolb says the most common cause of power loss is hitting down on the ball. “We know without a doubt that in order to maximize your distance when hitting the driver, based on whatever your club head speed is, that you want to hit up on the driver.”
What tees Should a 75 year old man play?
A senior can be defined in a lot of different ways. For the PGA Tour, a Senior is over fifty years old. In golf, there is no set age for when a person must move up to the senior tees. Most of the time, this switch happens around the age of seventy.
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.
How Much Golf Club Distance is Lost with Age?
Research has shown that golfers lose about four yards every ten years with their 7-iron. When they are about 70 years old, they will have lost about 15 yards of driver distance.
What Kind of Physical Changes Occur as People Age?
Aging is a process that leads to physical and cognitive transformations, so understanding the process and responding adequately to it means increased wellbeing and a more fulfilling lifestyle.
Do Senior Golfers Have Psychological Obstacles That Affect Their Golf Swing?
It is not easy to accept that your swing speed isn’t as good as you used to be and that you are slowly but surely losing distance. Many elderly golfers go through a difficult time in their attempt to accept that fact.
How Does Equipment Affect Senior Golfers Performance?
A lot! If many years ago it was mostly irrelevant what kind of equipment senior golfers played with, nowadays it makes a big difference. Let’s start with the golf balls. As you might be aware, the market abounds with golf balls made particularly for senior players that optimize speed and distance.
What Can Older Golfers Do to Maintain Flexibility?
Golfers can maintain flexibility as they age by playing and practicing, as well as stretching and practicing yoga. As players get older, maintaining vitality and mobility is imperative for playing golf enjoyably, so regular training exercises are more than recommended.
How Can Golfers Improve Their Swing to Keep Distance?
There are three important things to consider while playing golf: stance, making contact with the ball and staying in a relaxed, natural position. Losing about 10 to 15 yards with your 7-iron, and even up to 30 yards of driver distance, is a natural, often irreversible process.
What Should a Senior Golfer Be Careful About?
If you are a Senior golfer, reconsider your stance at address. Make sure you can produce a full-blown swing. This means, see if you can freely stretch your arms without leaning forward or pulling inward.
Walk Daily
Walking has been proven to be one of the best ways to fight any type of issues that come along with again. If you can walk every day or almost every day, you will notice that your body feels more limber, and you don’t have as much trouble turning. In addition, you can decrease the fatigue that you feel on the golf course.
Stretch
Each morning you should stretch your arms, legs, back, neck, etc. Stretch your entire body not just before you head to the course but every day. Golfers that are getting older are limited in power because of their range of motion.
Diet Changes
Even the average golfer has realized that having a hot dog in the middle of a round is not the smartest food choice. When you eat foods that make you feel lethargic or tired, it will decrease your swing speed. Have you noticed that most professional golfers are eating granola bars and having water or energy drinks.
Golf Equipment
Senior golfers are lucky in the fact that there is an entire line of golf equipment for those that need more distance from the tee and the fairway. Golf equipment shaft options for seniors are getting lighter and more responsive.
Take A Lesson
Every golfer that feels as though they are losing distance should take a golf lesson. When you go to your lesson, make sure the professional know that you are not hitting the ball as far as you used to. Maybe the difference is a physical change in your body, or maybe your swing needs some work.
What Causes Loss Of Distance In Golf Swing?
Lost distance in a golf swing is caused by decreased rotation and speed. If you can’t swing the club back into the positions you were once capable of, and your overall speed slows down, you won’t hit the ball as far. As golfers get older, the accuracy of shots gets more and more important because the power tends to fade away a bit.
Do Golf Clubs Lose Distance With Age?
If you play with very old golf equipment, you could be losing distance. Over time the golf equipment you are playing with will start to decrease in performance. A driver or an iron is only meant to be hit a certain number of times. If you have a driver in play for the last 20 years, it may be time to consider an upgrade.
What happens if you don't hold your golf club properly?
Then you learn good posture and setup. If you don’t start in a good position, the body can’t perform the swing motion properly. With a good grip and a sound setup posture, I believe anyone can learn a functional golf swing pretty easily.
What is a sound golf swing?
A sound golf swing is built like a house. First the foundation, then the framing, roof, exterior walls, interior, paint, and trim. You can’t do one before the other. In golf, it all starts with the grip. If you do not hold the club properly, you’ll never accomplish a sound golf swing.
How wide is a golf ball?
The ball is 1.68 inches in diameter, and the functional striking area on a golf club is about 1.5-inches wide. If you vary in your setup by even 3/4 inch, you have imposed a serious obstacle to success. If you do nothing else to improve your golf game, learn how to set up the same way every time.
Is golf a hitting action?
Learn to “swing” the club, not “hit” the ball. This sounds simple, but the golf swing is not a hitting action: it’s a swinging action. The baseball hitter is just that, because the ball is in a different place every time – high, low, inside, outside, curve. He has to rely on quick eye-hand coordination.
Do you need a driving range to learn golf?
And you can take your time to make sure the ball will be precisely in the way of that swing. Learning the golf swing doesn’t require a driving range at all. In fact, your backyard presents a much better learning environment because the ball is not in the way to give you false feedback.
How many yards does a 21-30 golfer lose?
Focusing on 7-irons, the 21-30 bracket’s Smart Distance is 164 yards. Again, it’s not news that you’ll likely lose distance as you age, but we can zero in on precisely how many yards players can expect to lose in each age range.
How old is Bernhard Langer?
Let’s begin with a simple truth: No one is going to age like Bernhard Langer. The 59-year-old German won his first pro title in 1980 and is still earning major championship victories on the Champions Tour.
Instructions
Change your golf ball. Years ago, balls designed for distance were hard as rocks and offered little in the way of feel around the greens. That's all changed. There's now a dizzying array of golf balls to choose from, and each choice is optimized for a particular type of golfer.
Tips & Warnings
Think about forgetting your ego and moving up a tee. Maybe you've always played from the blue tees (or even the black tournament tees). As you age, you can shorten the golf course and retain your distance by shifting to the white tees or the gold senior tees. Golf courses offer different teeing options for precisely this reason.
About the Author
Matthew DeBord has written about sports, cars, and wine since 1994 for a variety of publications. Formerly the golf columnist for the “Improper Hamptonian,” he has covered major championship tournaments and played some of the best courses in America. He graduated from Clemson University and has a master's degree from New York University.
Why does my ball fade?
If you have lost distance and your ball flight has turned into a fade or even a slice, it’s likely caused by a loss in flexibility. You’re not able to rotate away from the target as much, which causes you to get steep.
How to get more speed in golf?
You may not be able to exert the same level of force as you get older, but remember that the more you turn, the more leverage you can use to create speed. 1. Use your hands and wrists 2. Close your stance 3. Turn early 4. Turn your hips, too 5. Make the club lighter on your backswing 6.
Why do backswings get shorter?
3. Turn early. Most people’s backswings become shorter over time, due to a loss of flexibility. That’s why it’s so important to feel as though you’re turning early on your backswing –starting on your takeaway.
Why are golf grips important?
Properly-fitted grips are important at ever stage of the game, but even more so when you’re older, when your hands may not be as strong. Many golfers may develop arthritis, too, which makes it hard to keep your hands closed and the club secure.
Why is it so hard to get the ball in the air?
As you lose speed it may be more difficult to get the ball into the air, which can cost you even more distance. A lack of hang time can haunt you in other ways, too, like when you need to carry a fairway bunker.
Is it important to have a lighter clubhead?
Yes, your equipment is important and can make a huge difference. Having lighter clubheads and more flexible shafts is an easy way to gain distance, which is why it’s even more important to get a get a fitting from a top clubfitter like True Spec ( editor’s note: True Spec Golf and GOLF.com are owned by the same parent company).
