40 replies to this topic

[twoody40]

I'm sure everyone has difficulty in certain aspects of their game.  For me, it's the loss of distance, which means I have longer iron shots into par fours.  Often on the longer par fours, it takes me three shots to get on.   I rarely three putt, so my handicap index reflects lack of distance.  I've spoken to my teaching pro about it and he says I'm not getting a good shoulder turn which is making me rather "armsie".  As I've gotten older and a little less flexible, it's harder for me to make that good turn.

I've flirted with moving to the senior tees and/or going to senior shafts.  What is your opinion and what are the difficulties other senior golfers (over age 50) are having?

Thank you.

[Myherobobhope]

Have you considered yoga? I'm younger, but it helped my distance significantly.

[defaultoprime]

yep... yoga... great for hip flexibility and strengthening... I discovered it last year when I was having some spinal alignment issues and looking to drop some weight... what it has done for my golf swing was totally unexpected... and really pretty remarkable... oh... I'm 47 and had been stiffening up for a number of years...

In particular, DDP Yoga... it tends to be more "manly"

Edited by defaultoprime, 23 February 2013 - 01:19 PM.

[MtlJeff]

i don't make enough 15 foot putts. I shoot a lot of 75's where i have like 4 bogeys or something. It's pretty frustrating. I'm working on putting the past couple of years and i've gotten better, especially from 5-10 feet. But i barely make any midrange putts. I'd guess my birdies per round is extremely low for guys in the 0-2 range

[mackepa]

MtlJeff, on 23 February 2013 - 05:10 PM, said:

i don't make enough 15 foot putts. I shoot a lot of 75's where i have like 4 bogeys or something. It's pretty frustrating. I'm working on putting the past couple of years and i've gotten better, especially from 5-10 feet. But i barely make any midrange putts. I'd guess my birdies per round is extremely low for guys in the 0-2 range

same with me. I have a very good short iron and wedge game but I struggle to make 15 footers. I rarely 3 putt from any length though.

[MtlJeff]

mackepa, on 23 February 2013 - 05:15 PM, said:

MtlJeff, on 23 February 2013 - 05:10 PM, said:

i don't make enough 15 foot putts. I shoot a lot of 75's where i have like 4 bogeys or something. It's pretty frustrating. I'm working on putting the past couple of years and i've gotten better, especially from 5-10 feet. But i barely make any midrange putts. I'd guess my birdies per round is extremely low for guys in the 0-2 range

same with me. I have a very good short iron and wedge game but I struggle to make 15 footers. I rarely 3 putt from any length though.

a couple of years ago i had a 72 with 18 GIR's. That's when you want to bury the putter like Jimmy Hoffa

Same with me on 3 putts too. I lag really well and am good from 0-5 feet

i suppose part of the reason i don't make enough is i worry more about lagging then being aggressive

[twoody40]

I'm impressed with all the northern golfers who shoot low.  When and where do they practice.  I suppose there are indoor facilities, but I'm still impressed.

My index ranges from 8 in the summer to 12 in the winter.  Right now it's hanging at 9.6 and it's mostly due to not reaching greens that I should.  Perhaps yoga would help.  I'll give it some consideration.  I lift light weights and do about ten minutes of stretching every morning, but I just cannot get a good shoulder turn.

[mackepa]

MtlJeff, on 23 February 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:

mackepa, on 23 February 2013 - 05:15 PM, said:

MtlJeff, on 23 February 2013 - 05:10 PM, said:

i don't make enough 15 foot putts. I shoot a lot of 75's where i have like 4 bogeys or something. It's pretty frustrating. I'm working on putting the past couple of years and i've gotten better, especially from 5-10 feet. But i barely make any midrange putts. I'd guess my birdies per round is extremely low for guys in the 0-2 range

same with me. I have a very good short iron and wedge game but I struggle to make 15 footers. I rarely 3 putt from any length though.

a couple of years ago i had a 72 with 18 GIR's. That's when you want to bury the putter like Jimmy Hoffa

Same with me on 3 putts too. I lag really well and am good from 0-5 feet

i suppose part of the reason i don't make enough is i worry more about lagging then being aggressive

I played in a monday Nationwide qualifier a few years ago and hit 17 GIR and was +1. I missed the green on 18 and holed the bunker shot for birdie to shoot even. I feel your pain.

[MtlJeff]

twoody40, on 23 February 2013 - 05:19 PM, said:

I'm impressed with all the northern golfers who shoot low.  When and where do they practice.  I suppose there are indoor facilities, but I'm still impressed.

My index ranges from 8 in the summer to 12 in the winter.  Right now it's hanging at 9.6 and it's mostly due to not reaching greens that I should.  Perhaps yoga would help.  I'll give it some consideration.  I lift light weights and do about ten minutes of stretching every morning, but I just cannot get a good shoulder turn.

we have a golf dome close to where i live. It's actually quite easy to keep your iron game in good shape if you are willing to work on it in the dome. Short game is a lot tougher. Generally in April-May i spend a lot of time on the practice green chipping and putting. But even a scratch player is going to shoot 80-85 early in the year because the short game is brutal early on, unless you go to Florida for 2 months

[twoody40]

That's what they tell me.  After a lay off,  the first thing to go is the short game.  I play during the week and spend Sunday mornings with a bucket of balls and then about 30 minutes on the chipping green.

Something that I've worked on during the past year is my tendency to de-accelerate when making short pitches.  Now if I could only get on the green in two, my index would probably drop two strokes.

I hit a regular graphite shaft and am thinking about a senior shaft, just to add a little distance to my mid iron shots.

Putting is really my forte, I rarely three putt.  Off the tee, I'm not long, but I'm never in trouble.  I feel like I'm close to getting my game in good shape but so far it has eluded me.

[butch33611]

I built this just to keep my swing intact over the winter and give myself something to do Minnesota winters can get long and cold. Id say the flaw in my game is consistant ball contact. It makes the shot distances very difficult when approaching a green.

Attached Files

•  OPTI1.jpg   118.34K   2 downloads

[seminolesfan56]

Myherobobhope, on 23 February 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

Have you considered yoga? I'm younger, but it helped my distance significantly.

Do you have a yoga video? Or go to a class? I'm interested but don't know where to get some good yoga instruction.

[lumberman2462]

I don't care if it's putting, proximity to the hole, reaching par 5s in two.....as you age - you make less birdies.  Birdies cover up mistakes.   I have no idea how many birdies I averaged per round between the ages of  18-30 - but now I'm lucky if I make three...and normally it's less. Yeah, I can still get it around in a respectable score - but no chance to ever go low.  

'Tis the downside of age.

[butch33611]

lumberman2462, on 23 February 2013 - 06:37 PM, said:

I don't care if it's putting, proximity to the hole, reaching par 5s in two.....as you age - you make less birdies.  Birdies cover up mistakes.   I have no idea how many birdies I averaged per round between the ages of  18-30 - but now I'm lucky if I make three...and normally it's less. Yeah, I can still get it around in a respectable score - but no chance to ever go low.  

'Tis the downside of age.

+ 1

[SurfDuffer]

I always hit chips and putts too hard.  Kills my score to have 3-putts and bogeys cause I putted it or chipped it too far past the hole.

[360_CS]

Last 10 rounds I have averaged around 30% of fairways with my driver and 3wood. That;'s alright when I play at my home course with hardly any trees but others course I have yet to break 80.

[twoody40]

SurfDuffer, on 23 February 2013 - 07:30 PM, said:

I always hit chips and putts too hard.  Kills my score to have 3-putts and bogeys cause I putted it or chipped it too far past the hole.

Actually, that's not a horrible problem to have.  Amateurs typically come up short.  Unless you're sculling the ball and sending it flying across the green, your difficulties can be corrected with a lesson and some practice.  In your shoes, I'd head to a teaching professional, tell him the problem and let him help you.

[Bogeyman56]

The biggest one would be my wedge game within 30 yrds of green, leaving me long puts.  But I have had 3 of my best rounds of 81 in the last 2 years, and what kept me from shooting in the 70's.  Was that 1 or 2 holes with a double or triple bogey.

Putting is usually good on the 3 courses I play most, but have more 2-3 putts on new or occasional courses I play

Edited by Bogeyman56, 23 February 2013 - 10:06 PM.

[pr123]

Making Birdies. But I started to get birdie percentage up at the end of 2012 so hopefully that can carry into 2013

[cadillacfox]

Driving accuracy...  I hit the ball a long way but I cant control it. Its not a problem on courses with very little OB or trees, but tight courses or courses with alot of lateral hazards give me major problems. I would give up 30-40 yards if I could hit 75% of the fairways.

[SurfDuffer]

twoody40, on 23 February 2013 - 08:02 PM, said:

SurfDuffer, on 23 February 2013 - 07:30 PM, said:

I always hit chips and putts too hard.  Kills my score to have 3-putts and bogeys cause I putted it or chipped it too far past the hole.

Actually, that's not a horrible problem to have.  Amateurs typically come up short.  Unless you're sculling the ball and sending it flying across the green, your difficulties can be corrected with a lesson and some practice.  In your shoes, I'd head to a teaching professional, tell him the problem and let him help you.

That's the difference between me shooting 72 and 80 for the most part.  The majority of my bogeys and the occasional double happen because of what happens either on the green of within 5 yards of the green.

[dxbrobbo]

70-120 yards is my weak spot.

Pretty long and usually accurate off the tee, but I drop so many shots when I should be looking at birdie in this range.

Got my first lesson in 16 years booked in for March and that is all I want him to look at.

[KE60Ping]

I guess everybody has their favorite driver, and mine is my Ping K15 which if I just relax and let it do the work, will allow me to hit my drives straight as can be. However the flaw in my game is me thinking I always have to hit a draw, even when it's not necessary. I admit to overdoing it, and it gets me in trouble because as my round goes on it will turn into more of a high hook. I've promised myself this year to quit using a draw when I don't need it.

[Halebopp]

Last year I decided to work on my chipping and it brought great results. The previous years it was really rare that I would hole out with a chip but last season I really improved to the point I lost track of how many chips I holed.

The flaw I'll be looking forward to correcting this summer will be my still-too-wild iron play. In the summertime I tend to swing too wildly causing thin and fat shots and hooks. In the autumn my swing gets slower and I start playing better even though you play less, need two more clubs to hit the same distance etc.This summer I want to hit those "slow" and easy autumn swings in the summertime. Shorter and slower back swing should give me better control of all my muscles from the core to hands and legs (keeping the club at the correct height), easier timing and finally and hopefully better acceleration through the impact. With these under control the next step would be to really start working on shaping my shots.

[RRFireblade]

Focus and a clear head.

I have a bad habit of letting other thoughts creep into my focus time.

I'm amazed at the guys that can turn it on and off for each shot consistantly for 4 hours.

[kygolfer]

I have been working to improve my up and down percentages from 100 yds and in.  Based on my handicap and what I have read I am above average for sand saves, but below average in those less than full wedge shots.

I am 68 and still play the blue tees.  I found it very helpful to take a weight lifting bar (solid steel) and simply rotate with it across my shoulders as a part of my flexibility routine.  I only do this 3-4 times a week and do not try to push it.  I just allow the weight of the bar to help me stretch.   When I do this I do not allow my hips to turn.  I have taken the approach of more reps is better than trying to push with excessive weight or even excessive pressure to stretch.

[TJCDAS]

My swing.

[Myherobobhope]

seminolesfan56, on 23 February 2013 - 05:51 PM, said:

Myherobobhope, on 23 February 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

Have you considered yoga? I'm younger, but it helped my distance significantly.

Do you have a yoga video? Or go to a class? I'm interested but don't know where to get some good yoga instruction.

I actually haven't done it since moving... I used to go to a studio, and it was awesome. I'm thinking about trying videos in the basement... I really need to regain some flexibility and a stable core makes it much easier to hit consistently.

[gustoteg]

PUTTING!!!! If I could hold everything from 5ft out I'd be scratch in no time... I know it's prob the easiest thing to work on but with ADHD it's the hardest for me, I just don't have the focus to putt for any length of time... I find I have the same problem on the green cant focus enough on the line and my stroke... It's a horrible feeling when you've had twice as many birdies by chipping in then actually putting, sometimes I try to miss greens cause I'm better with a wedge in my hand than with a putter...

[JJK947]

For the last several years my weakness has been my driving.  I can hit it fairly long but not accurate enough.  My FW% was always around 50% but those misses weren't just off the fairway, a lot of the time they were 10-20 yards off target and got me in trouble.  

This year I upped my FW% to 57%, my misses are better and I am also hitting it 15 or so yards further.  The wedge game from 70-120 yards and short irons has always been a strength of mine so driving the ball well let me take advantage of that.  As a result my unofficial handicap has dropped from about 2 to +1.  The last thing I need to fix is my mid to long iron game.  It has taken a dip since I improved my driving and haven't spent as much time practicing those clubs.