13 Best Golf Tips For Seniors: Improve Your Golf | December 2023
As a senior golfer, are you worried about your game as you grow older? It is a fact that the human body loses its maximum strength, flexibility, and stamina as we grow older. Our joints, bones, and tendons lose their strength. However, this doesn’t mean that the golden years of your golf career are behind.
We bring the most valuable and best golf tips for senior golfers. We will help you mold and modify your game according to your aging joints. You can adjust according to your body and continue to play impressive golf.
We consulted the top golf players worldwide and have narrowed it down to some tips that will help you maintain and even improve your golf in your golden years of age. So, let’s dive into our guide and make you the best senior golfer!
Importance And Need To Follow The Best Golf Tips For Seniors
When we are young, a strained muscle gets fine on its own. A dislocated joint doesn’t take too long to heal completely. However, many things change in our old age. We cannot afford to be the same amount of careless in our life. We should treat our bodies with a lot of care as we age.
Golfers should also follow this general rule of thumb and try not to hurt themselves or face any injury. we summarized the best golf tips for seniors you can follow and improve your golf.
A wrong senior golf swing can give you a bad back for weeks. Does this mean you have to be scared of playing golf? Does old age mean no more good golf days for you? Absolutely not; you can play golf and continue to excel in your game.
You should play to your strengths and be aware of your weaknesses. Your weaknesses in old age are decreased stamina, strength, and diminished agility. However, you have a lot of experience and practice behind every shot.
13 best golf tips for seniors are given below:
13 Best Golf Tips For Seniors 2022
We have tried our best to make this an ultimate guide for senior golfers. Anyone who enters those golden years in their golfing career can benefit from our comprehensive guide that will help you stay consistent in every department of the game for several upcoming years.
We will discuss the best golf tips for seniors and best golf instructions for older golfers related to your:
- Health/Fitness
- Gear
- Technique
- Mental health and game
- Experience and ego
We suggest our readers go through all the golf swing instructions for seniors and list the suggestions they wish to add to their daily routines.
“Middle age occurs when you are too young to take golf and too old to rush up to the net.”
Franklin P Adams
All the hall of Famers in golf, including the two times Masters champion, Bernhard Langer, also emphasize the importance of welcoming change in your play style as you grow older.
“As we get older, we lose both strength and flexibility. Every year we lose a percentage or two. It’s never too late or too early to get started on a lifestyle regime, and once you do, you’ll enjoy the benefits for years.”
Let’s go over our cherry-picked best golf tips for seniors in 2022.
1. Taking Care Of Your Body
We are starting off our list of best golf tips and instructions for seniors with this very general and vast topic. Of course, everyone knows that we should take care of our bodies. Especially in old age, every golfer must take care of their body; we will discuss some specific tips in the next section.
Taking care of your body includes a healthier diet and exercise. It also means that you should understand your body’s limits and avoid pushing yourself into any extraneous activity.
Are you thinking, what if it’s too late to change your careless lifestyle now? Believe us; it is never too late to start making healthier life choices. If you start making the right choices today, your body will thank you tomorrow.
It is important to understand that you do not want to push your body too much, even if it is exercise or a morning walk. Make sure to get proper rest and sleep, as it is essential for good health.
2. Stretch Daily
The elderly should make stretching a part of their routine. Stretching your body has a lot of benefits. Health research shows that people who stretch regularly are more active, and their joints stay fit for longer.
There is no specific age to start stretching. However, older people should take stretching more seriously. It might seem not easy to do, but as you make it a habit, it will become easier.
Stretching has numerous advantages; it can;
- Help relieve muscle aches and pain
- Smoothen the joints and help in movement
- Relieve the locked-up areas
- Increase flexibility
Considering these advantages of stretching, we urge all senior golfers to stretch at least once every two to three days and eventually make it a daily habit. You should follow some easy stretching guides on YouTube.
A few things you shouldn’t do when stretching as an old-timer is to avoid any difficult or intense positions. There is no shame in starting easy and slow. If you try to do an intense stretch, you can end up hurting yourself. Remember, little is more, and consistency is the key.
3. Go For A Morning Walk
Many people pick up the habit of jogging or walking in the late years of their lives. We can confirm that it is a very healthy activity, and older golfers should also consider it.
A morning walk not only symbolizes and ensures a healthy lifestyle but also signifies a healthier routine. If you start your day with a morning walk, you can stay positive throughout the day.
There is something about getting up early and feeling the cool morning breeze on your face as you stroll among the fresh grass in a park. It will uplift your spirits and keep you motivated for the day.
There is no need to walk longer distances or try to jog if it is hard. Go easy on your knees; even a five-minute walk means a lot. Walking is also good for maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Almost every doctor will advise you to pick up a morning walk habit.
Walking will also help you on the golf course where you sometimes have to walk long distances. We will also share some best golf tips for seniors later in this article.
4. Focus On Core Strength
One of the best golf tips for seniors is to focus on core strengths. many golfers, particularly senior golfers, look over is core strengths to improve their stamina and golf. Core strength is important for golfers because your body’s core drives every swing.
You may ask, is it possible to increase core strength in old age? The answer is surprisingly a Yes. As one can imagine, you will not be able to achieve a young man’s strength.
However, you can increase your core strength by a large margin. Some easy ways to increase core strength are doing a plank and crunches. Remember, you don’t have to go too hard on yourself. As much as your body allows you to work out comfortably, it is fine!
You will notice the impact of better core strength in your golf game and daily life.
5. Warm-Up
Warm is very important before any physical activity. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old. You should warm up your body and muscles before you do a tiring physical activity. Warming up increases blood flow and body temperature and prepares your body for the upcoming task.
If you don’t do a proper warm-up routine, the odds are pretty high that you might get muscle strains or cramps.
Warming up is simple and easy; a few stretches, lunges, and jogging for a few minutes are perfect for getting your body in the optimal state. After a warm-up, you will feel that your body is ready to handle any task you throw at it.
Senior golfers must always do a little warm-up before going out on the field.
6. Little Is More
Another best golf tip for seniors is probably the most important and easy-to-follow step for older golfers. Please do not push yourself and your body over its limits. As a senior golfer, doing less means doing more for your golf career and health.
You shouldn’t practice for hours for a game. You should take time out for your body to unwind and relax. Your muscles and bones get weak at an older age, and they will not be able to handle the pressure of extraneous golfing.
Go easy on your body and give it more time to rest than you spend on the golf course.
7. Sleep Is Necessary
A good sleep schedule is a necessity in old age. All senior golfers should make a healthy sleep routine and stick to it, no matter what. Sleeping helps the regeneration of many cells in the body. The bed is the best place for your body to self-heal.
Sleeping also helps with a consistent mood and coherent mind. Both of these things are a must for a good golfer. You don’t want yourself to feel dizzy or sleepless and miss your shots.
You will find yourself more confident when you are sleeping properly.
8. Moving Around The Golf Course
The 8th among the best golf tips for seniors on our list emphasized the importance of walking. However, walking and walking too much are too different things.
For several reasons, walking on a golf course is different from walking on a straight jogging track or a treadmill. Another best golf tip for seniors is:
- You can calculate and measure your walking distance on a track
- The track is straight and a plain path for walking
- You get to decide the time of day you go for a walk on a track
These things change when you play golf and have to walk around a huge golf course. A senior golfer will struggle to walk under the sun in hot conditions over the steep areas on a golf course.
For these reasons, we recommend our experienced pros use a golf cart. Almost every golf course offers electric trolleys and golf carts to move around the field. You should opt for one; your knees will thank you for it.
9. Choose The Right Gear
The choice of gear largely impacts your golf game. Hence, you should take your time browsing for the right golf clubs and try them out to see if they suit you.
There is no such thing as the ultimate go-to golf club for senior golfers. That is why it is important that you take your time to find the clubs that sit right with your play style.
Here are some general tips for senior golfers to select the right clubs:
- Fit a senior shaft. You can find these in different sizes. As you grow older, your swing speed is going to decrease. These senior shafts will help you get significant distance back into your shots.
- Start using a hybrid alternative and stop using your long irons.
- You should put a range of wedges in your bag.
Another thing that will help senior golfers is choosing a putter of the right length. Old golfers observe a noticeable amount of change in their play style. Your eyes should be placed over the ball to attain a perfect set-up.
You can achieve this with a change in your putter length. You will notice an improvement in your alignment after a putter change. Older golfers will also be able to move their arms freely and get better pace control over their strokes after making this small change in their golf clubs.
10. Select The Right Golf Ball
Senior golfers should give thought to finding the right golf ball for themselves. You might be using the balls that professional golfers use. We understand that marketing and advertisements make those golf balls look irresistible. However, you are mistakenly using pro balls as an average senior golfer.
We recommend our readers switch to a low compression ball with a rating of 70-80. This small change will make a huge difference in your game. Your distance will improve immensely, and it will also suit your slow swing speeds. You may check How to choose the right golf ball
11. Find The Right Grip Size
Several people after the age of 50 face arthritis. Arthritis is a condition where a person experiences sore joints. It is very unpleasant, and there is no direct treatment to cure it.
Older golfers who face arthritis should try to change their grip size.
Small grip sizes are ideal for most golfers. However, a senior golfer with arthritis will struggle to hold and play with it. We suggest golfers use midsize or jumbo golf grips.
The larger grip sizes are much easier to hold and better for your arthritis.
You will notice less strain on your wrists as you don’t have to close your fingers tightly.
In cold weather, you should wear gloves with insulation. Try keeping your hands warm to avoid arthritis pain and discomfort.
12. Perfecting The Basics
You can never practice your golf fundamentals too much. Senior golfers are advised to keep practicing and perfecting their fundamentals. Aging might impact the way you engage in every shot. Grinding the fundamentals is necessary if you want to keep your consistency.
Keep in mind the following are the best golf tips for seniors, you should always try to work on these :
- Grip
- Stance
- Posture Swing
- Alignment Swing
- Swing
These fundamental things will keep a senior golfer in the game.
Another thing you should do is practice your turn. A good turn comes from better core strength, as we discussed core strength in 4th of our best golf tips for seniors. You can try yoga and stretches to maintain your core strength. these are some best golf tips for seniors.
A small trick to get a better turn is to turn your left foot a little bit. This helps you release your body and turn swiftly.
13. Keep Up The Mental And Morale
If you have watched the recent professional games, you must have noticed the importance of the mental game. Golf is more than what it might seem to a spectator. It challenges a player’s mental capacity.
Senior golfers shouldn’t try the game and failures to get to their heads. You should try not to overthink whatever happens on the golf course. If you had a bad day and you missed the easiest pots, don’t try to let it dishearten you.
Keep an open mind whenever you approach the game as if it’s your first day back after a long day. Try to visualize the shots, take your time, and sink in every shot you make.
Always try to focus on these best golf tips for seniors and enjoy your game.
Conclusion
You should be proud that you have entered the senior years of your golf career. It is time to make some changes in your life and playstyle. These changes will ensure that you live a healthier life as a golfer. You shouldn’t force your body and push too hard as a senior golfer.
Try to follow our ultimate guide with the best golf tips for seniors, and your body will thank you for it. We have mentioned the best techniques to ensure you can continue playing golf in the upcoming years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about golf seniors;