I want to play better!

[Old Pro]

Thanks Patch, that is exactly my thinking. Possibly, I could have worded it different. 

Mike

[3jacker]

Maybe older people don't put in the reps to do it, as they are dealing with many other interests or responsibilities. But it's as easy to change something now as it was when I was a kid given the same amount of effort as I would have applied to it then. Actually easier for me now.

Knowing how much time you have to devote should be the deciding factor between changing something versus going with what you got.

Edited April 11, 2019 by 3jacker

[pganapathy]

I know guys who never improved after the age of 15-20 and others who improved after 55.  It is all about how much effort you put into working on your game.  I understand OP's point to be that post 35 very few people put in the time necessary because of other responsibilities, but it cannot be a blanket statement

[billchao]

1 hour ago, Patch said:

In my case, due age, and injuries, I no longer have the distance to save many strokes in that area of my game. I rely more heavily on my short game to save those strokes. That is what I think @Old Golfer is implying. 

But you also have a lifetime's worth of long game skills to rely on. You lost distance, but you're not going out there tipping or chunking every other shot or hitting out from the woods every hole.

You may have reached the limit of your long game potential, but for a lot of 35+ year old players, that's not the case. They shouldn't abandon trying to improve their full swing because of some misguided idea that they won't be able to change it.

A lot of assumptions were made in the OP IMO.

[JxQx]

2 hours ago, krupa said:

It's the age where we all hike our belts up to our neck, get our AARP card, and complain about being too cold in a 78 degree room.

I do hate when those kids walk in my lawn.

[Kevlar10]

If you believe you’ll never get any better, and you’re fine with it, that’s fine.  If you can’t get 10 more yards out of your swing, there’s no reason that you can’t still improve your game.  One thing that is true is that if you keep doing the same thing, nothing will change.  Going to the driving range or the course and hitting balls without any purpose or intent will certainly not help, no matter what your age.  I had a back injury when I was 36.  When I was finally able to get back into golf, I wasn’t able to hit my tee shots 200 yards and I struggled to break 100, but I was happy to play again.  I had to rebuild my swing and I’ve been steadily improving.  I look forward to just hitting the ball and tweaking my swing.  I can now hit almost as long and straighter than I used to in my early thirties.  I think the most important thing that i have gained as I grow older is the ability to slow my thought process down and analyze what I’m doing.  The most important thing is to enjoy golf.  If you suck, but enjoy it, it’s better than being a single digit handicapper and don’t have fun.

[sjduffers]

Given that I started playing the game way after 35, I sure hope that one can improve after that age.

Sure, I muddled with my self-taught catastrophe of a swing for close to 15 years, but then, I saw the errors of my ways, sought instruction, practiced and not only broke 90, but 80 as well and nearly touched 70 a couple of times.

Look, I am 60 and still improving (and driving distance still increasing, or at least not decreasing)! So there...