Aging and Golf Skill

[switchhittingsteve]

Ever since Cink's win, I've taken a look at various golf skills by age.  Interesting takeaways.  Driving and putting seem to be most correlated.  Approach shots peak mid career - not sure why.  Maybe strategy and course management matures with age?  Around the green peaks latest, maybe out of necessity?  Various players have bucked this trend.  Cink driving improved with age.  Interesting to hear thoughts on this:

[Billy Z]

To bad the graphs don't include aging up to 70 yo. , then it would include the likes of me. 

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Approach shots peak mid career - not sure why.  Maybe strategy and course management matures with age?

I also think strategy and CM matures with age.

[Club Rat]

Not sure if these stats reflect the fact that there are more players in their 20 - 30's versus over 40 on tour?

[saevel25]

8 hours ago, Billy Z said:

To bad the graphs don't include aging up to 70 yo. , then it would include the likes of me. 

I also think strategy and CM matures with age.

This is PGA players during a 10 year window. Which good golfers just happened to turn that age range? Could just be coincidental. 

[Zippo]

Personally, I'd like to see the data behind the graphs. I'll have to do some research and see if I can find some but, generally speaking, the shown results don't surprise me much.

[switchhittingsteve]

On 4/28/2021 at 3:26 PM, Club Rat said:

Not sure if these stats reflect the fact that there are more players in their 20 - 30's versus over 40 on tour?

There are more 20 - 30 year old players on tour yes, but these stats are simply showing what the skill level is of each individual year of age.  For example, the strokes gained off tee is the average of all 20 year olds, then 21 year olds.  On the tails, I agree with your point that the numbers fall off so the data gets a little more choppy, but  it's still all averages of each individual year.   

On 4/28/2021 at 7:39 PM, saevel25 said:

This is PGA players during a 10 year window. Which good golfers just happened to turn that age range? Could just be coincidental. 

Good point and possible.  What I find most interesting is the shape of each graph is different despite being the same players during this time.  For example, clearly driving and putting go to the young players, approach shots to the middle age, and around the green to the "older" guys on tour.  

[NM Golf]

Interesting, the drop off on driving is obviously no surprise because, unfortunately, as you age that ball just doesn't go as far. Those 25 year olds don't have all those aches and pains (ahhh to be 25 again). The big drop off in driving doesn't begin until after 40 though, also not a shock. 

The putting is something I have always wondered about. Why does putting suffer as we get older? I wouldn't think something as simple as the putting stroke would suffer that much with age. Do the nerves wear out? Why do so many older guys end up with claw grips and the like?

This is a little depressing though, as I turn 50 this year and it looks like everything goes in the shitter at 50. I am playing some of the best golf of my life still, my scoring averages have never been lower.

Edited May 3, 2021 by NM Golf

[Billy Z]

Eyesight is a big factor as well, which affects hand eye coordination.

[DrvFrShow]

Arthritis. Back pain. Not to pick a scab, but those long putters with the anchored stroke were a boon for older (and I mean 60+ yr old) golfers - bending over to practice putting with a 33" - 35" putter is no fun if you have lower back pain. I see the SG at 50 in the chart on the downslope. Less time on the practice green means more 3 putts. I think less time on the practice green makes the stroke less solid so grip changes happen to compensate. That 48" putter may come out again this year and we'll work around the rule. I can putt all day with that thing. 

At least in my case my short irons and wedges became harder to practice with and my short game suffered. Enter the One Length irons and wedges. At 5'11" they're standard 5 iron length. Win. 

Arthritis in the knees make the driving and approach play suffer in the 50+ yr old golfer as we still try to swing the club like we did when we were young. It's frustrating.

[Billy Z]

28 minutes ago, DrvFrShow said:

Arthritis. Back pain. Not to pick a scab, but those long putters with the anchored stroke were a boon for older (and I mean 60+ yr old) golfers - bending over to practice putting with a 33" - 35" putter is no fun if you have lower back pain. I see the SG at 50 in the chart on the downslope. Less time on the practice green means more 3 putts. I think less time on the practice green makes the stroke less solid so grip changes happen to compensate. That 48" putter may come out again this year and we'll work around the rule. I can putt all day with that thing. 

At least in my case my short irons and wedges became harder to practice with and my short game suffered. Enter the One Length irons and wedges. At 5'11" they're standard 5 iron length. Win. 

Arthritis in the knees make the driving and approach play suffer in the 50+ yr old golfer as we still try to swing the club like we did when we were young. It's frustrating.

I never thought arthritis was that big of a deal until I got it.