How much distance do you lose with age?

[MSDOGS1976]

Originally Posted by dbuck

I am 53 and hitting it farther than ever(for me) and probably thanks to UST Mamiya and the Bridgestone B330-RX.

56 here and with different equipment, but same results for me. Equipment improvements have helped me a ton. Plus if your old, just play on hot dry days. I'm hitting my driver 10-20 yards further on these 98 degree days.

[ND Fan]

my distance over the years....

20's   330

30's   320

40's   290 when i really hit it.

Keep in mind I was always very long. In my twenties I join the Yonex long drive team for a very short stint of one event.  It was such a circus I returned my check and got away from it.  The money wasn't worth losing my amateur status back then.

My highest swing speed  was recorded in my late teens at 142MPH  I haven't been checked much since then but was i was recorded at 123 mph a few weeks ago.  I still have some of it and I am not complaining but I have seen a significant drop in the past two years. I have lost 20 yards in the past 2 years at this rate I'll be hitting driver from 140 par 3 by the time I am 50!!

of course my irons have dropped about one full club in the past 20 years as well.

3 irons used to be good from 235  now I am lucky if I hit it 220, in fact from that distance I would honestly hit a really smooth 1 hybrid.

I had a real rude awakening when I played a course a few weeks ago that I haven't played in 15 years.  I used to play there all the time, enough to be able to remember what I would typically hit on various holes.  Sure enough I was sad to realize those club selections from 15 years ago were for someone else.  185 yard 7 irons are no longer in my arsenal, I am lucky if I hit a 6 iron a solid 180.

Losing distance sucks, I know many that read this won't feel too sorry for me and that's fine.  I am not looking for sympathy.  I am just hoping I can keep what I have a bit longer and not see a 20 yard drop every couple years.  May be time to start working out and keeping some flexibility.

BTW age does cause some distance loss, My father who was as long as I was many years ago is in remarkable shape at 71 but hitting his driver 240 any more is a good poke for him.  I hope I can be as fortunate hit it 240 when I am 71.

[Patrick Gilmore]

Amount lost is of course variable, based on genetics, injury, and fitness level.  I was never long so my lost distance is probably not as great, maybe the same percentage? as long hitters.  At age 35 I averaged 235. max 260, at 55 I average 215, max 235.  I am about 1 1/2 clubs shorter on longer irons about 1 club on short irons.  Without the advances in shafts and stronger lofts I suspect the drop would be more. I often play with some even older guys and there is a definite connection between their general health and how much distance they retain.

[Gioguy21]

Lets see:
I'm 25 and hit it on average 285-290.
My dad is 56 and hits it on average 235-240.
My grandfather is 82 and hits it on average 215-220.

i have no basis or idea on loss b/c my friends dad is the sameage as my dad, and still outdrives me. lol (he's a freak, swing mechanics somewhere between furyk and two-gloves-gainey) and my grandfather in his hay-day couldn't hit it past 250...but with persimmons and balatas.


**shoulder shrug** i'dunno bossa, i dunno

[walk18]

How much distance do you lose with age?

Wondering what you think of this.

How far does a 20-30-40-50-60 year old hit a driver?

We're all getting older.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Not me, I'm getting younger. :)

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Artimas

How much distance do you lose with age?

Wondering what you think of this.

How far does a 20-30-40-50-60 year old hit a driver?

We're all getting older.

Thanks for your thoughts.

There is no rule which can be universally applied.  It depends on how hard you swing when you are younger, how good your timing is in the impact area, how your fitness is as you age, how your health is as you age.  I've lost about 5 mph from where I swung in my prime, but I was never a hard swinger.  I'm still about at 90 mph at age 64.  I can crank it up to over 100 once or twice a round, but I only do it when the reward is greater than the risk.  Right now I'm dealing with a significant issue with my right knee - haven't played in  a month - and I don't know exactly what's going to happen when I try to swing a club tomorrow.

[wmiller]

Wasn't going to use real numbers, as this causes all kinds of grief on that 'other' board, but hey, not all us old guys are short hitters!

As an intro, I'm 56, some would consider me tall @ 6'3", and most would consider me fat @ 250 with a 40" waist. And long arms @ almost 36" sleeve length on my dress shirts.

Having said that, I recently (few months ago) hit over 100 balls in an hour on a launch monitor to determine my average SS when I'm tired (say walking, on the back nine, and it's over 100). Average of the first 20 was over 115. A few were over 120. Average of all was just under 110.

I still put it out there about 280 avg., and can sometimes reach a few of our local short par 4s that are under 330. Sunday was over 100, and I was about 20' short of the front on 17, a 326 yd par 4, but still a whole lot further than the two 30 somethings and the one 60 something playing with me.

The 'older' gentleman with us was watching my drive disappear over the waste area, and said something like "anything that stays in the air that long should require a flight plan" or some such. We were all laughing too hard for me to remember it exactly.

5 iron still goes over 200. Not MUCH over 200, but hey, I qualify for senior discounts, and am a AARP member (thanks to my wife)

Regarding the SS loss: I was generalizing in my first post, because honestly, I don't remember for sure. When the very first steel headed driver came out (Taylor Made?) A local pro built a driver for me to enter some of the local long drive contests in SoCal. Took me to some place up in L.A. that was able to measure SS, and I want to say I was somewhere in the 125-127 average range with a 45" (long shaft in those days) XX shaft. Like I said, I don't remember exactly, but we got tired of replacing the heads: I kept caving them in. Used to destroy persimmons too. Expensive hobby back then.

So, I have lost a significant amount of SS, but I've always been a little longer than average. To be honest, I'm a better player now, with the reduced SS/distance than I was back then. Yea, I could hit it into the next zip code, problem was, we didn't know WHICH zip code. My Grandpa said I was the only golfer he'd ever seen that could hit a golf ball 150 yds. in two different directions with one shot. He would be grinning like a kid at Christmas with today's technology!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by wmiller

So, I have lost a significant amount of SS, but I've always been a little longer than average. To be honest, I'm a better player now, with the reduced SS/distance than I was back then.

Yep that's what I thought when this thread was started, in my first golf life (25-30 yrs ago) I never got below hc. 14 and could hit my drives well over 300 yds ...... after a restart last year, my average drives are about 250-260 (only) but my index went down to a 5 !

[lumpuckeroo]

I lost distance and mine came on over night.  At 50 I was just as long and the guys in my regular group, now at 53 a big difference.  The end of last year I noticed a distance loss, but this year it was huge.  My brother and I have always hit our clubs spot on the same distance, now he will out drive me by 60 and sometime 80 yards and he is easily 2 clubs longer on his irons.  Two years ago a 7i was 150, now 5i, I can still hit the driver close to were the rest of the group is but not irons.

[Gioguy21]

i lose distance off the tee everytime i logoff here and play real golf.

[NBGolfer]

I turned 33 this year, and I hit about 20 yards further and use a club less this year compared to 2 years ago.  My fitness and flexability level have increased since then and I figure that has helped more then age will hurt.

[x129]

You shouldn't expect much of a drop off until the 40s.  For all the players who have lost distance with age, how many of you doing things like regular weight lifting and stretching to try and maintain your physical ability?  There have been a lot of studies suggesting that you can slow down aging loss of strength and power significantly with training. However most of the studies deal with people that are pretty unfit to start with.

Originally Posted by NBGolfer

I turned 33 this year, and I hit about 20 yards further and use a club less this year compared to 2 years ago.  My fitness and flexability level have increased since then and I figure that has helped more then age will hurt.

[SoCal Blade]

I lost a little off the tee at 50yrs old, maybe 5 - 10 yards on the avg, but made up for it with iron accuracy and distance. I 3 putt maybe twice per round now, THAT PUTTING ALONE has made the biggest difference in my scores.

Big drives dont normally lower scores, although the chics dig them !

[NM Golf]

Originally Posted by HAVOC

when i was 20 somthing i had my SS check and it was a whooping 96

46 today SS 130 on the high end 118 normal

Really!? 130 huh? Phil, Tiger, and Dustin Johnson are all jealous.

Originally Posted by johnny2balls

Bottom line, age has nothing to do with distance.  That's why Fred Couples can outdrive Joe Ogilvie all day long.  More to it like swings and the correct equipment especially shafts.

Age most certainly has an affect on distance. I see it with my own father who is a workout fanatic, the guy is in way better shape than I am but as he grows older he continues to lose distance. The big drop off doesn't start until around 55-60. at 60 its really down hill according to him. He is still long for his age at 70 but 10 years ago he was 30 yards behind me now he's 60-70.

Originally Posted by Gioguy21

i lose distance off the tee everytime i logoff here and play real golf.

LMAO So true. Its amazing how many people on here hit the ball 300 yards yet how few of them actually do it on the course. People need to realize its how many NOT how far. And this is from a person who actually CAN hit the ball 300+ yards.

[Gioguy21]

Quote:

LMAO So true. Its amazing how many people on here hit the ball 300 yards yet how few of them actually do it on the course. People need to realize its how many NOT how far. And this is from a person who actually CAN hit the ball 300+ yards.

*in an officer's voice* S'cuse me sir...i'ma need to see some proof.


lol...i CAN hit it that far...doesn't mean its my average...and i certainly don't have a 186mph swing speed. besides, at that fast doesn't the ball compress to the size of a pea?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by NM Golf

And this is from a person who actually CAN hit the ball 300+ yards.

So you can do it (not proven as far as I know) but the guy above can't. Says who? You?

[caniac6]

I played the same irons ( Ping Eye 2 ) from 1986 until last year. I am 56 years old, and picked up at least 1 club in distance in that time. That being said, I think improvements in golf balls is at least equal to improvements in equipment.

[allin]

I played the same irons ( Ping Eye 2 ) from 1986 until last year. I am 56 years old, and picked up at least 1 club in distance in that time. That being said, I think improvements in golf balls is at least equal to improvements in equipment.

I actually think this is what disguises how much middle aged guys like me, especially if you picked up golf as an adult, age 33 like me have lost. Longer ligher shafts, bigger heads, multi piece balls. I added distance after age 50 for a bit as I began to play and practice more and improved my fitness a bit. Now as my various joint and back issues worsen I am going the other way. My guess for someone who plays from childhood, mayber 5 percent from 30-50, another 5 percent by 60 and maybe 10 percent more by 70. I have no real good way to support this but if you look at senior greats, like Nicklaus I have to believe he would be one of the 300 + plus guys if he was in his prime now, he was quoted as saying he carries it 250 if he gets all of it now, averages more like 235-240. He is in his early 70's. Health and rate of aging seems more variable after age 50 so really the only certainly is their will be loss. Guys like Sam Snead who stayed flexible and long past age 70 are the exception.