For The Old Guys...

[Osnola]

Just curious to see how aging as a golfer has changed your game and what changes you have had to make in your equipment.

Just a few for me:

Swing speed at one time was in the 105-110 range. Now it is in the 85 mph range.

Shorter driver shaft, lighter shaft, and not near as stiff.  Iron shafts changed from S to R.

Distance with iron changed.  Used to hit 8i as my 150 yd club.  Now I hit a 6i and only occasionally hit my 7i for that distance.

[Dave2512]

Getting older at near 50 and all in all how fit I am at any given time is the story. I could stand to drop a few but I've been enjoying the long days with good food and drink. My game isn't where it should be but until I get the practice bug I am okay using the gear I have and hoping for the best. But I doubt I've lost speed as much as developing technical flaws.

[WUTiger]

In the mid-1970s to late 1990s, I tried to emulate a Jack Nicklaus type swing: Reach up high, and hit down hard on the ball for iron shots. In years I could play a lot it worked OK, in low-play years not really. It was hard to keep "in tune."

About 2000 I started working on a more compact, tempo swing, but had trouble with overswinging. Then, had bypass heart surgery in 2005.

In aftermath, it was time to switch from S300 Dynalite Golds (heavy, high launch cousins of Dynamic Gold) and early 90-gram graphite shafts to something lighter in R-flex. I was losing yardage and "fighting the shafts," as the pros told me.

I also started to work more on mature conditioning. Have had a couple of moderately serious injuries that hobbled certain seasons - most recently, a roll sprain of the R ankle in 2014 which has healed OK but ankle still a bit weak.

Basically, my current fitting recipe for clubs (multiple fitters fairly consistent in advice): Irons = GI heads with lighter R-flex steel shafts, circa 100 grams in weigh. Drivers = Pro or Tour heads with R-flex, lower torque shaft / BUT standard non-tour FW heads (I don't get enough height with Pro FW heads). (Driver and FW shafts usually a tad over 60 grams in weight; I overswing badly with 45 grams.) Hybrids: square face (non-draw heads), and 70 grams or so in weight.

My swing: make sure balance is right - lots of seniors are starting to do balance training as part of general conditioning; balance lessens with age. On takeaway, rotate back to ear level - where natural shoulder turn stops - and lead through with upper L torso turn. With 3/4 backswing, I get best power transfer and best launch numbers.

• PW = 105 yds.
• 7i = 140 yds.
• Driver carry = 205 - 225 yds. (I know, it's inconsistent) + fairly good runout.

Note: Some recent sub-60 gram driver/wood shafts seem to have pretty good balance, almost a counterbalance feel. If I could get good tempo with them... maybe a change.

[Club Rat]

13 hours ago, Osnola said:

Just curious to see how aging as a golfer has changed your game and what changes you have had to make in your equipment.

I golf with an "Over the Hill"  60 an older group on Tuesday's at my club and in general the majority are high handicappers who have been high handicappers for many years. There are a few who play who have retained a good game that generally still score in the 70's and can still play at any length course they choose.

I'll see a high handicapper once in a while buy a new driver with a senior flex and they may comment they have better control or may feel they hit it better.
But, their game will not change nor will their scores be any lower or improve.

As I age, I try to retain flexibility, work on proper posture and swing mechanic's and let the clubs do what they are designed to do.

Granted, I've lost distance a tad, but still often hit decent drives and fairway woods and my iron play is still good enough to play at any length course.

[bkuehn1952]

14 hours ago, Osnola said:

Just curious to see how aging as a golfer has changed your game and what changes you have had to make in your equipment...

The 3-iron and 4-iron have been replaced by a hybrid and extra wedge.  I don't have a good feel for whether I have lost any distance since my GPS is only 3 years old.  Still, I think I have lost about a club in distance over the past 10 years. 

Technology has been good to me and others of my age group.  Ball technology, large headed drivers, game improvement irons, etc... have all served to make the game less difficult.  

 

[NJpatbee]

I am 64 and have replaced my 2 thru 6 irons with hybrids with Regular flex graphite shafts which has kept my distances about the same as 10-15 years ago.  The 460cc Ping Driver and ball technology have me longer off the tee than when I started at age 40 with persimmon hand me downs.  I have made par on every hole on my home course from the white (middle) tees which I have always played from.  Of course as a bogey golfer I typically make only 3-4 pars per round and a couple of doubles or worse, but it is not because of distance. 

[disco111]

Well at 72+, like many I've gone to light weight graphite "R" shafts in the irons, a 13 degree TM Burner driver with a senior shaft. I also play a 3 wood with an "L" shaft (at most, only use it for 3 holes - par 5 second shot), but find I hit it fairly well when I don't attempt to kill it. Also play lower compression balls (mostly Wilson's), but the biggest thing, at least IMO, is attitude. Even though I play against the flat belly crowd, I realize that I can't match their distance, even from the white tee's, so I just play my game and try to position myself better for the second shot. I also play a lot of bump and runs and will not hesitate to use the putter from the fringe or even from 10 yards out, if it's a tight lie. All in all, I play a more dictated game with better results than when I was younger and played "bash ball"........... 

[MrFlipper]

I'm 59 and other than some minor swing changes for a bad back 15 years ago I don't see much difference. Maybe a half club less in general. 

Only clubs in my bag from this century are a sldr driver and 4 wood. The technology gains for the distance clubs are too hard to pass up. Irons from early 90's, a couple of 200 series vokeys from mid 90's, a Mr Flipper wedge that's older than me, a cushin4 from high school times. That's about it. 

I figure as long as I keep a reasonable fitness level and keep the weight off (I walk and carry, no stand) I'm good to go at least until I'm 70 or so. My knees bark if I gain weight so that is a bonus. I want to keep walking as long as I can, it's how I learned the game and something that is important to me.

Big health issues are the killer, avoid those and we should be good to go. (knock on wood)

[No Mulligans]

Is 58 an older golfer?  Older than many no doubt.

As an older high-handicapper that took up golf seriously after some health issues, I'm still improving.

I've worked on over-speed swing training and have gained some distance.  I'm hitting further now than I ever have.  It also didn't hurt that I recently picked up a Callaway XR 16 driver (10.5 loft, regular flex shaft).

Flexibility is an issue and I spend about 20 minutes every morning stretching.  I also do a Joey D golf exercise routine 2 times a week and I lift light weights 2 times a week.  And to top it off, between walking the dogs twice a day and mostly walking when playing golf, I get in about 25 miles of extra walking per week.

[70sSanO]

I was never a long hitter.  When I was in my 50's I went from steel to graphite R.  I'm 64 and about 1-1/2 years ago I messed up my shoulder, not golfing, and recently went to a graphite senior flex.  Even with a shorter backswing, and a slower swing speed, (I'm guessing since swing data didn't exist back then), the technology has me close to the distance I had in the 1970's.

I have also tried to really simplify my swing and I have found that I need to hinge early since I don't have a top in the backswing anymore.

As for equipment I have also gone to SGI clubs.  Wilson Ci7's to Callaway XR OS irons.  Ping G10 Driver to Cobra Fly-Z XL and woods.  I have dropped the 3w, 5w and 4i and I am now hitting just a 5w and 7w.  I am on the fence between a 5i and 5h.

So far things have been going well and I am enjoying the game a whole bunch more.  You get to an age where you don't give a ... and just play the game.

John

Edited June 29, 2016 by 70sSanO

[chilepepper]

58 here. Playing gi irons with reg shafts.  My distances are almost the same. My accuracy is better. My course management is much better........like, depending on the hole I may be better off not hitting driver at times or it may be wiser to not hit 3w as a second on all par 5's.I stopped trying to self diagnose, I use a pro from time to time. At some point distance will suffer, but I'm not terribly concerned, I regularly play with guys late 60's to in the 80's, they might not be long but they do a fair job making up for it by being deadly straight.

[Patch]

Closing in on 65 myself. Everything is shorter by about 15-20%. Most of that loss is because of an injury. I am still playing the  same clubs I up graded to 10-12 years ago. I do have them checked out every couple of years to make sure they still fit my swing. They get new grips every year. I am not a believer that the new stuff is better than the old stuff. 

I do carry a 7w, which is my "go to"  club as the need arises. Use to carry 4 wedges, but now I am down to two. I also switched to Bridgestone balls a few years ago. Those or Volviks when I can find them. 

I have become more dependent on my short game over the past 10+ years. 50-60 yards pitches, and one putts for par are not unheard of for me. 

Playing golf is the same for every age group. All that changes is club distance. There is also something to be said about old age and treachery over comming youth an skill. In the end all we have are ourselves and our efforts we apply to play this game well. 

[RH31]

I'm 56, swing speed used to be around 100 with the driver and now it's in the low 90's. I went to regular shafts and Gmax(Ping) irons this year. They are definitely easier for me to hit. My yardages are about the same for the shorter irons. I lose about 5 yards in the 5-7 iron range compared to my best years(mid 30's).

The driver is where I really struggle. I used to carry it out there about 250 or so and now I struggle to get it 220-230 in the air. I went to a reg shafted driver this year and while it's easier to swing, now I'm struggling with both accuracy and distance.

I switched to a Ping insert putter, from the old anser, and that helps. My putter carries me, if I couldn't putt I couldn't play.

[David in FL]

58 here.  I've probably lost a few yards over the last year or so, but really not a lot.  I'm still playing and competing from the same tees as my younger buddies. A little more attention to fitness and maintaining strength and flexibility would likely help...

The main key for me is that it's now absolutely mandatory to hit a few balls before a round to loosen things up.  A jug of Alleve in the bag doesn't hurt either.

[phan52]

63. I was part of a group this winter lobbying to have another set of tees to accommodate, not just older guys, but tees at a distance that would make it more fun. Since we built some tees in the last fifteen years to extend the tips closer to 7,000 yards, the regular men's tees have bee creeping back, pretty much to where the tips used to be. Our 6300 yard men's tees went to close to 6600. We now have a set of tees in the 6200 range and I have begun to play it forward. Much more fun and still challenging.

As far as the swing is concerned, the technology has kept my distance at about the same range it has always been as I got older but I really noticed a difference last season. I got fit over the winter and I have regained some of my distance with all my clubs but I don't know how long I can hold it off. I have light steel shafts on my irons but I think that graphite will soon be in the offing.

 

Edited June 30, 2016 by phan52

[caniac6]

Almost 62. I carry hybrids to replace my 3&4 irons,and I use a push cart rather than carry. I ride a bit more often when it is hot. Still play blue tees (6700), and hit it as long as I ever have. My 88 year old father still plays, so I have been blessed with good genes and flexibility.

[shanksalot]

 Turned 74 on the 19th of this month. Never had a high swing speed probably high 90's at my peak. Right now more than likely mid 80's if I am lucky. I have gone from still shafts to regular in my driver, fairway and irons. My hybrids are senior flex. I have graphite in all my clubs except my wedges and of course the putter. My biggest problem is a loss of concentration when I am playing 4 1/2-5 hour rounds. It is extremely hard to focus after waiting on every shot during the round. On really hot days I have a hard time playing 18 holes I get just tuckered out from the heat and waiting all the time to just play a shot. The quality of my game has also eroded a little more each year. 20 years ago I was a 5-8 handicap, ten years ago I was a 8-10 and the last few years I no longer keep a handicap and I am lucky to shoot in the mid 80's any more. I get frustrated too easily as I expect a better showing from my self, ego I guess. I play with my wife, who was a better golfer than I ever was and a fellow a half dozen years younger than we are. We all played to a single digit handicap at one time, but now we just play the game and try to do our best even though our best is no longer very good. We still love this game and although I get upset with my results often and claim I am going to quit I love golf too much to ever quit it for good. Each time I go out I always am thinking today I am going to play well again at least for a round or two. The result is usually the same old stuff, but it does not stop me from thinking next time I will find my game again. I play tomorrow and you know perhaps this will be the round where I turn it around once more. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by shanksalot

[uitar9]

I'm 63-fifth year golfing. Put my driver away yesterday. Just used a 16 degree wood. Shot a 43+46. It was nice not thinking about swing mechanics and just golfing.