The Eight Best Things For Senior Golfers

The Eight Step Program for Senior Golfers

Before we get started let’s get one thing settled.  You don’t need to be a great golfer, you only need to be good enough to have fun and that’s not too hard to do.

Full disclosure: I am not a golfer.  I don’t like it. I’d sooner mow the grass than chase a little white ball around it.

My cousin, who is more than 20 years older than I, was the same way.  She didn’t care much for the sport, but said she might consider playing it when she got old and retired to Florida. 

Both things happened, she got old and she moved to South Florida.  Most of the people in her retirement community were golfers, so she decided, age the age of 80, to join in.  

The first season she was terrible and few people wanted to play with her. She kept at it however, and before the first snow-birds flew back to New England she was an ‘okay’ golfer.

When November came, the Snow-Birds flew back to West Palm Beach where she was living and the next season winter golfing began.  In season two my dear cousin was one of the better golfers in the club.  She was beating most of the other ladies with regularity and was giving the men a run for their money. 

In her third season she celebrated her 82^nd birthday by winning a tournament and becoming perhaps the best senior woman golfer in her association.

That she did so well was no surprise me because I knew her background.  She was an army nurse during World War II and had been smack dab in the middle of the Pacific action, seeing and doing things no person should ever have to.  She displayed rare courage and skill aiding the medics and doctors in cases ranging the gamut from minor to catastrophic.

In her upper 90’s now, she has given up the game of golf, she did however offer me the following advice.

“When you get old take up golf,” she said. “It’s good exercise, even if you ride around in a cart, and it’s good for your mind as well as your body.”

I’d take her advice right this minute, but for one thing. She was 80 when she started playing.  I’m only 75, so I’m going to wait five more years before I begin.

Whether you are 50 or 90, if you want to play senior golf, here are the eight tips that may help.

I don’t know much about it but a golfer guru said these are the eight factors needed to be a good

Player:

concentration and focus,

attitude,

practice,

fitness,

foundation,

balance,

recovery of the game,

technique and distance.

Once I start playing, I know that concentration and focus will be one of the hardest things to master.  I’ve seen those pro golfers on television lining up 30 feet putts, and I’ve been impressed with their ability to zone in on the challenge – especially when there is big money riding on the shot.

“Plan the shot well in advance,” says the guru. “Visualize it in your mind even before you approach the tee.”

“When you’re standing there, club in hand staring down at the ball, make up your mind that you are going to hit it well. Don’t fuss over the shot. Make up your mind and hit it.  Second guessing and adjusting your angles endlessly is a guarantee of a poor shot. Think it and then do it. This kind of focus and concentration will produce good results.”

I said that the main thing to aim for is to be good enough to have fun.  But if you want to go to the next level and try to be a really good golfer that’s fine too.  Your attitude will need to be PMA to the maX. That’s POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE TO THE MAXIMUM.

“If your goal is to enter and win in the senior tournaments you need to set your mind and attitude on winning,” advises the guru. “The ‘Can Do’ feeling is what separates people like Tiger Woods or Ben Hogan from the crowd.

“That and another thing; endless practice.  If you want to come up big in the title matches you’ll have to dedicate yourself to practice, practice, and then practice some more. All the while fixing in your mind the thoughts that you can, and you will, win.”

Talent and recovery are critical to your victory. Not unlike a billiard player playing his bank shots, you need to develop a talent for thinking and placing the ball right where you want it. What if you fail to land the ball where you want it?  This happens way too often and it’s where recovery comes in.  Forget the last shot and think only of the next shot. Your next one could be a great one and make you completely forget the clinker. Try to minimize the damage and improve your position as best you can.” 

Fitness obviously is a major factor in how well you will do.  Fitness is a problem for many seniors.  Walking and swimming are two of the best things you can do to improve your level of fitness. Another sound idea is to practice your swing about a thousand times a day.  Wherever you are, no matter what time it is, take some practice swings – no club involved.  Just go through the motions. Do it so many times that it becomes automatic, so much so that when you get to the tee you can step right up and blast off a good shot with no apparent thought and effort. 

Distance is important but…..

Before we talk about distance, let’s talk about size.  The bigger you are, in theory, the farther you can hit the ball.  But wait, there’s more!

In baseball during the 2018 season, literal giants like 6’7” Aaron Judge of the NY Yankees, and 6’6” Giancarlo Stanton also with the ‘Bombers’ were slugging home runs at a record pace.  But the best player in baseball was 5’9” Markus “Mookie” Betts of the Boston Red Sox.  He hit 32 home runs and stole 30 bases and led all of baseball in many hitting categories, including the highest batting average!

Why?  Why did this 5’9” man perform so well?  Hand-eye coordination.  Attitude.  Practice. Fitness. All of them! He had all of the eight items needed for success.

If you can’t hit far, then focus and practice hitting for accuracy.  If you can place your shots perfectly, it will go a long way in overcoming distance deficiencies. 

Build a sound playing foundation by working on all the eight success points.

You may never become a senior golf champion, but you’ll be good enough to have fun, and won’t be afraid to compete against any other players. As a side benefit you will be more fit and much more likely to be able to play golf (and do many other things) until deep into your 90s.  Best of luck.  In five years, I’ll see you on the course.