24 keys for Senior Golfers to Drop Strokes

From Karl Higham of www.puttmagic.com:

"Had a real good round today.Couple of 30 year olds I got hooked up with thought they would give me a lesson. I'm now that old guy with the short game that used to beat up me 30 years ago". This should be you!

Senior golf instruction is much like standard golf advice. However, many seniors feel they have more trouble with strength and flexibility issues as they get older. This page will give you plenty of help in that area.

Senior golf instruction tips

O.k., so you've finally made it to your "golden years". Congratulations! You've earned and deserve it. (I personally am grateful to you all and owe my freedoms to the last generations before me)

You can now get out on the course more than you ever could when you were working your tail off for yourself and your family. Only problem, you can't hit the ball as far as you used to and your swing isn't as flexible as you'd like and so you've accepted the fact that you're not going to score as well. Wrong! You are now going to score lower than you did when you were younger if I can help it with the following senior golf instruction tips! You just have to take advantage of your strengths so you can tear those youngsters up on the scorecard.

Senior golf instruction KEY 1:

All you are going to care about is number of strokes - your score. They care about what they look like while pretending to care about score. I know this because I've golfed with hundreds of these people over the years and I've been one too. YOU play for score and score alone. This is how your experience and brains will way overcome any physical limitations. Remember, golf is 90% mental.

Senior golf instruction KEY 2:

Forget birdies, eliminate bad holes. It is far far easier to prevent large-score holes than it is to shoot for birdies or tough pars. Everybody thinks they are better than they really are and so the choices they make on the golf course are not in line with their ability and this is what causes balloon scores (triple or quadruple bogies). When you are outdriven by such a player, make sure to compliment them loudly and pump them up to keep swinging for the fences. At worst, you'll be a good sport. Chances are, they'll start hitting shots out of bounds and you will just keep chugging along with pars and bogies and nothing worse. If you play smart and have only bogies and maybe a par or two, BOOM - you just shot in the 80's and are in the top 10% of all golfers in the world. Seniors without a big ego can really destroy youngsters who think they should be firing at every pin and driving off every tee. You are going to just stay in play and stay focused, and let them beat themselves. Winning golf is a matter of who makes the least mistakes, not who makes the greatest shots. Always remember this, it's the classic tortoise vs. hare lesson.

Senior golf instruction KEY 3:

Believe in and win with your swing. Have you ever watched a recent champions tour event (used to be called the Senior's Tour) on T.V.? Some of the player's swings look exactly like those on the main tours. But, many don't and these guys (and ladies on the Women's Senior Tour) WIN with their swing. YOU CAN TOO! Look at Allen Doyle at 66 years old and still in the top 10 with a very non-technical (some even say ugly) swing. Keep this in mind as you read the following senior golf instruction tips that you can put into play on your next round to SCORE LOWER, because that is all that matters. Forget about trying to imitate Tiger Woods and ignore what your playing partner is doing.

Senior golf instruction tip for Loss of distance. This is the most common problem among seniors. What can you do?

1. Make sure you are playing one of the new drivers. If you're driver is over 3 years old, you are losing distance that a new driver will give you. See my driver page for more info.

2. Play the correct ball. If you have less than a high swing speed, you should be playing one of those low-compression balls. Forget about the "Distance" balls. They only go farther if you swing at high speeds. Forget about the "Tour" balls like the Pro V-1 or anything that says "Tour" on it. You need a ball that will compress at an average or lower swing speed that will give you the greatest distance like the Titleist So-Lo or Maxfli Noodle for examples.

3. Learn to hit a draw. Most of the Seniors on tour have gone to hitting the ball right to left (for right-handers). You will gain 10-15 yards with your driver hitting a draw instead of a fade. Draw System

4. Strengthen your grip. To gain additional hand action you may have lost and add yards to your swing, turn your grip clockwise or, to the right for right handers. This will put your right under more underneath the grip allowing for the hands to be more active in putting some juice on the ball at the end of your swing.

5. Work out and exercise. O.k. I know you didn't want to hear that but it is a solid fact that if you're muscles get stronger, you will hit the ball farther. The top guy these days in this area is Sean Cochrane. He promises added distance and no more back pain. Great advice for senior golfers and a free ebook download too.

6. Use a swing weight. Go to any Wal Mart or type in "golf swing weight" in a search engine and look for a plastic-covered donut-shaped weight for golf. Costs about $4. You just slide it down the shaft and it will stop at the club head. It's just like a baseball player's swing weight and works the same way. You swing your own club with this weight on it just before a shot that you need maximum distance. It will make your club feel light as a feather when you swing it without the weight for your shot and will give you a big boost in yardage.

7. Stretch. Loss of flexibility = loss of distance. Get in the habit of doing more stretching in your daily life when you are at home or not on the course. Loss of flexibility doesn't have to happen. Sam Snead could kick an 8 ft. ceiling and also pick up a ball out of the cup without bending his knees at the age of 70!

8. Play the correct flex shaft. If you are playing some old clubs that weren't fit to your game, you are losing out on more easy yardage. A good club fitter can match your swing speed to the shaft that will give you the longest shots you are capable of. Easy fix, go see your pro or ask around for a good recommendation of a good clubfitter. You will be shocked at how much longer you can drive with the right shaft.

Senior golf instruction for putting

• Putt with an anchored style. Many top seniors will tell you that fine-touch putting is the first thing to go as you get older. Sam Snead was a perfect example. Solution? Buy and use a Long, Belly or Sidesaddle putter. Each of these methods has you "anchoring' the butt end of the club into your body to eliminate a large variable in your putting stroke. The Long Putter has the added benefit of being the easiest on your back. I am now using a Sidesaddle putter and technique (see www.puttmagic.com) for my own game as Sam Snead used to fix his putting problems . So far I am really pleased with the results! Stay tuned for more on that.. (sign up for my ezine)

• Hold your finish. This is the easiest fix for your putting problems. Notice how pro golfers all hold their putter out for a few seconds pointing at the hole after they stroke. If you do this, you CAN'T jab or stab at the ball which causes sidespins and jerky mis-hits. Train yourself to do this on your living room carpet.

More golf instruction tips for seniors:

• Ensure good alignment So many pros lay a couple clubs down when hitting balls on the range. This is to help with alignment and even the best pros in the world, like Vijay Singh, do this EVERY TIME because it is so important and so easy to forget about. Have one club pointing at the target that the tips of your toes will be against and another one on the outside of the ball to encourage an inside-out swing (if you hit that club, you made an outside-in swing, or slice).

• Keep hands warm It's no secret that seniors are moving to Florida and Arizona for the warmer climate. It can still be cold down there in the mornings and the older you get, it seems the more the cold affects your joints and muscles. Here's the secret: Go get a supply of these little hand warmers you can buy that you keep in your pockets while you play. They are very inexpensive. You will find that if your hands are warm, you won't need as much clothing. Too much clothing will restrict your swing.

• Loosen your grip A tight grip will cost you distance and it also reduces flexibility.

• Try the 10-finger grip Has the potential to give you more hand action thus, more power. Especially for very senior seniors.

• Keep your posture/Bend your knees Many seniors have a tendency to slump over forward and stiffen their knees. Keep your back straight but stay loose..

• Always warm up Show up early for your tee time, have a good stretching routine, hit warmup balls on the range, test the greens, swing with your swing weight and under control.

• Learn to chip better than anyone else. It doesn't take strength to be the best short game player, it does take time and effort. You've got the time. Skill in this part of the game can overcome any other weaknesses in the rest of your game. If you have any time to practice, do it chipping and pitching.

• Lose your long irons and replace with woods. The new hybrid woods out there are so much easier to hit than the 3,4,5 irons. You can get woods to replace your whole set of irons except wedges.

• Use your golf mind This is your greatest asset on the golf course as a senior. Don't let anything rattle you, even after your bad shots just smile and plan your next move. The hotheaded golfer will ultimately ruin his own game. You, the senior golfer, have enough experience in life or golf to be calm, cool, and machine-like even when you're not playing your best. It's no accident that the pros are unemotional and straight faced when playing tournaments. Check out: The Mental Keys for more help in this area. This is the temperament you need to SCORE.

• Spend a session in the sand At least one time this season for a half hour, practice hitting balls out of sand You can even do this at the beach, lake, or your grandkids sandbox. See my sand instruction page

• Create energy One of the biggest problems for seniors is energy level. This really hits you around the 14th hole. When you lose energy, you lose focus and you play lazy. To gain and keep energy, before and during a round, don't eat any heavy foods. Eat some fruit and whole grains. Have an energy bar for the back nine. Most importantly - Drink plenty of water as dehydration is the #1 cause of daytime fatigue.

Golf Swing instruction tips for seniors:

If you are in need of an entire swing overhaul, my best recommendation is the Golf Swing Guru

There is so much more that seniors can do to improve their score as literally thousands of books have been written about golf improvement that applies to all golfers. These are just some tips that seniors might get more help out of than the average golfer. If you are interested in a complete golf score improvement program and are too busy for lessons and practice, see Without Practice