Seniors Can Still Have Their Moments

by Tony Dear

Twenty five years ago, golfers reaching their 50^th birthday had some justification for thinking their best golf was behind them. Where else could it be, after all? Some even thought their golfing days had come to an inevitable conclusion and that it was time to trade the sticks and pull-cart in for a rod and a boat.

Their tiny-headed, persimmon drivers could no longer propel their Surlyn-covered Wilson Ultras a respectful distance.  To reach even medium-length Par 4s in two was becoming increasingly impossible; their iron shots barely got off the ground because their irons were not terribly forgiving and the ball had trouble getting airborne without much clubhead speed behind it.  Their no-insert blade putters, which had a tendency to twist at impact, sent their increasingly common miss-hits wide or short of the hole.

Then there was the pain of swinging a club. With their backs, necks, legs and various other body parts aching, getting the club’s head above their own was asking a lot and sending it back to the ball with any power just wasn’t going to happen.

For senior golfers needing confirmation that those dark days are long gone, and that there can now be life, abundant life, after 50, all they had to do was tune in to last year’s Open Championship coverage from Turnberry and watch a 59-year-old Tom Watson come within one seven-foot putt of clinching a sixth Claret Jug. That incredible performance came exactly twelve months after 53-year-old Greg Norman had led going into the final nine holes at Royal Birkdale, eventually finishing tied third behind Padraig Harrington and missing out on his third Jug.

Granted, Watson and Norman are uncommon athletes who have played at the highest level throughout their adult lives. But both, along with all the other senior golfers still shooting in the 60s, are well aware that without technological breakthroughs in equipment and more effective training aimed at maintaining their flexibility, they would not have been able to compete with much younger golfers. Watson probably wouldn’t have played at all, in fact, were it not for advancements in the same hip replacement surgery which allowed him to replace his arthritic left hip and get back to swinging a driver within two months. “I picked Dr. Joel Matta to perform the surgery,” Watson told Golf Digest in March 2009. “He popularized the Anterior Approach, and has done more than 1,700 of them. He believes that hip rotation drives the golf swing and that this is the best option for golfers who need hip replacement. The incision is smaller than with conventional hip replacement surgery, there is less compromise in the overall procedure, and the recovery time tends to be much quicker.”

Better surgery techniques are great but only appropriate, of course, when all the alternatives have been tried. “Before going under the knife, attempts should be made,” says fitness and flexibility expert Roger Fredericks, “to alleviate pain and improve your range of motion by adhering to suitable exercises suggested by a physical therapist. Every year approximately 30 million Americans consult an orthopedic surgeon about some form of joint surgery,” he says. “These same people are taking their anatomical dysfunctions to the course and having a hard time. The sedentary lifestyle that exists in most of the world today is the number one problem in the golf world, because it robs us of flexibility and strength in the muscle groups that are important when swinging a golf club.”

As we age, Fredericks continues, we begin to lose bone density, muscle mass, flexibility, eye sight, hearing, and so on. “Working on golf swing mechanics alone won’t give you more strength and flexibility,” he adds. “But you can improve the range of motion in your body as a senior, and reduce your pain, if you stretch the right muscles, the right way.”

Anyone who has been swinging a golf club for 20 years or more probably believes that playing the game can have a negative impact on the back. But that’s nonsense, says Fredericks. “If your hips are in good shape your back will probably be fine,” he says. “90% of back pain is caused by hip dysfunction. If you want to improve your back you need to work on the muscles/joints to which the spine is attached. Poor alignment can set off a chain reaction throughout your body. You can ease back pain by loosening your hip/pelvic muscles. Work the hamstring, the inner and outer thigh, and the hip flexors.”

Susan Hill, President of Fitness for Golf based in Bend, Ore, is another who emphasizes the importance of the hips with her senior clients. “Research shows that seniors can maintain the distance they hit the ball by seeking to improve their hip rotation,” she says. “Lack of distance is the most common complaint in this group and it is largely attributed to tighter hips. Many seniors simply ’spin’ their hips for rotation, but that creates absolutely no resistance in the body and usually results in the club approaching the ball on completely the wrong path.”

Hill cites two exercises from her excellent book 101 Stretches for Golf that should help senior golfers improve the strength and movement of their hips. “The first targets the hip flexors (the group of skeletal muscles that act to flex the femur onto the lumbo-pelvic complex, i.e. pull the knee upward),” she says. “Begin by standing with your feet together, then extend your left foot out to the side of your body as far as you can while maintaining balance. Keep your right leg straight, but not locked. Place your hands, one on top of the other, on your left knee. This will help you maintain balance.”

The second, Hill says, will help increase the hips’ internal and external rotation. First, with your feet shoulder width apart, rotate your right foot clockwise as far as possible, keeping the heel planted. Rotate your body away from your turned-out toe. Then, with feet still shoulder width apart, rotate the right foot anti-clockwise as far as possible. Rotate your body towards the turned-in toe. The knee should be straight but not locked.

“The main thing with seniors is to keep them standing,” adds Hill. “For many, it is difficult to get on and off the floor so standing positions are best.”

With stronger, faster-moving hips, the 50-year-old golfer will certainly limit his loss of distance. And he might even increase the distance he can hit the ball with a brand new set of clubs.  Not just any old clubs though, stresses Jay Turner, owner of Redbird Sports on Seattle’s Beacon Avenue South. “In my opinion, the first thing to remember when buying new golf clubs is that you are a unique individual and not a category; senior, lady, junior etc. Way too often golfers are pigeonholed into a category based on their age or gender. Physical size, ability, physical condition and golf-related goals are the most important things to consider when one is being fitted.”   Turner advises seniors to get properly fitted. Find an experienced fitter who is able to make accurate physical measurements and assess your abilities correctly, he says. And during the fitting process, make sure you clearly articulate your goals and disclose any related physical limitations you have. “In my twenty five years of fitting, I’ve seen way too many seniors fitted based on their age with little consideration given to their size and ability. The result in many cases is clubs that are too light, too flexible and in some cases too long. If your fitting centers on the fact that your age qualifies you for early bird specials and AARP benefits, I suggest you find another place to buy your golf equipment. Properly fitted golf clubs function better, producing better shots which ultimately results in more satisfaction and enjoyment.”

A change of ball might help you regain a yard or two as well. There are dozens of golf balls designed specifically for helping those with slower swing speeds maintain their carry length. And, unlike those granite balls of yesteryear, they do actually respond well with shots on and around the greens. You might consider opting for one of the new ladies’ models that, by way of altered dimple patterns or softer cores, help you launch the ball higher and add up to five yards with a driver.

With your new hips, better-fitted clubs and a pink ball (only joking, your new ball will be white but guys might want to hide the pink box from their buddies) you are ready to return to the golf course where, says GolfTEC’s Laurie Hillyard, there are a couple of things you can do, even before you start the swing, to help increase your clubhead speed. “A light grip is essential to a dynamic release of the club,” she says. “And turn your left foot out about 45 degrees. That enables you to turn the hips quicker in the downswing. And don’t worry about getting the club to parallel in the backswing, but do try to turn your shoulders as far as they will comfortably go. Mostly though, just focus on making solid contact.”

Alas, even with all the technological assists senior golfers are benefitting from nowadays, there will come a day, insists Tom Sovay, seven-time Washington PGA Teacher of the Year, when you will just have to accept the fact you can’t hit the ball as far as you used to. “The biggest problem I see with seniors, is they just don’t accept the distance they hit the ball,” he says. “I’m 48, and I don’t hit it nearly as far as I did when I was 20, even with a modern driver and golf ball. Don’t live in the past. Who cares if everyone else in your group is hitting a 7-iron and you need a hybrid? I remember a friend of mine teasing me because he hit a pitching wedge on a Par 3 while I had an 8-iron in my hands. I stepped back and told him that my 8-iron was going closer than his wedge, then addressed the ball and made a hole-in-one. Enough said.”

Where to Play
Senior golfers can benefit from senior rates at a number of public-access courses in our region. Seattle’s municipals, Jefferson Park, Jackson Park and West Seattle, offer seniors a $6 discount on the standard weekday rate of $30 (+ $13 for a seat on a cart). In fact, all Premier Golf-operated facilities across Western Washington offer senior reductions. At Gold Mountain in Bremerton, the cost of a senior annual pass is $1,150. That’s $850 less than the cost of a regular pass. Access Golf Management offers the senior reduced rates at Willows Run ($31 with cart) in Woodinville, Druids Glen ($34) in Covington, Kayak Point ($28) in Stanwood, and Capitol City ($22.60) in Lacey. Senior rates, with cart, at Meadow Park and Lake Spanaway in Tacoma, are $35 and $27 respectively.

The City of Portland also helps the senior out a little. 18 holes at Eastmoreland and Rose City costs just $23. It’s $22 at Redtail, and they can play the Greenback Course at Heron Lakes for just $11. A round on Great Blue is $22.