“I just can’t drive the ball as far as I used to” is a common complaint that I hear from my senior (50 and over) golfers when I first meet them.
They want to get back the distance they used to have off the tee, and with all of their long clubs.
And I don’t blame them (or you, if you happen to be in this group).
Now, it may seem to make sense that if you want to regain distance, you need to have more strength and power.
That is true, for the most part.
However, the biggest improvement that I see senior golfers make is in the flexibility department… and that has a direct carry-over to greater distance.
Once you hit about 40 years old, there are some hormonal and physiological changes that start to take place (although many of these can be lessened and delayed with optimal health and nutrition).
If you do nothing to prevent it, you will begin to lose muscle mass, flexibility and range of motion around your joints.
This leads to a more restricted swing, and less distance. It also increases your chance of injury.
So the very first step for senior golfers is to improve their flexibility and mobility.
A top-notch flexibility program for seniors would include Self Myofascial Release (to release knots in the fascia), static stretches to improve posture, a mobility protocol and a warm up routine that can be performed prior to playing golf.
The most detrimental postural position for distance is being in flexion, or rounded forward at the shoulders.
Tap Here to get a video showing you how to release and stretch the major muscles that keep you in that forward flexion and suck the life out of your drives.
Then Tap Here to discover a mobilization that will help to extend your spine and your backswing.
Your static stretches should be held for at least 30 seconds each, and performed every day.
Some other activities that can be beneficial for the senior golfer in terms of flexibility and mobility include Yoga and Tai Chi.
There’s one more (surprising) factor that I would like to mention in relation to flexibility and mobility:
You bet!
The food you eat and the beverages you drink can have a dramatic effect on the flexibility and mobility of your muscles and joints in two ways:
1) Inflammation – the Standard American Diet (SAD), which, sadly, most of the world seems to be emulating, is full of pro-inflammitory foods, such as white flour, sugar, artificial sweeters etc.
When you increase the inflammation response in your body, you will feel less ability to move and a shortened (often uncomfortable) golf swing.
2) Dehydration – I am fond of saying that the biggest drinking problem golfers have is not alcohol, but rather dehydration!
Even the slightest bit of dehydration will affect your tissues elasticity and hurt your performance.
Tap Here for Golf Nutrition Tips to get you started.
The true Senior Golfer Fountain of Youth really is flexibility and mobility.
Use all of the resources on this site to get more flexible… And Get After Old Man Par (after all, he is older than you) 😉
Click here to subscribe to all of our Renegade Golf blog posts – never miss one!