Golf After 50

You're over 50 now -- maybe way over -- and nothing is as easy as it used to be. Especially golf. Frustrating enough at age 35, golf can become real torture for folks in their second half-century of life.

But it doesn't have to be. With a little work and attention to detail, you can get the best of the back nine. "Advancing age definitely affects your golf game," says links legend Billy Casper. "Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to keep Father Time off your back."

Changing Times

For starters, an aging golfer needs to recognize that things have changed. Drives probably aren't traveling 250 yards anymore. Putts may not be as steady. You may never get close to a 10 handicap again. The key for older players, writes golf great Gary Player in his book Golf Begins At Fifty, is to "see your golf in terms of what you can do, not what you can't."

Rather than lament now-shorter drives, work at keeping your tee shots in the middle of the fairway. Give up trying to make it across that distant pond -- the one you carried only half the time anyway. Instead, lay up short, accept the extra stroke, hit a mid iron onto the green, and save the price of a ball.

"Playing smart becomes the golden rule of senior golf," say Hershel Sarbin and Jim Brown in their book A Different Game -- Golf After 50.

Know how far you can hit the ball -- today, not 20 years ago -- with each club in your bag. When you hit a good shot with a particular club, pace off the distance and mentally record that information for future use. And don't be embarrassed to use the appropriate club. To hide their diminished power, some older golfers have even resorted to special clubs, with the 3-iron labeled a 4, the 5 labeled a 6, and so on.

Most seniors, says Player, "are guilty of underclubbing to the point of insanity." If you need a wood to reach that 180-yard par-3 green, then use it -- even if your golfmates are hitting irons. What's more important -- tee box machismo or reaching the green? And look on the bright side, says retired teacher Gene Salomon: "The ball may not go as far as it used to, but that only makes it easier to find."

Other possible over-50 adjustments involve equipment. Some older golfers regain lost distance by switching to flexible, more limber clubs (that will also feel softer, less jarring). If bending at the waist is a problem, you may want to opt for slightly longer clubs.

If arthritis or other hand pain makes it difficult to grasp the clubs properly, you might try oversized grips, which reduce the squeezing required for an effective swing.

And many pros suggest that golfers over 50 can get better, longer fairway shots by leaving the 1-, 2-, and 3-irons in the bag and using a 5-, 7-, or 9-wood instead.

Tweaking Techniques

Tweaking your technique also can help compensate for advancing years, although it's usually foolish to radically alter your swing, stance or other major component of your game. A small change that can add power to a geriatric swing involves switching from a traditional interlocking grip (with the index finger of one hand hooked into the small finger of the other hand) to a side-by-side baseball grip with no interlocking fingers.

And while you're gripping that club, resist the temptation to squeeze tighter and swing harder, an ill-advised compensation for strength lost over the years. The real effect of a death grip, says Player, is to shorten hand and forearm muscles and reduce wrist snap. "So you end up with less distance, not more," he points out.

Older golfers can benefit greatly from regular practice, but the driving range may not be the ideal location. Instead, spend your practice time chipping and putting, since the short game is where you're more likely to shave strokes off your score.

Before every round, however, you should take at least a few hits with each type of club. And you'll likely get more mileage out of your time on the practice green by working on short putts, not long ones.

For long putts during actual play, imagine you're putting into a bushel basket, not that tiny cup you can barely see across the green. Get that first putt into the "basket," and your second putt is all but a gimme.

And when teeing off, try focusing on a clump of grass, leaf or sprinkler head just in front of the tee box rather than aiming for the pin or some imaginary spot far down the fairway. Send the ball screaming directly over this nearby marker, and it will likely end up where you want it.

Because high-loft clubs demand a controlled, precise swing, they often give older golfers fits. One solution is to leave the wedges in the bag whenever possible and use a less lofty club (a 7-iron or even a 3-iron) for that last tap onto the green. If the lie is good and the grass closely cropped, a putter also can be a good near-green substitute for a wedge.

Conditioning is Critical

Perhaps the most important part of after-50 golf is something many folks largely ignore -- conditioning. Pre-game stretching is especially helpful for senior golfers because of flexibility lost over the years, and your club pro can probably recommend exercises to strengthen specific aspects of your game.

Still a bit creaky at tee off? Try a tee time later in the day, after you've had sufficient time to loosen up. If you can, walk the course (but don't give up golf when a cart becomes necessary). In the off season, practice swinging weighted clubs, putting on the carpet, and -- if you can arrange it -- chipping into a net.

Finally, keep things in perspective. "Don't take the game too seriously," says retiree and avid golfer Wally Small, 71. "Enjoy the company and the fresh air. Make golf a social, not an athletic, event." And remember: The longer you keep playing, the easier it gets -- mathematically, anyway -- to shoot your age.

GARY TURBAK, a free-lancer based in Missoula, Mont., writes on a wide variety of subjects.

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