Senior Golfers

As we age, golf’s challenges change. Fortunately, with an open mind, and some attention to detail, golfers of any age can play better than ever.

The biggest challenge for most senior golfers is a . As golf courses get longer and the game transforms from a game of precision to a game of power, senior golfers have a unique set of challenges to confront.

I’m Scott Nichol, Canadian PGA Professional. (scott.jpg) I’ll give you some proven suggestions for increasing your power and distance. I’ll also introduce you to training aids I designed based on many years of teaching golf to players of all levels and ages. Golf IQ has some golf swing aids that can really help senior golfers.

Flexibility for golf is a term that has been bandied about the golf instruction industry for decades. But what does flexibility for golf really mean? Flexibility can be defined as a joint’s ability to move through a complete range of motion. As related to golf, flexibility allows the golfer to achieve the correct address position, and allows them to move EASILY through the entire swing without any feelings of tension or strain.

Studies have shown that . The aging process causes significant changes in your connective tissue (ligaments and tendons) and eventually decreases your ability to maintain optimal flexibility. To play your best golf later in life, it takes a concerted effort to maintain your flexibility.

Another flexibility hint – always . Your muscles will be looser, and you’ll reduce the risk of hurting yourself. Baseball players warm up by swinging a weighted bat. Golfers can warm up by using a weighted club. The Golf IQ Swing Accelerator is a weighted club that can not only help improve your distance; it’s perfect for warming up stiff muscles before your round.

While it may seem impossible to increase club head speed without swinging harder, the search for effortless power is something that is within the reach of every golfer.

The key to generating this feeling of effortless power is to learn to harness the power of centrifugal force while you swing the golf club.

Centrifugal force is a force that tends to move objects away from the center in a system undergoing circular motion. Centrifugal force is what keeps the water in a whirling bucket from spilling.

In the golf swing, centrifugal force is the reason that golfers like Ernie Els and Fred Couples look like they are hardly even swinging the club, but they are able to launch the ball in excess of 350 yards. It is often described as “letting the club do the work”.

This elusive feeling is something that golfers feel like they have some days and other days the club feels like a sledgehammer. Golf IQ’s Swing Accelerator is the first training club that has been designed to teach you how to feel this elusive force using auditory feedback.

See how Golf IQ golf training aids have helped golfers just like you.

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In the past 5 years the golf equipment industry has made gigantic strides in helping the world’s best golfers increase their driving distance. But what have they done for the average golfer?

Do you remember the C.O.R. debate that came up a couple of years ago when the USGA decided to reduce the spring like effect of drivers that was supposed to rein in the driving distance on the PGA Tour? Did it work? Well let’s have a quick look at the numbers.

In 2005 the PGA Tour distance leader was Scott Hend and he was able to set a record for driving distance at 318.9 yards up from 312.6 yards in 2004.

Golf’s best known long driver is Tiger Woods. In 2005 he finished second on the PGA Tour in driving distance at 316.1 yards up a whopping 14.2 yards from his numbers in 2004!

So was it just the hot faces that were contributing to the explosion in driving distance?

I believe that the explosion in distance on the PGA Tour is due to a combination of the following factors:

The Golf Ball Agronomy Physical Fitness Driver Fitting

But what about you, the average golfer, . It has been shown that a golfer must have a swing speed in excess of 100 MPH before they will derive any benefit from a high COR driver. My evaluation of the average golfer is that new technology can help you increase your driving distance as long as you open your mind and maybe swallow a little bit of pride.

It has been shown that for a swing speed of 85 MPH, which is average for most senior golfers that the optimal launch angle is 15 degrees. This means that with a slight upward angle of attack that a golfer with a swing speed of 85 MPH, should use a driver with at least 12 degrees of loft. Most of my students will use a driver of 10 degrees or less. What is the loft on your driver?

Driver length

The most important factor that determines driving distance is NOT club head speed. The most important factor is . For every half inch that your strike is off center you will lose 10 yards in distance. While, on the other hand, it takes 1 mile per hour of extra club head speed to gain only 3 yards in distance. In fact, I have recorded several instances where golfers

According to world-renowned club designer Tom Wishon, the average driver length used by PGA Tour players is 44.5 inches. If PGA Tour pros use a shorter driver to make certain that they make dead solid contact In my experience most golfers make the depending on their physical size.

Consider getting a driver that is 43.5 inches long or shorter.

My recommendation is to look up a PGA professional in your neighborhood that has a launch monitor and a large selection of drivers with different lofts and lengths for you to experiment with and go for a proper driver fitting. (By the way, almost every major company fitting cart that I have ever seen only has one length of driver (45 inches) which is the most critical component of club fitting.)

If you cannot find a launch monitor in your area, try a driver with 12 degrees of loft and a 43.5 inch shaft and I am sure that the results will have you

See how the Golf IQ Swing Accelerator can help you increase your distance and help you warm up before you play.

What else are you struggling with in your game? Want some tips on how to cure your slice? Want to make more putts?. See how golf swing aids can help you improve your practice time and your game.