Just because it is believed to be inevitable for a senior golfer to experience a decline in performance, does not mean it has to be that way. If you are a senior golfer, don’t give up. The old adage “it’s all downhill from here” will only be true if you let it.
The senior golfer will experience more difficulties in maintaining the same level of performance as he or she did in their younger years, but it is still possible. The avenue of approach for you now, is your body. Your body is the main factor in the speeding up or slowing down of your performance as you age.
Have you had the experience recently on the golf course of feeling as if you could not make a full back swing? Do you feel as though your drives are not reaching the distance as they once did? Are you experiencing aches and pains in your shoulders, back, hips, or maybe even wrists while you are playing or after you have played? Then you must improve your body.
Many senior golfers feel as though they have experience a loss of flexibility as they age. This is probably true our bodies will lose flexibility as it ages, but the strength of the body will decline just a rapidly as the flexibility.
As a senior golfer you will want to focus on strength, flexibility, nutrition and endurance. These are important factors needed in a good total golf fitness program. It is important for the senior golfer to find a golf fitness program designed to fit their specific needs and to progress from their current fitness level. If one starts on a program beyond their physical limits, it will only end in failure. This can only be discouraging. You don’t want to be ready to quit before you have given yourself a good starting chance. Start off slow and progress forward.
As a senior golfer looking for a good fitness program, you will first want to decide on your current level of fitness. You must know your limitations. This is an important factor because it is at your limitation you will want to start your golf fitness regime, which will in turn help you improve your golf game. You will want a fitness program to focus on your limitations.
Once you have determined your limitations, you can then go shopping for a program to improve those limitations rather than wasting your time with ones that don’t. It won’t be as hard to find as you might think because golf fitness programs have become so popular you will be able to find books, videos and even trainers to help you achieve your goals.
Starting golf lessons right now would not be in your best interest. You will want to wait until you have had an opportunity to allow the fitness program to work. It only makes sense to start with the body first before taking lessons. If not, your lessons will only result in frustration and confusion. You will not be able to practice what you have learned. By improving the body first, you will be able to see improvement in your golf swing.
You may be considering a gym would be best to suit your needs. Don’t! You can create your own golf fitness gym right in the comfort of your own home. To create your own home gym all you need is a stability ball, hand weights, and some exercise tubing. Viola! You have your own home gym with only a small amount of equipment and a minimal amount of money spent. You will not only save money, but driving time as well.
Now you are ready to put your new home gym to good use. You may need to find some of those books and videos to help you decide on the correct exercises you need to achieve the results you want. If you feel more comfortable in asking questions, you may want to talk to a trainer to get an exercise routine for you to follow. He or she may have some helpful tips on some dos and don’ts.
Taking action now is important. Because your mind and body are linked together, you need to envision the kind of golfer you can be and want to be. You have to want it bad enough to begin working on it RIGHT NOW! It is not as hard as you might think. You will need to do is a few of the exercises focusing on strength and stretching a couple of times a week. There is no need to go to the gym because you can do these exercises at home. It will make all the difference in your performance on the golf course and in how you feel.
There is a simple stretching exercise you can do at home. It is called Lying Leg Crossover*
- Lie on your back with legs out straight
- Raise one leg and bend it at the knee to 90 degrees in knee and hip
- Cross that leg over extended leg, while opposite shoulder stays on the ground
- Go until slight pull in butt and lower back
- Hold and repeat once more
- Switch legs and do the exact same procedure with the opposite leg.*
That exercise was pretty simple. As a senior golfer, you will notice your range of flexibility is not as it once was. All you will need to do to correct your flexibility is to perform the exercise as directed above and incorporate other exercises with the same agenda.
You may have noticed when teeing off, your ball is not reaching the distances it should. The loss of yards is not good for your game and could make you the butt of jokes for the rest of the game. The cause of this could be the shortening of your back swing. If your flexibility is limited, it will have a direct effect on your back swing. Not to mention the soreness in the back, which will accompany the loss of flexibility. The exercises for flexibility will correct the shortening of your back swing. It may even help eliminate some of the aches and pains you are experiencing.
Even though golf does not require strenuous activity, it is a good idea to stretch before you play. Warming up will cut down on the injuries, which can occur. Golf places such a huge amount of stress on a body; injuries are not as uncommon as you might think. By doing these exercises a few days a week and then right before you tee off, you are saving yourself from a painful injury as well as improving your game.
Edward Pena is a Golf fanatic that loves to play golf as often as he can. He runs an informational website to help golf players improve their game. His sites offer free articles on golf and other golf products. To take advantage of all this cool stuff and more, be sure to check out Ed’s site at Senior Golf
