Golf and Golf Courses

If you are a grey-haired golfer, and you find yourself nodding knowingly at any of the following problems, you will undoubtedly get something from this article.

- Your golf scores are getting worse.
- You need additional fingers to count up your score on several holes.
- Your drives are twenty yards shorter than they were in your prime.
- You are ready for a lie down after thirteen holes.
- You can’t stop thinking about the 19th hole from early in the round.
- It takes you longer and longer to recover from a game of golf.
- You keep thinking about retiring from golf.
- You make up ridiculous excuses why you can’t play (it’s very cold; it’s too windy; it looks like it is going to rain; I’ve got to go shopping etc…).
- You don’t have fun playing golf anymore.

Tip 1: Arrive early for your round of golf
When you are young, and life is one big rush, you can screech to a halt in the car park, pull your clubs out of the car boot, pull your golf shoes on as you are running to the 1st tee, and still hit a 290 yard drive down the middle of the fairway without any warm up or practice. You simply can’t do that when you are middle-aged, so stop trying to! Give yourself time to prepare for each round, both mentally and physically.

Tip 2: Follow a golf fitness program
Being flexible and supple is what you need, so don’t choose a routine that adds a lot of bulk. Yoga and Pilates are both good, but there are now lots of exercise programs that have specifically been designed for golfers, so I would recommend you pick one of those. A quick Google search will find several for you.

Tip 3: Make your swing less complicated
A golf swing is like a piece of machinery - the more moving parts there are, the more likely it is to go wrong, and it takes time to find out which bit failed. Try to go back to basics, and get rid of the complexity that you have developed over the years. The Stack and Tilt golf swing is currently getting lots of rave reviews, so check it out.

Tip 4: Spend more time on course management and strategy
Think about each and every shot, and don’t attempt making shots that are beyond your capability - glory shots often end in failure, and the resulting disappointment usually adds a lot of shots to your score! Have a plan, and stick to it as much as possible. Play the course, rather than your opponent. Most of the best golfers I know play very boring, straight down the middle golf, because they play well within their abilities, and they plan and think about each and every shot.

Tip 5: Work on your mental golf game often
W. Timothy Gallwey’s book - The Inner Game of Golf should be on every golfer’s book case.

Tip 6: Visualize every shot
Visualization is used in every type of sport, because it works! The evidence is overwhelming, and well-documented, so make sure it is something you have in your arsenal.

Tip 7: Invest in an electric golf trolley
Using an electric golf trolley will conserve your energy during a game of golf, which will result in much better concentration, and better scores. Electric golf trolleys are not the reserve of old golfers - take a look around your own course, and I am sure you will be surprised. Of all the things I tried, buying an electric golf trolley had the biggest positive impact on my golf game.

Try the tips above (particularly the one about electric golf trolleys), and see how your scores tumble!

Tags: electric golf trolleys, Golf Fitness, Golf Strategy