# Senior distances!



## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?


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## ruff-driver (Jan 5, 2016)

Perhaps a shorter course would suit you better 
http://topgolf.com/uk/watford/adventure-golf-watford-hertfordshire/


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## patricks148 (Jan 5, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?  

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I would not worry about distance, i play occasionally with a couple of guys who are late 60's -70's and both play off 2. Neither hit the ball that far and these days they have more head covers in the bag that irons, but both have wicked short games. in fact of one them has his handicap at a course thats 6800 yards.


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## ArnoldArmChewer (Jan 5, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?  

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Del

You have a few years on me, so my driving and wood distances are marginally up on yours but the irons are very similar (and respectable).  Do you use senior and/or graphite shafts.


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## chrisd (Jan 5, 2016)

COO is that what I've got to look forward to when I get old?


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## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

patricks148 said:



			I would not worry about distance, i play occasionally with a couple of guys who are late 60's -70's and both play off 2. Neither hit the ball that far and these days they have more head covers in the bag that irons, but both have wicked short games. in fact of one them has his handicap at a course thats 6800 yards.
		
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Unfortunately I don't have a wicked short game! Chipping is actually the weakest part of my game, so if I could improve that I might get down to single figures. Our club has a member who plays off 2 who is about the same age as me. However he is a former Portuguese amateur champion and really does have a Seve like short game. He nearly always seems to get down in 2 from about 90 yards in! Our course is 6400 yards off the white tees and 6800 off the blues btw.


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## ArnoldArmChewer (Jan 5, 2016)

chrisd said:



			COO is that what I've got to look forward to when I get old?
		
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Stupid Boy !!!  Don't you remember you became old a long while ago, ask nurse she'll tell you.  :thup:


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## hines57 (Jan 5, 2016)

as the old saying goes - "its's not how far, it's how many"........ Keep it on the short stuff and the occasional single put and that leads to a respectable game!


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## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

ArnoldArmChewer said:



			Del

You have a few years on me, so my driving and wood distances are marginally up on yours but the irons are very similar (and respectable).  Do you use senior and/or graphite shafts.
		
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Lightweight regular shafts. Graphite in my woods and hybrids, and steel in my irons and wedges.


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## chrisd (Jan 5, 2016)

ArnoldArmChewer said:



			Stupid Boy !!!  Don't you remember you became old a long while ago, ask nurse she'll tell you.  :thup:
		
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It's all a bit of a blur now!


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## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

chrisd said:



			COO is that what I've got to look forward to when I get old?
		
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Yep!


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## ArnoldArmChewer (Jan 5, 2016)

chrisd said:



			It's all a bit of a blur now!
		
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What's a blur old chap ?, I know its not your swing, I think you must be going a bit senile, can you remember what this post's about ?


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## patricks148 (Jan 5, 2016)

delc said:



			Unfortunately I don't have a wicked short game! Chipping is actually the weakest part of my game, so if I could improve that I might get down to single figures. Our club has a member who plays off 2 who is about the same age as me. However he is a former Portuguese amateur champion and really does have a Seve like short game. He nearly always seems to get down in 2 from about 90 yards in! Our course is 6400 yards off the white tees and 6800 off the blues btw.
		
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all the senior guys i play with have all been good players in there day, and with the loss of distance off the tee most have still got a good short game and all putt well.. maybe just improve your putting then


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## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

patricks148 said:



			all the senior guys i play with have all been good players in there day, and with the loss of distance off the tee most have still got a good short game and all putt well.. maybe just improve your putting then

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My putting using the Claw Grip is actually pretty good. My chipping is so poor that I putt from well off the green if I can!


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## MashieNiblick (Jan 5, 2016)

ArnoldArmChewer said:



			Del

You have a few years on me, so my driving and wood distances are marginally up on yours but the irons are very similar (and respectable).
		
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Same for me. I do give the driver a bit extra compared to my iron swings.

I'm happy to play long par 4's as 5's - it's what my h/cap is for and if I do get up in 2 or chip and putt for a par - bonus! I have added options at the top of my bag to suit my course (5w, 7w, 2h and 4h) which does help.


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## Three (Jan 5, 2016)

Nothing wrong with those distances at 69 yrs young Delc. 

I bet there's plenty in the  seniors shorter than you.


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## Foxholer (Jan 5, 2016)

Short Game, short game, short game!

Like others, my Driver distance is more, but irons are fairly similar (5 yards more for me).

If my chipping/pitching is on, then I can make up for the distance with accuracy. 

You should not be contemplating playing off the whites in normal play (other than Medals) though! Play off the Yellows and enjoy the feeling of 'extra' distance!


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## Bazzatron (Jan 5, 2016)

You've got 37 years on me and we hit it the same distance...one of us is doing something wrong and I don't think it's you


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## Tommo21 (Jan 5, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?  

Click to expand...

I'm 63 and I have about 25/35 yards on you but it's getting harder. Short game is where I practice more and more although I was never a long hitter. Still playing off 5 and that's round Dunbar a former open championship final Q course. It's getting harder every season but I still bang in a few medal scores that would put some of the young bucks to the sword. I also shot my best ever three medal scores of 72 scratch around Royal Musselburgh last season. My backs giving me jip now......


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## dewsweeper (Jan 5, 2016)

Delc
I have 7 years on you and I would love your length through out bag.
A chronic stiff back has done for me yardage wise.
Keep swinging for all your worth is my advice 
I do manage a reasonable short game but it still hurts in the middle of the fairway on a shortish par 4 to know you could stand there all day and not get up in 2 shots, unless of  course I had a -303 Lee Enfield.
Dewsweeper


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## Tashyboy (Jan 5, 2016)

Well I played today and our fourball ended up a five ball which we split to a two and three ball. A senior  golfer walks over the hill and we invite him to play in our two ball which he's does. Lovely old guy called Andy from Northumberland.
he has arthritis in back and pelvis. His first tee shot ends up in the water.
The third tee shot I bladdered 230 ish straight as an arrow. His ball was 10 yd behind mine. I was gobsmacked. Think he said he was 74.


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## louise_a (Jan 5, 2016)

I wouldn't mind those distances!


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## delc (Jan 5, 2016)

dewsweeper said:



			Delc
I have 7 years on you and I would love your length through out bag.
A chronic stiff back has done for me yardage wise.
Keep swinging for all your worth is my advice 
I do manage a reasonable short game but it still hurts in the middle of the fairway on a shortish par 4 to know you could stand there all day and not get up in 2 shots, unless of  course I had a -303 Lee Enfield.
Dewsweeper
		
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I also have a rather stiff back and a sore left hip. These rather limit my backswing; once upon a time I could get the shaft past parallel to the ground at the top, but now it's closer to vertical. At best a three-quarter swing, which I think has cost me the distance over the years. I do do stretching exercises by the way, but they will only go so far!


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## selwood90 (Jan 5, 2016)

I played with 2 lovely senior aged chaps the other day, invited to play by them after rolling up to the first on my own. As a 25 year old, yes I drove much further, but when you can hit the ball 200 yards off the tee, then hit a 150 hybrid, chip on and sink your putt. My driving distance made little difference on many holes. And I don't mind admitting it! Yes they were short, but also consistent and played to their strengths. Whilst I was making the green on our par 4's in 2 and then 3 putting. All respect to them!


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## Smiffy (Jan 6, 2016)

hines57 said:



			as the old saying goes - "its's not how far, it's how many"........ Keep it on the short stuff and the occasional single put and that leads to a respectable game!
		
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I played in the Seniors Open at Tyrrells Wood last Summer. I was in a group with an old boy, in his late 70's, who was playing off 18. He couldn't hit the ball very far at all, maybe 170 or so at most with his driver, and played with quite a bad slice. But he knew his limitations and almost everything ended up in the middle of the fairway. He hardly hit a green in regulation but had a short game to die for, he got up and down from around the green a few times, his bunker play was fantastic, and I don't think he had one 3 putt. He finished in 2nd place with 38 points despite a couple of one pointers and a blob on the closing holes when he started to get tired. It should (and could) have been quite a few more.
Chatting to him on the way round, he said that his lowest handicap was 6 when he was younger. That's where his short game came from.
He was a lovely old boy and a pleasure to play with. You can learn a lot from playing with the old 'uns, one of the most important things being "it's not how far, it's how many".


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## delc (Jan 6, 2016)

Perhaps I should add that I never hit my shots flat out, preferring to keep my swing smooth and under control. This makes me a relatively straight hitter (apart from the occasional shank), if not very long.


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## fenwayrich (Jan 6, 2016)

I am 59, suffer from ankylosing spondylitis which means my back is very stiff and I have a very short backswing and abbreviated follow through. I am comfortably the shortest hitter of the group I play with. I am also the straightest, which makes up a little (but not much) for the distance I give up.

Although I can only hit four of our nine par 4's in two (and those often with hybrid or wood) I have come down from 11 to 8 in 2015. The secret for me is being a good chipper and decent putter on our relatively flat greens.


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## garyinderry (Jan 6, 2016)

My brothers mate has hit driver at every hole on his course and is easily the lowest handicap in their regular 4 ball. 

All about the short game.


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## Lord Tyrion (Jan 6, 2016)

Those are my distances but not always straight. Stop your moaning  . Do what Tiger is unable to do, accept your game has changed and play to it. Others have pointed out the obvious, work on your short game as that is not a distance issue. You do not have a problem as far as I can tell.


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## garyinderry (Jan 6, 2016)

Gaps between 3 hybrid and good drive seem to close.  Driver should be well past that.

3 wood and driver also seem a tad close.  

Other than that they seem fine.

Oh a buy yourself a decent chipper.  You seem to have the room and it's your weakest part of your game.


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## Maninblack4612 (Jan 6, 2016)

We have a lot in common Delc. I am 69, prone to shanking,  have a sore hip,  stiff knee &  in my younger day was a longish hitter. (but I don't look like Jimmy Saville!)  I can do about 230 - 240 yards with the driver and I'm about 10 yards ahead of you with the 5 iron. By the time I get to 8, 9, &  wedge I'm almost exactly the same,  since I tend to hit the short irons very high.  My pitching wedge is bent from 46Â° to 44Â° and I still only get 100 yards max out of it. My short game & putting has improved as I got older,  allowing me to hang onto single figures by the skin of my teeth.  In my teens &  early 20s I managed to play to 5 with a very poor short game.  Oh for those days again!


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## 351DRIVER (Jan 6, 2016)

You always in these thread need to consider that most people do not know what a 220 yard average drive looks like, so anyone claiming big distances usually is doing so through poor awareness 

Its a constant theme in golf


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## North Mimms (Jan 6, 2016)

Length isn't everything, chaps.

#justsaying.


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## drdel (Jan 6, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?  

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Same age, pretty much identical distances. Good fun this age thing!


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## delc (Jan 7, 2016)

drdel said:



			Same age, pretty much identical distances. Good fun this age thing!
		
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Old age is not so bad when you consider the alternatives!  :mmm:


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 7, 2016)

Never got tied down with distances. Apart from being a short hitter anyway (and getting older all the time) I'm more interested in hitting it and finding it and getting it round in the lowest number.


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## delc (Jan 7, 2016)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Never got tied down with distances. Apart from being a short hitter anyway (and getting older all the time) I'm more interested in hitting it and finding it and getting it round in the lowest number.
		
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If you don't know your distances, how do you know which club to use?  :mmm:


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 7, 2016)

delc said:



			If you don't know your distances, how do you know which club to use?  :mmm:
		
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I know all my distances based on averages on the practice ground (into and down wind - approx 10mph) with Sky Caddy. What I was alluding to, was that I don't care if my 150 yards is a 5/6 iron for me and an 8 iron for someone else.


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## Deleted member 16999 (Jan 7, 2016)

HomerJSimpson said:



			I know all my distances based on averages on the practice ground (into and down wind - approx 10mph) with Sky Caddy. What I was alluding to, was that I don't care if my 150 yards is a 5/6 iron for me and an 8 iron for someone else.
		
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Then why reply to the thread, he was asking a genuine question in the op!


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 7, 2016)

pauldj42 said:



			Then why reply to the thread, he was asking a genuine question in the op!
		
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Because my point is the same. As a short hitter, not quite in the senior category but creeping up slowly, it makes no odds if my 6 iron only goes 150 and others hit an 8 iron the same. As I said it's hitting it and finding it (so hitting well enough to keep it straight and in play) and making the best score I can hitting it the distances I do. Not sure why the slightly aggressive response?


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## Deleted member 16999 (Jan 7, 2016)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Because my point is the same. As a short hitter, not quite in the senior category but creeping up slowly, it makes no odds if my 6 iron only goes 150 and others hit an 8 iron the same. As I said it's hitting it and finding it (so hitting well enough to keep it straight and in play) and making the best score I can hitting it the distances I do. Not sure why the slightly aggressive response?
		
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Not aggressive at all simply asking you what was the purpose of posting in this thread, Delc's last line was "any tips" what was your's? It's not about you, it was Delc asking for help, your reply was not helping him&#128515;


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## delc (Jan 7, 2016)

pauldj42 said:



			Not aggressive at all simply asking you what was the purpose of posting in this thread, Delc's last line was "any tips" what was your's? It's not about you, it was Delc asking for help, your reply was not helping him&#128515;
		
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Obviously from his second reply, he (Homer) does know his distances, but in his first reply he said he wasn't interested in them!


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## Deleted member 16999 (Jan 7, 2016)

delc said:



			Obviously from his second reply, he (Homer) does know his distances, but in his first reply he said he wasn't interested in them!
		
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Hence my confusion&#128515;


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## Stuart_C (Jan 7, 2016)

Petition to Make the holes shorter.


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## Capella (Jan 7, 2016)

Stuart_C said:



			Petition to Make the holes shorter.
		
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Man up and hit it off the ladies' tees?


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## drdel (Jan 7, 2016)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Never got tied down with distances. Apart from being a short hitter anyway (and getting older all the time) I'm more interested in hitting it and finding it and getting it round in the lowest number.
		
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I believe you !!!! so advancing years and less skill at a game you love doesn't niggle - not just one bit: right.


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## delc (Jan 7, 2016)

drdel said:



			I believe you !!!! so advancing years and less skill at a game you love doesn't niggle - not just one bit: right.
		
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As long as he enjoys it, eh!


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## 3565 (Jan 8, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  *Any tips for getting more distance in old age*?  

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i will let you know in 19yrs time. :thup:


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## Slab (Jan 8, 2016)

delc said:



			Those who allegedly hit the ball 'forum distances' can have a good laugh, but these are the distances I achieve as a 69 year old senior golfer in average conditions:
Driver 200-210 yards
3-wood 185-195 yards
3-hybrid 180 yards
5-hybrid 165 yards
5-iron 155 yards
6-iron 145 yards
7-iron 135 yards
8-iron 125 yards
9-iron 110 yards
PW 100 yards
GW up to 80 yards
SW up to 65 yards

And I am far from being the shortest hitting senior at our club! Back in my 40's and 50's, I could hit the ball much further and actually won several longest drive prizes! Any long par-4 is now a driver and a 3-wood or hybrid, followed by a pitch shot into the green with a short iron or a wedge. Makes scoring rather more difficult than it used to be!  Any tips for getting more distance in old age?  

Click to expand...

Do you need more distance though?

Being able to play to 12 while hitting these distances and being a self confessed poor player round the greens would suggest an extra 10-15 yards wouldn't really help

Unless you harbour thoughts of getting down to a single fig handicap in the coming seasons as you play into your 70's I'd suggest finding ways of maintaining your current distances over the next 5 years is a far more realistic objective (and improving your chipping)


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## ScienceBoy (Jan 8, 2016)

I probably only have one club less than you delc.


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## delc (Jan 8, 2016)

Slab said:



			Do you need more distance though?

Being able to play to 12 while hitting these distances and being a self confessed poor player round the greens would suggest an extra 10-15 yards wouldn't really help

Unless you harbour thoughts of getting down to a single fig handicap in the coming seasons as you play into your 70's I'd suggest finding ways of maintaining your current distances over the next 5 years is a far more realistic objective (and improving your chipping)
		
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If I could get a bit more distance, I could hit shorter irons into the greens, with more chance of getting on them and not leaving myself short chips. I am pretty good at short pitch shots, say down to 30 yards, it's inside that distance that I have problems with. When I was younger I could chip pretty well with a 7 or 8 iron, but then I got the putting yips which then spread into my chipping. I fixed my putting by changing to the claw grip with an oversized grip, but can't make this work for chipping. I basically now hit mini pitch shots with my my 55 or 60 degree wedges instead of chipping as such, but these are high risk shots which don't always come off! If possible I putt from off the greens, which is OK off fairways or fringe grass, but more risky from semi-rough.


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## delc (Jan 8, 2016)

P.S. Please don't suggest the use of a chipper because:

a) They are the work of the devil!

b) You are not allowed to fit oversize putter grips on them. With a standard round grip I am still prone to yipping with them!


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## Maninblack4612 (Jan 8, 2016)

You asked for tips on hitting it further.  One of the things I try at the range is hitting a longer than average drive when I need one.  I use a bigger shoulder turn,  bigger wrist cock & try hard not to hit from the top.  If I get it wrong I produce a massive pull.  The shot often goes a bit left so if I try it on the course I often aim it down the right. 

I know it's hard for folks of our age but working on your flexibility helps,  as does developing the golf muscles. I've got one of these:

http://www.thegolfshoponline.co.uk/...cMwATC1nj9pEFGrm_z_0qIndFl7vnmb7uwaAhzT8P8HAQ

I've not used it a lot & can hit it about 150 yards at the range. I intend to use it regularly,  once recovered from my operation. 

I find that,  on par fours over 400 yards,  I might as well try to hit a big one off the tee.  If I miss it I've probably still got a 3 wood & wedge left but if it comes off I might reach the green.  The length of the third shot is not dead important &  I think it's worth the risk of trying to hit a big one.  In one of his books Ben Hogan said that he often hit the driver as hard as he possibly could. This is OK as long as you're still in control.


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## 351DRIVER (Jan 12, 2016)

Swinging a heavy club slowly teaches you to swing a heavy club slowly


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## Maninblack4612 (Jan 12, 2016)

351DRIVER said:



			Swinging a heavy club slowly teaches you to swing a heavy club slowly
		
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And helps develop the golfing muscles.  I'm finding it beneficial. It's interesting as well to see how you can only hit it straight if you swing down with the shoulders leading the arms &  wait for the clubhead to come through. A hard feeling to describe but, for me, it encourages a correct downswing,  not hitting from the top.


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## Rooter (Jan 12, 2016)

yoga or Pilates. Will help you no end Delc, not just in golf but well being also.


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