Over 55 improvement

[pokerjoke]

Do you think it’s possible to lower your handicap after 55 or do you think it’s all down hill from there.
Have you lowered your handicap after 55 and how did you achieve it,what was your handicap before and where are you now.
I personally have turned 55 and have started playing in senior events,I’ve also started playing for our seniors team.
Currently playing off 6.0 but want to get to 4 so I can play in lower handicap seniors comps.
Recently started playing more and practicing more having rejoined Taunton and Pickeridge.
Whilst playing Ilfracombe I was just not practicing so needed a club closer.
Really determined to give it a good effort.
Would be interested to hear any positive stories.

 

[Imurg]

Yes you can.
3 years since I was where you are..handicap was 8ish back then.
Had it down to 6.1 before WHS kicked in and I've been fluctuating between 6 and 7 since.
I'm a poor practicer, I need to play.
After the lockdowns the game was seriously rusty but, by playing as much as I can, it has found it's way back.
Although not a big change in the handicap, I feel I'm a better player than I was 5 years ago in every department
Practice, play, play some more and there's no reason you can't go lower.
What's holding me back is the practice..go lower and you have to practice more to stay there....

 

[Deleted member 3432]

I'm 55 and as long as you retain flexibility and some speed in your swing no reason why.

Played off 4 or 5 for many years but drifted up to a HI of 5.7 and CH of 7 at start of season due to a dodgy back in the main.

Currently 2.8 and CH of 3, done quite a bit of pilates based work to loosen up the back and recently shot a career low -6 gross.

Working with a good coach who reckons my swing is good enough to get lower. I reckon I maybe have too much mental scar tissue ?

So in summary there is nothing to stop you if you put some hard work in but don't overdo it as our bodies aren't as good as they were.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Absolutely, but only with constant practise/play.

Playing once or twice a week on its own is not enough.

 

[fundy]

my dad was a better, lower handicapped golfer at 70 than he was at 60 so definitely, he was a 16 hcap at an easy course, went to a 12 hcap at a far harder course

maintaining strength and flexibility, understanding any limitations and focussing on 100 yards and in been the main drivers, some fitness tuition, some short game lessons helped along the way as did playing for fun more and less comps

 

[louise_a]

I am 69 and am currently playing better than ever, even though a couple of months ago I thought I had hit the slippery slope and would only get worse.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I'm in the over 60 bracket.
My handicap changed from 5.6 to 4.3 overnight last November when WHS kicked in.
Today I'm 2.3.
I went up from 3 to 4 fourteen years ago and never got back again until this year. I've played regularly all that time.
I do not practice full shots - only putting a bit of chipping.

 

[jim8flog]

I have seen many a player retire from work, play more golf and improve their game.

 

[Hobbit]

I was off 6 when I hit 55, and a month later I was off 4. When I retired at 59, 3.5 years ago, I was off 6. 6 months later I was nudging 4 again and playing some of my best golf for years. Around that time I shot 2 under gross and for several weeks around then I was on a birdie/eagle blitz.

Length, obviously, wasn’t as good as 20 years ago but the short game, especially the putting, was red hot.

Having said that, I’ve seen your swing Tony

 

[clubchamp98]

I went backwards for a bit when I retired.
Was off 5 but went to 7 in couple of months.
I put it down to playing to much , no structure to practice etc. (wHS did me no favours after a bit of a poor spell!)
I now play 9 holes then hour or so on 100yds and in. Comps at weekend
Technology has helped imo and am as long now as I was 20yrs ago.
Fitness, flexibility really help but as been stated battle scars over the years raise their heads every now and again.
But I think I am a better course manager now and I have accepted I will hit bad shots.
It’s how you deal with it now that counts.
You can definitely get better if your healthy.
I have played in many seniors opens and there are some very very good scratch golfers about so no reason why not.
Good luck

 

[patricks148]

Of course, was of 4/5 for the last few years , turned 56 this year and down to 2.7. No real big deal, you now just have to beat your prev 8th best score, piece of peverbial

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yes. Work in Progress. Unfortunately my route to improvement requires quite a rebuild and so currently things are going in the wrong direction. But I am confident that I can turn things around.

 

[Backache]

I have put yes, but the real answer is very clearly it depends. There are measureable declines in the bodies abilites that start well before 55. If you have maxed these out already or close too it, you probably aren't going to get better. Realistically n most casual gofers will not have come close to this so most will have the potential for improvement. How hard they have to work to realise that improvement will vary.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Not just for golf but for life in general I'd suggest working on fitness. Fit for Golf (twitter, you tube, app) often gets talked about but basically ways to maintain or improve swing speed even at 55.

If you do that and then practice no reason you can't improve. I imagine most people leave a lot of untouched potential as family and work get in the way of playing, practicing and improving strength throughout 30s, 40s and 50s.

 

[nickjdavis]

My index was 11.3 when I turned 55 back in February.....it is now 8.6.

I'm about as inflexible as it is possible to be...can barely bend down low enough to pick the ball out of the hole. I've got the same core strength as an over-ripe banana and the physique of a small beer barrel (probably due to consumption of said beverage).

Give me a bit of work in a gym doing something like yoga or pilates and I reckon I can improve certain elements where my body is holding me back which would almost certainly lead to better scores and an index of 5 or thereabouts is not beyond me.

You do know that these days fifty five is the new thirty five don't you?

 

[Yorkshire Hacker]

I starting playing at 51, and got down to 11 fairly swiftly. Then I spent 13 years at 11/12. However last year just before WHS I came down to 10, got down to 9.1 thanks to WHS, and currently, (at 69 years old), off 10. I am probably hitting the ball slightly further than I did when I was 59. And my short game has improved, and I reckon that "them what know" will tell you that it's the short game that counts.

 

[toyboy54]

Agree with most of the points saying that although working on fitness and flexibility ( yoga ) + changing diet helps in some cases, must confess that length of tee and irons has gone down-pro has told me that course management and really working on the short game can make up for length deficiences>
So some days can play like 1st class,card in hand and reduced to wreck-obviously mentally short-oh well, fingers x'd -you know, the scientific approach
Better get game sorted for our Member/guest do on 21st
Hate being aged-brings so many annoyances

 

[PNWokingham]

I think you could improve through to mid 60s or even 70 if you have more time and focus.

Although it is so many years away before I try!! ?

 

[Golfnut1957]

I am 63 so I turned 55 in 2012. Around that time I was hovering around 9/10 hcp, then in 2019 not only did I get down to 7, but I also played to it.

When WHS came around, I started as a 6.6 HI. A combination of lockdown rustiness and the fact that all of my best scores came off at the beginning of this season have resulted in my now being at 9.6. I am currently working as hard as I ever have to ensure that it goes back down, I believe that I will succeed.

I voted yes.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I have a theory.
I have lost some distance with all clubs last few years. This distance loss is progressive not linear. ie 5-iron 5 yards lost, PW 1 yard lost etc.
So the "gaps" between clubs is smaller than before.
As long as I choose the correct club and hit it reasonably well, I am likely to be closer to the hole with shots to the green than I was before. That's my theory.
Par 3s, short par 4s and par 5s I am scoring better I feel.
It is the long par fours that are more difficult due to taking at least "two clubs more" than before.