Smart Golf for Baby Boomers

Getting stuck at a certain point in golf can be infuriating. You try every exercise, every technique and nothing seems to work. You spend all of your time practicing to fix weak points but see almost no improvement. Sometimes the answer you are looking for lies in something very simple.

Here are small, simple tips to help baby boomers play smarter golf and overcome our sticking points:

Smart Putting: Long Range Warm-ups and Establishing A Rhythm

Many golfers make the mistake of concentrating only on the mechanics and essentially “rebuilding” their putt out on the practice green. Leave technical practice for after a round to work out inconsistencies.

Even with a proper warm-up it is likely that you will need the first few holes to get a feel for the course. This means you are likely to face long distance putts early on in the game. Take a few putts from 30 to 40 feet when you warm-up on the putting green.

When you are just practicing for the day or warming up for a round you want to focus first on setting rhythm for your putt. You want to concentrate on getting the ball to roll smoothly; this is done by making solid contact to the ball with your putter. Your goal is to get into a rhythm where your putt strikes the ball smoothly through the path of the club.

Smart Practice: Finding Your Swing

Have you ever hit a few practice shots that seemed to suffer from the same push or pull, and no matter what you did to fix it nothing seemed to alleviate the problem? The solution is as simple as just letting everything be.

Finding your swing isn’t about practicing until you hit perfectly, but understanding your tendencies for that day. If your ball is consistently hitting left, don’t approach every hole anxious and focused on making a perfect swing-that’s a good way to mess up. Rather you must be confident that your shots will go left and simply aim right. Work it out on the driving range after the round and play the shot that your body is giving you during the round.

Research the Holes

Researching the course’s holes is an important tactical strategy and one that is often overlooked. You wouldn’t make a move in chess without analyzing your opponents pieces; you can’t expect to walk blindly onto a course and par every hole.

Those course planners and yardage boards are like cheat sheets for a high school math exam. You want take into account everything from the yardage to hazards. Use this information to formulate a plan for how you want to play each hole. This way you can avoid undesirable lies or situations that could potentially cost you a stroke.

Playing smart is the only way to see unbounded success in golf. Use these strategies and tactics to analyze and overcome your weaknesses on the course as you progress to the next level of your game!