Stretching It Out For Golfers Over 50

Every golfer needs to be sure that they stretch before they play golf, but it is even more essential for a golfer that is over 50 years old to stretch before playing or hitting practice golf balls.  Stretching will enable you to play better and allow you to play longer.  Finding the right stretching program will help you to be looser and allow you to play golf to the best of your ability.

If you’ve ever been to a professional golf tournament and watched the pros warm up, you’ll notice they all stretch on the driving range and loosen up on the first tee. This is particularly noticeable on the senior circuit of the Champions Tour. Whether they are playing competitive golf or practicing, you will find that they will always stretch.  This is just as important to you and your game, too.  Stretching warms up your body to play golf and it will decrease your chance of being injured. So what are some stretching programs that you should consider?

Yoga is one stretching program that many golfers are turning to. Many PGA Tour and Champions Tour pros are turning to yoga to help condition their bodies and improve their flexibility. Yoga builds up muscles and stretches them, so you will find that it can allow you to swing the club better and more fluidly. If you have been looking for a way to condition your body to help your golf game, yoga can be a great choice to stretch out your body.

If you want to go more old school, you can stretch the different parts of your body.  From arm stretches to neck stretches to leg stretches and more, you’ll find that there are many different stretches that you can do to help make your swing have better rhythm and tempo.  By stretching before your round and doing stretches daily, you will help your muscles to become stronger and make your golf game more competitive.

If you’re in a rush, a couple of easy stretches that you can do on the golf course include:

• Take a couple of your shorter clubs (like an 8-iron and 9-iron) and hold them both together. Now swing a three-quarter golf swing and full follow through. Do this 10-15 times. This extra weight added to your natural golf swing will loosen up your swing muscles very quickly.
• Grab a longer iron (like a 5-iron) and hold it over your head with one hand on the grip and the other on the club face. Spread your legs wider than shoulder width apart. Now pull your shoulders back as far as they will go and hold for 15 seconds. Next, lean over from the hips and push the club towards the ground. Hold for 15 seconds. Repeat this sequence 3 times.
• Using the same club and grip with your 5-iron, hold the club your in front of you at shoulder height. Twist as far as you can to the right and hold for 15 seconds. Now twist as far as you can to the left and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat this sequence 3 times.

These three simple stretching exercises will get your swing muscles loosened up in less than 5 minutes. Now your body will be warm and fluid, ready to hit some practice balls or tee it up on the first tee.

Due to the fact that you are over 50 and more susceptible to some injuries, you will want to be sure that you have a stretching program in place.  Stretching should be an essential part of your golf routine to allow you to warm your body and help your swing be more fluid and comfortable.  Whether you choose to use stretches that you learned in yoga or you use a tried and true stretching routine, you will want to be sure to consistently stretch before playing and between rounds to stay flexible.  Stretch it out and watch your golf scores decrease and your health improve.

How do you stay loose and warm when playing golf? Share your favorite stretching program, yoga program, or pre-round stretches in our comment section.

For a great stretching DVD, check out Mike Pederson’s 7 Minutes Golf Stretching DVD.

How to Strengthen Your Hands and Forearms for Golf

As golfers age over the age of 50, more attention needs to be paid to the risk of golf injury. A painful and fairly common injury for senior golfers can be to the elbow or wrist. A good way to avoid injury to the elbow or wrist is to work on strengthening your hands and forearms.

Obviously, your hands and forearms are important in control of your club throughout the swing. As you strengthen your hands and forearms, you’ll improve your game by being able to keep the club face square through tough lies like thick rough.

Exercising your hands and forearms is pretty easy and it’s something you can do throughout the day. You’ve probably seen those ‘stress balls’ – the little rubber balls or the tension-relieving ‘hand huggers’. Try to find one that is a little tougher rather than ‘spongey’.

Simply carry the stress ball around with you and squeeze it repeatedly. You can work on your strength while at your desk, taking a walk, driving your car, or watching TV. Work on both hands and give a little extra focus on your weaker hand and forearm (if you’re right-handed, work a bit on your left hand and forearm more so than your stronger right hand).

It won’t be long before you start to feel the build up of strength and it will translate to the course for you. While today’s hybrid clubs swing through the rough much easier than a 4 or 5 iron, you will find improvement in your ball flight from these tougher lies by building up this strength.

Go get a stress ball today and take some stress out of those tough lies from thick rough!