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The 60 and over Thread

Iceman! said:
Mine was Boston at the Chicago Stadium 3/1977.
I may have seen Uriah Heep/Jethro Tull in 1978 at the Stadium as well..

Tull played in Chicago Stadium 11 times from 72'-78'
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Well, I go way back. I was a musician and was really into the early days of what is now known as classic rock. In 1969 I went to Woodstock and saw many great bands. I am a longtime Deadhead and the first of many times I saw the Grateful Dead was at Woodstock. My interest was in many of the early San-Francisco-based groups (the Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, etc) and a number of the Brits (the Beatles, Stones, Moody Blues, Cream, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, the Kinks, etc). I also am a big fan of the Allman Brothers and The Band.

Prior to that I saw The Byrds with Roger McGuinn, Neil Diamond, Guess Who, Buckinghams, and some of the pop "radio groups" that would come to play locally.

Wow! This topic dredges up some memories.
 
I lived in New York during Woodstock, but had no interest in going. Too much bad weather, too much drugs, too many people as it was a mob back then. I had no interest at all. Plus I had a wife and child as well and was just starting a business.
 
Frank Zappa, Allman Brothers Band, David Crosby & Graham Nash, Doobie Brothers Band in the 70’s.
In 2011, my son and I took a trip to the R&R Hall of Fame in Cleveland and on the way home caught a Jeff Beck concert in Ann Arbor. Talk about a blast from the past!
 
Was at the Grateful Dead, Marshall Tucker and New Riders of the Purple Sage concert in Englishtown, NJ, 1977. I wasn't into the Dead at the time. But, now l love their music reliving it through Sirius radio!
 
Playung 36 holes with GD Captain @MattyD-MPLS , @djt311 , and @Daluteh Hope this old man can keep up with the youngsters after working in 90+ degree heat all week. Can't wait to meet and play together. Playing a great course, The Meadows in Prior Lake.
 
Golfever said:
Playung 36 holes with GD Captain @MattyD-MPLS , @djt311 , and @Daluteh Hope this old man can keep up with the youngsters after working in 90+ degree heat all week. Can't wait to meet and play together. Playing a great course, The Meadows in Prior Lake.
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You have MavPower! Of course you can keep up.
 
stevegp said:
Well, I go way back. I was a musician and was really into the early days of what is now known as classic rock. In 1969 I went to Woodstock and saw many great bands. I am a longtime Deadhead and the first of many times I saw the Grateful Dead was at Woodstock. My interest was in many of the early San-Francisco-based groups (the Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, etc) and a number of the Brits (the Beatles, Stones, Moody Blues, Cream, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, the Kinks, etc). I also am a big fan of the Allman Brothers and The Band.

Prior to that I saw The Byrds with Roger McGuinn, Neil Diamond, Guess Who, Buckinghams, and some of the pop "radio groups" that would come to play locally.

Wow! This topic dredges up some memories.
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A friend of mine has been collecting music through purchase of music stores over the years. He asked me if I'd like some music. He said don't ask "if I have so and so" just ask for what you want. I wanted 1965-70 SanFrancisco, Laurel Canyon and London. That was my time. Your post covers my basis. I'm 68 now , still play that vinyl and stream that period, daily. There is enough stuff on line to do me my lifetime and then some.

I only wish I'd taken up golf during that period, lol. Started later in life and loving it. It's become a family obsession. We get out 50-60 times a year. The wife and I, her brother and his partner. A great vacation hobby.
 
Yes. That was a magical time of change both in society and music, and I believe that the music fueled much of the transition. I'm sure you and I could talk for hours about the music of that era.

I also took up golf later in life. I will be 70 on Friday, but I didn't start playing until 2003. I was dating a woman who played golf and couldn't believe I didn't play. She, like others, said that golf is the perfect game for me. I had been a baseball and basketball player and then became deeply interested in backpacking and being in the mountains. Long story short: I went out with her and played golf. The woman is long gone, but I have a burning passion for golf until this day. Since I am still working, I only get to play about 35-45 times a year.
 
I am having so much fun playing golf right now. We have had so much rain in North Texas, coupled with severe damage to our fairways from the "big freeze" that it has been cart path only for several weeks with no indication from the club as to when that will end. The course is so soft with puddles still being found in places even in the fairways which restricts distance if you happen to catch one in the air or roll into one. As a result, we have been playing from the "senior tees" which makes a couple of the par 5s reachable with two really, really good shots and only one par 4 longer than 400 (421) that is uphill all the way.

I can play from the whites, in total 800 yards longer, and still maintain my mid to low single digit handicap but it is based on differing parts of my game to do so. Playing from the "senior tees" has been so much fun I'm not sure I want to move back! I probably will as the guys I play with, one older, one 10 years younger and one my age (74), seem to prefer the whites. This despite the fact that I am longer off the tee than all of them including the guy 10 years younger who I would describe as bigger and stronger than me. He does hit his irons about a club longer but only occasionally can keep up with me with the driver. Maybe if the course dries out..........:D
 
This year, more than ever, I am finding some pretty large fluctuations in club speed. Some days, my drives are what I expect. Other days, I am 20 to 30 yards less than normal. I have really struggled to figure it out, but I think I have found a big piece to the puzzle.

When Phil won the PGA, he said that one of the things he had been working on was keeping the arc in his swing. It stuck with me. I played two rounds this weekend. The first, which actually was my better scoring round because my putter was on fire, I was in one of those days where I was coming up a good 20 yards less on my drives and needed one more club than normal on approaches.

That night, I was thinking about what Phil said. During the next round, my swing thought was to get good depth with my back swing. I am not talking about taking a longer back swing, just making sure I reached out with my left arm as. I was going back. Boom! Even though I was more stiff, my distance was back, by and large. I did not have one drive in my first round of more than 265. The second round, I had one drive of 300 yards that was not wind aided or that was not from an elevated tee.

All of us senior golfers need to focus on making a good turn and not letting our arms fold up, if that makes sense. I am kind of excited to have had this little epiphany. I am going to make it a focus going forward.
 
Phil75070 said:
I am having so much fun playing golf right now. We have had so much rain in North Texas, coupled with severe damage to our fairways from the "big freeze" that it has been cart path only for several weeks with no indication from the club as to when that will end. The course is so soft with puddles still being found in places even in the fairways which restricts distance if you happen to catch one in the air or roll into one. As a result, we have been playing from the "senior tees" which makes a couple of the par 5s reachable with two really, really good shots and only one par 4 longer than 400 (421) that is uphill all the way.

I can play from the whites, in total 800 yards longer, and still maintain my mid to low single digit handicap but it is based on differing parts of my game to do so. Playing from the "senior tees" has been so much fun I'm not sure I want to move back! I probably will as the guys I play with, one older, one 10 years younger and one my age (74), seem to prefer the whites. This despite the fact that I am longer off the tee than all of them including the guy 10 years younger who I would describe as bigger and stronger than me. He does hit his irons about a club longer but only occasionally can keep up with me with the driver. Maybe if the course dries out..........:D
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There is a lot to be said for an efficient driver swing. Many times, I keep up with people who have much more club speed, simply because I have worked to maximize what I have and get pretty ideal launch and spin. It sounds like you do the same.
 
Tenputt said:
This year, more than ever, I am finding some pretty large fluctuations in club speed. Some days, my drives are what I expect. Other days, I am 20 to 30 yards less than normal. I have really struggled to figure it out, but I think I have found a big piece to the puzzle.

When Phil won the PGA, he said that one of the things he had been working on was keeping the arc in his swing. It stuck with me. I played two rounds this weekend. The first, which actually was my better scoring round because my putter was on fire, I was in one of those days where I was coming up a good 20 yards less on my drives and needed one more club than normal on approaches.

That night, I was thinking about what Phil said. During the next round, my swing thought was to get good depth with my back swing. I am not talking about taking a longer back swing, just making sure I reached out with my left arm as. I was going back. Boom! Even though I was more stiff, my distance was back, by and large. I did not have one drive in my first round of more than 265. The second round, I had one drive of 300 yards that was not wind aided or that was not from an elevated tee.

All of us senior golfers need to focus on making a good turn and not letting our arms fold up, if that makes sense. I am kind of excited to have had this little epiphany. I am going to make it a focus going forward.
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Good stuff Tenputt. I tend to collapse on the backswing, it's easy to get lazy or blame it on being stiff. Also, I am trying to get a flatter swing. I tend to get the club VERY vertical on the backswing and I think this is the reason I am struggling with my new driver. Does anyone have any tips to flatten the back swing?
 
Take some practice swings with the clubhead about 2 feet off the ground.
 
My instructor used to put a quarter about two feet behind the tee'd ball. He had me trying to make sure the club head moved over that quarter, on the takeaway. I wasn't always sure why he had me do certain drills (I really didn't care as long as it helped the ball flight) but looking back I think it helped me from getting to steep on the backswing.
 
Tenputt said:
There is a lot to be said for an efficient driver swing. Many times, I keep up with people who have much more club speed, simply because I have worked to maximize what I have and get pretty ideal launch and spin. It sounds like you do the same.
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Not enough can be said about efficiency of the driver swing. I often will play my 4 wood because I hit it almost as far and at times as far as the guys and sometimes even farther than others. The thing is my second shot locations are so much better than my normal driver shots.

I am still working on getting my driver more consistent. I have a decent swing speed (average around 95+) and often will hit the driver 225-280, but I am still not consistent enough in distance and aim to satisfy me. Currently hitting my 4 wood around 220-250 and with decent consistency, so that says it all IMO.

Looked at my stats the other day and was amazed at the difference in FIRs with the 4w versus the driver. I almost cannot believe it, but it was easy to see what was working the best in the last several rounds.
 
Have any of you switched to graphite in their irons, maybe played it for years, and gone back to steel? If so, what have you noticed in regard to performance?
 
Earlier this year I went to graphite in all clubs (Recoil 80s in my irons and 95s in wedges) in order to get clubs which were easier on the joints and lighter overall. During the fitting process (for my Ping G710s) Jon at Spargo Golf made it clear that graphite iron shafts have come a long way since the ones in my Titleist DCIs years ago and he wasn't kidding. I am pleased with the results and have no intention of going back to steel in anything,
 
Phil75070 said:
Have any of you switched to graphite in their irons, maybe played it for years, and gone back to steel? If so, what have you noticed in regard to performance?
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Graphite in everything but my putter. Putter would be fine, but no need to change it as you don't swing it full swing (at least I don't) :ROFLMAO:
 
Phil75070 said:
Have any of you switched to graphite in their irons, maybe played it for years, and gone back to steel? If so, what have you noticed in regard to performance?
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I’ve been playing graphite in everything but my wedges (Callaway MD5 52-56-60). Decided to try graphite in the wedges. 20 rounds in to the experiment and I’m going back to steel.
 
Luchnia said:
Graphite in everything but my putter. Putter would be fine, but no need to change it as you don't swing it full swing (at least I don't) :ROFLMAO:
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My Ping Anser 5 has a steel shaft too, but I've started messing around with a Stroke Lab which has a shaft made out of graphite and steel ;). We'll see what happens.
 
Buckeyegolfnut said:
Take some practice swings with the clubhead about 2 feet off the ground.
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Buckeyegolfnut,

I think this is really good advice. Although, I have tried this before years ago. Something just clicked this time. By swinging two feet above the ground, it puts me perfectly on plane and the bonus was a beautiful shoulder turn-getting the target shoulder behind the ball. It will take some time to make this happen automatically and groove it. But, I think you are on to something. Thanks!
 
OP checking in for the first time in a while… Im happy to see this thread staying active, a lot more than I’ve been the last few months. Very nice job keeping this going guys! 👍
Ive read through what I missed, and I see I’m not alone in what I’ve been going through.
First my back flared up, that put me out of commission for almost 3 months without golf.
Just before that, I’d begun to notice a loss of distance for the first time, and I think over swinging in an effort to combat that may have played a role with the back issues.
Then just a two weeks ago I began a complete overhaul of my bag, going senior flex in my driver and irons. I just picked up my matching 3,4,5 Mavrik hybrids today. The new Ping driver went in the bag for the first time also. That leaves just my FW, and I’m not sure whether to reshaft or get a new one. Probably the former, as I can’t see spending $300 more on a club I use hardly at all.
Anyway, the handicap has been soaring, I hope the new setup gets me back close to where I was. I’m playing the green tees about half the time now, but to be honest it hasn’t really affected my scoring much.
One final note, I’ve struggled physically for a while when playing in cold weather, but today was the first day in the 10 years I’ve been in SC the heat got to me. I’ve seen it happen to lot of guys I play with, so I knew to stop right away. Another issue, yay.
So that covers it, I think I’ve run the senior “gamut” lately. A little bit of everything seems to be happening all of a sudden. What’s funny is I just had a checkup, and everything was great. Best blood work I can remember. 67 will be here in 10 days though, and I guess “good” is relative. I’m planning on returning to the gym after a long hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, so hopefully things start turning around a bit.
In my head I still feel 21, it’s my body that reminds me I’m not,
Keep posting and plugging away, my friends!
 
SC LEFTY said:
OP checking in for the first time in a while… Im happy to see this thread staying active, a lot more than I’ve been the last few months. Very nice job keeping this going guys! 👍
Ive read through what I missed, and I see I’m not alone in what I’ve been going through.
First my back flared up, that put me out of commission for almost 3 months without golf.
Just before that, I’d begun to notice a loss of distance for the first time, and I think over swinging in an effort to combat that may have played a role with the back issues.
Then just a two weeks ago I began a complete overhaul of my bag, going senior flex in my driver and irons. I just picked up my matching 3,4,5 Mavrik hybrids today. The new Ping driver went in the bag for the first time also. That leaves just my FW, and I’m not sure whether to reshaft or get a new one. Probably the former, as I can’t see spending $300 more on a club I use hardly at all.
Anyway, the handicap has been soaring, I hope the new setup gets me back close to where I was. I’m playing the green tees about half the time now, but to be honest it hasn’t really affected my scoring much.
One final note, I’ve struggled physically for a while when playing in cold weather, but today was the first day in the 10 years I’ve been in SC the heat got to me. I’ve seen it happen to lot of guys I play with, so I knew to stop right away. Another issue, yay.
So that covers it, I think I’ve run the senior “gamut” lately. A little bit of everything seems to be happening all of a sudden. What’s funny is I just had a checkup, and everything was great. Best blood work I can remember. 67 will be here in 10 days though, and I guess “good” is relative. I’m planning on returning to the gym after a long hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, so hopefully things start turning around a bit.
In my head I still feel 21, it’s my body that reminds me I’m not,
Keep posting and plugging away, my friends!
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Great thread, SC Lefty! Thx. If you have any tips to calm a bad back, we're all ears :). Also, more hybrids the better I say or hybrid irons, looking forward to the next HB Turbo irons coming out later this year.
 
I played 9 today, started out terrible. Lost ball on my drive, no one saw it. Second hole same thing, went back to old swing. Caught a great drive down the middle, still only 230, but in the short grass. Hit my irons pretty good, but putting was bad. Last week heat and humidty did me in, stopped playing on # 8. So I know how youfeel SC Lefty. Heat and humidty the rest of week, so golf is on hold.
 
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