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The 60 and over Thread

Grand Stranded

Grand Stranded

Keep grinding… you never know
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N. Myrtle Beach, SC
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I'm 66 years old, and playing to a 12.8 handicap. I'm currently playing white tees, but I know there are quite a few courses where I should move up a tee. Any course over 6200 is a long haul for me now. I'd love it if this thread becomes a place for others like me to get together and talk golf.
It gets very tiring reading on golf forums about guys hitting 270 yard 3 woods and 160 yard nine irons. Don't even get me started with their driving distances. I realize most of it is nothing more than "internet golfers" looking to impress people they don't know. That stuff doesn't do a thing for me, and even when true, it is nothing I can relate to.
I'm guessing most of you who are 60 and older feel the same way, and have checked that part of your ego at the door years ago. I'm hoping you would like a place where you can talk about your game amongst peers. You still play well, or aspire to, and want to keep improving and talk to others like yourself about your round.
I also think most of you would like a thread where you can talk to players you can relate to about equipment you are using and or looking for, without someone telling you about their 14* 130 gram X-flex steel shafted driving iron they hit 260 on "short" par fours.
Have you tried a 5 hybrid? Play a 7 wood? What's your bag set up? Wondering about a certain shaft? Maybe you're thinking about changing shaft flex? Do you play in leagues with others, if so how did you do this week?
These are the type of things we can talk about.
Hope some of you other gents feel the same way... feel free to talk about whatever interests you.
 
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I will add a 6 to the front number of my age in December, LOL. I am going to fight giving in to the aging process as long as I can. Joking aside, the key is to do what makes us happy in golf. Don’t worry about what others are doing, how they are playing or what equipment they have. That should be part of being 60 or older, not having to worry about what others think anymore.
 
I just came back to the game at age 59, 3 years ago. So I had no illusions about keeping up with the youngsters. My goal is always to try to play better “for me”. Courses around 6,000 yards + or - are best for my game.

Today I played with 3 young guys - one played the black tees and the other two played from blue while I hit off the white tees. They all could hit it a mile compared to me. But they were in the trees or across the cart path all day. I kept up with them just by hitting it down the middle. Boring maybe, but it works.


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I'm putting a 5 hybrid in the bag tomorrow for the first time, which is what made me think of starting this thread. I haven't even hit a practice ball with it yet. LOL. I like my 3 and 4, so I simply got the matching 5.
Why?
I played Tuesday and was in a shallow fairway bunker about 160-165 yards from the green. The bigger problem was there was water about 80 yards in front of me, and I needed to carry the ball at least 140 to clear it.
Somehow I managed to make better than decent contact, and ended up just off the green about 30 feet from the pin. I was very happy about the shot, but what I really took from it was how unlikely that outcome would be in most cases for me. When I got over the ball, I couldn't stop thinking of the things that could go wrong. I even thought quite hard about laying up with a SW. I thought to myself how much easier it would be to pull off with a high lofted hybrid instead.
That shot stuck in my head for two days, and yesterday I went and got myself that 5 hybrid. I'm not going to lie, I felt a little sad about doing it, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to regret it. It sort of reminds me of when I decided to switch from steel to graphite in my irons...
 
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I'm 62, usually play whatever tees are around 6000, that's usually whites, although there are a few courses around here that have shortened the whites to around 5500, with blues around 6200, so if they don't have combos I'll play the blues. Never carried a 5 hybrid or 7 wood, although I've usually carried a 4 wood instead of a 3, and right now I've replaced the 4 wood with a 2 hybrid just to see how that might work out. I usually play with guys 10 - 15 years younger than me, we play from the same tees, and they usually outdrive me by a pretty good bit, although with the irons we are very often hitting the same clubs.

I just want to keep playing as much as I can, right now that's usually once a week, for as long as I can. Golf is hard, always has been, but that's what I like about it, and sometimes what I hate about it (but not very often or for very long). :drinks:
 
I'll be 63 in 5 weeks. I guess I'm still in the fairly long category for my age partly due to having strong hands and long arms, and the awesome selection of shafts that are available today.

I haven't lost much swing speed, but my muscles remind me every day that I can't just jump out of the truck, lace em up, and go smash it. To be very honest, I still have days where "my brain is writing checks that my body can't cash" But I'm getting better at toning it down. ;)

I struggled with feeling the putter head on some days as I got older and started getting really jerky with my stroke, so I adopted a more modern "shoulders and arm stroke" in place of my old popping stroke and it's works pretty nice for the most part.

Remember the old saying? "the legs are the first to go" I am finding out that there is some truth to this and I will be doing the exercise bike every day while my wrist heals, and will continue with it.

My old setup 10 years ago was a driver & 2-SW and it worked for me. Now it's Driver, 3 wood, 21 hybrid, 4-PW in much lighter shafts except for the SW. I may even drop the 4 iron pretty soon, but I like having at least one long iron where I can open the face to escape from trouble because hybrids are a real PITA for me to slice and keep the ball low at the same time.
 
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Pushing 75 here. Have trouble relating to a lot of things in this forum because of the age difference. Didn't start playing until age 61 then spent several trying to correct a banana slice. Can play decent at about 5200 yards and struggle at 5500 yards. When you are a short hitter it takes longer to get to the hole. Even at my age most of the people I play with are older than I am in one group.
 
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Tenputt said:
I will add a 6 to the front number of my age in December
Click to expand...

I will be 60 this December as well.

I have nothing for respect for those who can play this game well without the crazy distance that seems so common. I've witnessed older folks who hit shorter and are still able to kick butt. It appeared to me that precision with every club in the bag and excellent short game and putting skills are absolutely necessary. That said, there are also older folks who can still bomb it and hats off to those folks as well.

I picked up the game at 50 and my goal has always been to enjoy the game as I grow older. I've always enjoyed sports and golf seems to be the perfect game for this old, social misfit. While I have at times been as consumed by distance as everyone else, the "plan" had been to develop a swing and practice regiment that is body-friendly, and a game built around the inevitable <200 yards drives. As I approach 60, the need for those things is becoming painfully obvious - more so this year than any other.

As far as equipment, I switched to graphite shafts on the irons this year and initially was hitting one to two clubs longer. I found that wasn't as important as trusting what distance I would get from shot to shot. I'm currently working on slowing everything down and feel that is going to bring better consistency. (Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face - Mike Tyson)

Any disappointments I have about this game have everything to do about the lack quality and almost nothing to do with a lack of distance.
 
We talking front or back nine score?
 
Age is just a number.....hahaha....my 300 yard drives go about 240 now
 
Yeah! A thread I can really relate to. 65 years old. Always the short hitter in most groups I play with.

Went graphic in my irons two years ago and this year was fitted with “A” flex in my 0211 irons. Not a negative as I’m possibly hitting the ball better than ever. Tried a 45g Even Flow Red in the driver. Dang, that this is easy to hit. And picked up a few yards as well. So threw one into my 3wood.

Driver carries about 190 tops. Can roll out to 220ish with hard summer baked fairways. 7 iron carries 134.

Current bag setup (always in flux)
Rogue 10.5
St190 3W
ST190 5W
CLK 19 3H
CLK 22 4H adj 24
0211 6-PW
S18 50, 54
SM7 58
V-Line Fang CH (in tug a war with Ping Sigma G)


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61, I carry a 7 wood for trouble shots and longer Par 3's it is just a fun club to hit.
 
I’m 65 and a half, and just started playing again after a very, very long layoff. I was so surprised at all the changes that have come in the last 20 years starting with why do I now hit it so short, when all the younger guys hit it so far? Losing all that distance seems to be the only drawback to getting older. The positives about it are I now have much more time to play, I have more money to be able to afford to play, courses have senior rates and seniors tees. Because I hadn’t kept up with all the changes in club technology, I’ve had to learn fast. THP has been a huge help in that regard. Before this summer, the last time I’d played golf, there wasn’t even much of an internet to get information from. I’ll be a regular on this AARP thread.
 
I was occasionally playing the white tees when I was 66 and it wasn't a lot of fun. At 73 I'm now on the Senior tees and the game is more enjoyable, at least for me, knowing I can reach some par 4's with a mid iron or nice hybrid. My foursome is all made up of guys in our 70's except for one who is 92 (and who has been shooting his age for the last 20 years).
I'm thankful that I can still swing and play this great game at my age, and hope for a lot more years on the golf course.
 
I just returned from a little short game practice. Pitching, chipping and putting.

At my age it's important to stay in some sort of golf shape. This is why I try and do something with a golf club most days of the week.

As for course yardages,I can still play well from up to 6600 yards, but will occasionally tackle longer courses.

Reading about others moving up a tee box is now on my radar. I will be doing this too. 6000-6200 still sounds like a good test.

The biggest issue I see with multiple tee boxes is that a lot of courses don't really have much distance between those tee boxes. A lot of times It's less than 10 yards between them.
 
I play 9 holes with my dad twice a week, he is 78 years old, He shot a 39 with me last week. He also walks 9 holes every Monday with his buddy who is 79.
 
67 here. This is my 9th year.

Last year picked up a used set of ping eye 2's to go with my age. lol

Still walking 18 holes.

Try to walk, do some push up's , planks, stretching and ball free swings every day. Plus an hour of Dick's Picks.

As the saying goes "If I keep Trucking", I'll keep Truckin'"
 
I'll be 66 in a couple of days and I am still enjoying the game. Typically I play off of the white tees (6,201 yards) but if some of my playing partners prefer to play off of the senior tees (5,475) or the reds (5,392). Surprisingly my scores are about the same regardless of which tees we play from which is a bit of a head scratcher. When I do score lower from the forward tees it's usually not more than a couple of strokes.
 
I can move up to the senior tees in two years and 5 weeks according to my associations bylaws. I keep reminding the guys about it just to egg them on, and they keep telling me "no chance in hell"

The bass-turds :ROFLMAO: will keep me at the middle tee's and are already talking about moving me back to the blue tee's if I drop another stroke with my GHIN.
 
@MonroeBob1955 You've got me nervous, LOL. Your distances sound very similar to mine.
I have an order of 0211's 5-AW with the MMT 70 shafts coming this Tuesday. I did a phone fitting, and wanted to try A flex for the first time. I gave him my yardages, and he said the fact that I live and play most of my golf in an area that is right around sea level made him think I'd be okay sticking with Regular. Now I checked and see you live in Louisiana... :eek:
 
Glad to see so many of you like the idea of this thread so far. Here's my WITB
PING G 400 Max Alta reg
Rogue 15* Quaranta 50
Rogue X 3&4 hybrids Synergy 60
PXG 0211 5-GW MMT 70 coming in 3 days, will replace Rogue X with Synergy
PING Glide 3.0 54* 58*
Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide
I also have a Epic Flash 10.5* w/Bassara, Rogue 5 wood 19* w/Quaranta 50, Rogue X 5 hybrid (one round in) a Yes! Tracy(old reliable) and Evnroll ER5 Hatchback which I'm breaking in.
 
The 5 hybrid was a nice addition to the bag today.
The first shot with it was eerily similar to the one that made me to decide to buy it. It was in another bunker, almost the exact yardage as the one I described in my OP where I used a 5 iron, only this time instead of water, I had to carry a very big, deep bunker.
I hit it solid, but It was lower than I expected. I didn't think it would carry the bunker, and might plug in the face. Luckily it barely did, and it stopped about 8 feet from the pin. I missed the birdie putt, just like I seemingly missed every other putt today...
The only other time I hit it was on our 16th hole, a 155 yard par 3, that's usually my 6 iron, but I wanted to hit the hybrid off a tee.. I had no idea how far I could hit it, and choked down a bit. I never judge that properly. The ball came off just how I imagined, high and straight, on the green but about 20 feet short.
Early days obviously, but man this thing is so much easier to hit than a 5 iron... so far so good.
 
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