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Getting older and golf

Things that have helped me ...

Things that have helped me ...

I'm 58 and it's really mystifying to me where the time went. :confused2: Still feel 30 inside but the body will definitely let me know I'm not. Luckily, I don't have any lingering injuries or ailments (knock on wood) but had a bout of sciatica last year which woke me up a bit about warming up, etc. I still walk & carry (have always like it, go figure) which really helps keep my body loose during a round, especially on those chilly mornings, and helps maintain a good swing rhythm and some fitness.

After the sciatica I searched for something that would help strengthen my back and found Foundation Training. It's an awesome program that has really helped - I've had no recurrence since doing these exercises! And, on top of that, I haven't had to take any pre or post round Ibuprofen since I made this a regular part of my day. Even before the sciatica I was on the ibuprofen train big time.
You can just do the very basic exercises, see below, or you can delve deeper if you want, there's a whole DVD with tons of stuff:

Start by doing this one daily, then work up to a couple times a day to strengthen and stretch. I use it on the course if I'm waiting too.


I did the above daily for a month before trying this one. If you can get all the way through the first time you're a better man than me :bulgy-eyes:


I've always been a big proponent of stretching, but as I got older regular stretching wasn't doing much for me and there's studies out now that show static stretching can actually limit your performance instead of enhancing it. I was doing yoga for a while, which helped a lot, but was not working for me after the sciatica. I found this DYNAMIC STRETCHING routine last winter and do it before every round or any hiking, biking, etc. It has made all the difference in how I feel when I get to the course. It looks kind of goofy but it works!

[video=youtube;yIvB-YtcJkc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvB-YtcJkc[/video]

I average about 275-280 off the tee (at altitude) and now there's not a shot or lie on the course that I'm afraid will hurt something if I attempt it.

I hope this might help some of you as much as it has me. Ciao!
 
At 53 I am having the first noticeable loss in distance over the last few months. Maybe half a club with the irons, 10 or so yards with driver. Could be a swing issue, since I am also hitting the ball higher typically with the irons. Changed a few things with the driver after a recent lesson. Having said that, I am playing better than I ever have and straighter with everything but the driver. Been close to breaking 80 off and on recently, including Friday playing from 6,800 yards. Undone by a couple of 3 putts and a bad fairway wood shot.

I workout 3-4 days a week. But now I do have to try and make sure I have at least one recovery day between a hard workout and when I plan a round of golf. That is especially true of long range sessions. They affect me more than the workouts. Thoracic spine gets tight, elbow hurts, and notice fatigue and tightness in my hips after a session. So now hardest workouts are either on a Monday or Tuesday, and have the more moderate ones closer to the weekend when I hope to on the course. Also making a conscious effort to have shorter, more efficient range sessions. Helps both mentally and physically since I try and leave still hitting the ball decent and not being affected by fatigue. And I can spend more time on the under 100 yard shots.
 
I like this thread! Some good info coming from you old coots ?


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Ole Gray said:
I like this thread! Some good info coming from you old coots ?


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Click to expand...
Hey, I resemble that remark
 
Ole Gray said:
Question for you old coots: With some of these ailments you fight with, do you find it hard to start your swing with your shoulders? For me if I'm not careful, I start it with the arms and that ends up getting everything out of sync and duck hooks fly like it's hunting season :beat-up:
Click to expand...

Not anymore, in my last round of PT the therapists not only did an adjustment of my lower back and gave me exercises, they looked at my golf swing and taught me how to swing and how to walk. It's amazing how much difference it makes on my back and my hip.
 
Lefty78 said:
Not anymore, in my last round of PT the therapists not only did an adjustment of my lower back and gave me exercises, they looked at my golf swing and taught me how to swing and how to walk. It's amazing how much difference it makes on my back and my hip.
Click to expand...

Wow buddy that sounds awesome! I might have to look into that in a couple of months .


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Lefty78 said:
Not anymore, in my last round of PT the therapists not only did an adjustment of my lower back and gave me exercises, they looked at my golf swing and taught me how to swing and how to walk. It's amazing how much difference it makes on my back and my hip.
Click to expand...

I think I need to come see your therapists. It's a shame I don't live up there any more.
 
I stopped doing this but plan on starting it up again. This is a TW tip and it worked wonders for me. To warm up first hit you wedges. They are the heaviest clubs in your bag and you swing slower with them than other clubs. So every time I went to the course I grabbed my shag bag and hit about 40-50 wedge shots. Then I putted, went to the range for a small bucket to finish the warm-up and off I went. I was well warmed up to play with that routine. Now I am older it's more important to continue this warm-up.
BTW, it had a side effect of drastically improving my chipping. Getting old is NOT for the weak.
 
Ole Gray said:
Wow buddy that sounds awesome! I might have to look into that in a couple of months .


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Click to expand...

Every guy he has worked with at the club have had similar results. When my doc prescribed the rehab, it would have been over two months to see Tom Boers but I took an appointment with an intern that he was training. So she would check me out then he would do the same thing, everything was duplicated. He has worked with about 40 pros, I read somewhere. He used to be in Columbus before moving to Dalton. So if you can get a referral, ask for Lori it will be about a week instead of two or three months.

v.man said:
I think I need to come see your therapists. It's a shame I don't live up there any more.
Click to expand...

Hey, fly in for therapy. haha Mickelson flew in from California at the beginning of the 2014 season. Here is a good read, a little about Phil and more about back pain in golfers: http://www.golftoday.co.uk/global_golf_post/2014/pain_in_the_back.html
 
Thanks for the info Don and no doubt you have found a gold mine in the relief department ?


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parsaver said:
I stopped doing this but plan on starting it up again. This is a TW tip and it worked wonders for me. To warm up first hit you wedges. They are the heaviest clubs in your bag and you swing slower with them than other clubs. So every time I went to the course I grabbed my shag bag and hit about 40-50 wedge shots. Then I putted, went to the range for a small bucket to finish the warm-up and off I went. I was well warmed up to play with that routine. Now I am older it's more important to continue this warm-up.
BTW, it had a side effect of drastically improving my chipping. Getting old is NOT for the weak.
Click to expand...

Thats alwyas my plan for warming up. Start with wedges because one of my favorite drills to get the body moving is the feet together and that gets me out of arm swings right off the hop. As my usuall place just has a net next to the putting green I will go wedges, putting, irons, chipping and long putts, big clubs, 5' and shorter putts (watch lots of putts drop before I start).

For occasional aches and pains and soreness Voltaren Emulgel works really well for me. That and a Canadian product called LaKota topical back pain reliever. It has menthol and capsaicin for active ingredients. Good stuff and it warms when you get in the shower the next day and a little stretching usually lossenes things up.

Last but not least, the shower in the morning is a great opportunity for stretching. Its easy to loosen up when everything is warm.
 
I am 52 and on the "pop 2 Ibuprofen and go play golf" plan. It works.
 
JMN57 said:
Thanks - I'll give some Glucosamine a try.
Click to expand...

59 Years old here. In the past 12 years have had 2 cortisone shots in left shoulder, 2 in right, 1 in left hip and now have a calcified Achilles tendon on one heel. Started Osteo Biflex triple strength joint health 2 years ago on my Orthopedic's doctors rec. 2 every morning. It takes maybe 9-12 months to realize you are not having any more severe joint pain.
I can play 18 every day now where in the past needed a day off between rounds. Try Osteo Biflex (not generics) and see how you feel after 6-12 months.
Good luck.
 
Condorll said:
59 Years old here. In the past 12 years have had 2 cortisone shots in left shoulder, 2 in right, 1 in left hip and now have a calcified Achilles tendon on one heel. Started Osteo Biflex triple strength joint health 2 years ago on my Orthopedic's doctors rec. 2 every morning. It takes maybe 9-12 months to realize you are not having any more severe joint pain.
I can play 18 every day now where in the past needed a day off between rounds. Try Osteo Biflex (not generics) and see how you feel after 6-12 months.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Condorll - thanks for sharing. One thing that is difficult is to start a regimen that takes time (months) to show progress. Getting feedback from someone who has stuck with the process and seen the benefits is immensely useful.

I did take a Vicodin Saturday night before a round yesterday in Chicago. Gotta say my body feels much better after having done so. I don't take them often but as a way of alleviating soreness/pain, they work for me. There are a lot of great suggestions on better preparation and preventive approaches that have been mentioned. Definitely some things to try!
 
I can tell you that after walking The Home Course that I could not move on Sunday night. I didn't even have the energy to take out the garbage. It'll have to wait until next week. Fortunately there was only one bag. Monday was iffy. I was sore all day. Today isn't bad.

Stretch, before the round and take Advil. Always carry Advil. At least my lower back wasn't killing me.. oh wait it was.

The problem with taking pain killers before a round is that if you get injured during the round you won't know it.

I have stock in KT Tape. And today I'll go to the gym and work my shoulders, back and abs. Gotta keep those long drives flying. Then I'll head to the driving range and work on my short game which absolutely stunk up the place. Don't know what good it'll do me.
 
If you have to take a narcotic so you can play golf the next day, something is seriously wrong.
 
Ok, at 53 that makes me a junior golfer in this thread.:alien: A career in the Army might have battered my body a bit, especially my knees. As I’ve matured I have noticed that cold and damp aren’t my friends anymore. I take2 pills daily containing a combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin which seems to help. Flexibility has always been an issue. I think I will have to try the Yoga for Golfers video. The P90X yoga that my wife does kicks my arse.

Question for the group: How in the world can you hurt yourself sleeping? Went to bed feeling fine, the next morning I couldn’t put weight on my right foot because the ankle hurt so bad. I hobbled around for a while and the pain went away. But seriously, while sleeping?
 
Wakit300 said:
I'm 58 and it's really mystifying to me where the time went. :confused2: Still feel 30 inside but the body will definitely let me know I'm not. Luckily, I don't have any lingering injuries or ailments (knock on wood) but had a bout of sciatica last year which woke me up a bit about warming up, etc. I still walk & carry (have always like it, go figure) which really helps keep my body loose during a round, especially on those chilly mornings, and helps maintain a good swing rhythm and some fitness.

After the sciatica I searched for something that would help strengthen my back and found Foundation Training. It's an awesome program that has really helped - I've had no recurrence since doing these exercises! And, on top of that, I haven't had to take any pre or post round Ibuprofen since I made this a regular part of my day. Even before the sciatica I was on the ibuprofen train big time.
You can just do the very basic exercises, see below, or you can delve deeper if you want, there's a whole DVD with tons of stuff:

Start by doing this one daily, then work up to a couple times a day to strengthen and stretch. I use it on the course if I'm waiting too.


I did the above daily for a month before trying this one. If you can get all the way through the first time you're a better man than me :bulgy-eyes:


I've always been a big proponent of stretching, but as I got older regular stretching wasn't doing much for me and there's studies out now that show static stretching can actually limit your performance instead of enhancing it. I was doing yoga for a while, which helped a lot, but was not working for me after the sciatica. I found this DYNAMIC STRETCHING routine last winter and do it before every round or any hiking, biking, etc. It has made all the difference in how I feel when I get to the course. It looks kind of goofy but it works!

[video=youtube;yIvB-YtcJkc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvB-YtcJkc[/video]

I average about 275-280 off the tee (at altitude) and now there's not a shot or lie on the course that I'm afraid will hurt something if I attempt it.

I hope this might help some of you as much as it has me. Ciao!
Click to expand...


Great post!
As a former ( longer ago than I care too remember ) personal trainer and individual approaching 50, I totally agree about stretching - but you have to do the right types. Static stretching has it's uses, but is seldom done correctly. And it should never be done before a round - it will turn off the CNS. Dynamic stretching is the way to go at that point. One of the biggest problems I see with static stretching ( and I have been guilty of this although I know better ) is when it is done without the muscles first being warmed up by a walk, light jog, or at least a hot shower. This often will lead to being even more sore than you were to begin with... especially if you stretch too far too fast.

As for me personally, it seems like the last year or two genetics have just caught up with me - degenerative discs in back and neck. ( Genetics, and 20+ years of basketball and heavy weight lifting - before I really starting playing this stupid game! ) I tore my plantar fascia 2 years ago, and since then, in the last year or so, I have had all kind of issues with my feet, which have now affected my knees - which never bothered me, even with all the sports I played. I have had orthotics, cortisone shot in my knee, etc. Nothing has been a tremendous help ( think the orthotics may have made things worse tbh ) - but I just deal with it. I take some Ibuprofen before playing, dynamic stretching and joint mobility stuff, and have at it.The worst part is that the issues with my feet have basically taken a lot of the things I like to do working out wise away - be lying if I said I wasn't a bit frustrated. And the long buddy trips with 7 rounds in 4 days, etc probably will never happen again - but there are little kids out there battling cancer that would love to have that be the worst of their problems.
 
Dayuuuummmmm there is some good reading in this thread!


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Ole Gray said:
Guys I had to take three ibuprofen and one tylenol from reading your posts in here .

Haha if any young bucks happen to check out this thread it will scare the pants off em !

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Click to expand...

Why did I click on this thread???

I've noticed that it's taken me longer to get my back loosened up for morning rounds than in the past. I've been thinking that I need a firmer bed..and to not get older than 35.
 
Your wat too young to be here.. Lol..
 
DufferToo said:
Ok, at 53 that makes me a junior golfer in this thread.:alien: A career in the Army might have battered my body a bit, especially my knees. As I’ve matured I have noticed that cold and damp aren’t my friends anymore. I take2 pills daily containing a combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin which seems to help. Flexibility has always been an issue. I think I will have to try the Yoga for Golfers video. The P90X yoga that my wife does kicks my arse.

Question for the group: How in the world can you hurt yourself sleeping? Went to bed feeling fine, the next morning I couldn’t put weight on my right foot because the ankle hurt so bad. I hobbled around for a while and the pain went away. But seriously, while sleeping?
Click to expand...

Foot is hard to understand but shoulders are easy. My brother is an orthopod and he wishes somebody had told us at a young age to not sleep on ones stomach. Outstretched arms and tossing and turning do a number on the shoulders. I try to sleep on my back but it is hard for me to not sleep on my side or stomach. I have a round "tube" pillow that works better than regular pillows.
 
JMN57 said:
Foot is hard to understand but shoulders are easy. My brother is an orthopod and he wishes somebody had told us at a young age to not sleep on ones stomach. Outstretched arms and tossing and turning do a number on the shoulders. I try to sleep on my back but it is hard for me to not sleep on my side or stomach. I have a round "tube" pillow that works better than regular pillows.
Click to expand...

Yea, I wish I could sleep on my back... I think it's probably the best way to sleep from an anatomical standpoint. Problem for me is, if I try to sleep on my back, I will just lie awake and think. For some reason I can't seem to turn off my brain in that position. Weird I know...
 
BIGBALL said:
Yea, I wish I could sleep on my back... I think it's probably the best way to sleep from an anatomical standpoint. Problem for me is, if I try to sleep on my back, I will just lie awake and think. For some reason I can't seem to turn off my brain in that position. Weird I know...
Click to expand...

Got the same problem.
 
I need to hang out in this thread. Turning 43 the end of the month and I feel like a young buck!

I have watched my father, who will be 72 this weekend, fall apart physically over the last decade. He does what he can, but his hip replacement surgery last year was a real struggle and even though he needs back surgery (would be his third) he won't get it unless he has no choice. His doctors have told him that at 72, he has the body on an 85 year old. He wants to play golf a lot more than his body will let him. The last couple of times we have played, he starts off fast but after 4-5 holes those pars become bogeys and after 9 holes he is done.

He's gotten a lot more sedentary in general, in large part because he doesn't have much in the way of a social life in Virginia. But he and my mom have bought a house here in our neighborhood in Michigan and will be up here starting in October. They plan to escape the Michigan winters and go back to Virginia during that time, but will be here for 7-8 months out of the year. I am hoping that being closer to me (I have no siblings) and his 4 grandchildren will help him as there is rarely time to sit around here!
 
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