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The 60 and over Thread

bkuehn1952 said:
Yes, moving radically forward has it pluses and minuses. A nearby city holds a men's golf championship. We "super seniors" (age 65 and up) play the most forward tees at 5,200-5,300 yards. One of the few times I can sort of feel like a pro. Driver wedge, reachable par 5's, playing a hybrid or 3-wood "for position" or to take trouble out of play. Have fun and tell us how you did in a couple weeks.
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Very little of this in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seniors are all but ignored. Even though our club is a large one, they don't have flights for seniors. Rarely are the seniors allowed to play anywhere but the tips, and the exceptions aren't for the seniors. They are events where everyone is using other tees. The age requirement for senior rates has been rising over the last 20 years to the point that most places you have to be age 62 or older. There are a few traveling clubs for seniors and they may play from more forward tees. But most of them are more social events than what would be described as a competitive league.
 
leftshot said:
... The age requirement for senior rates has been rising over the last 20 years to the point that most places you have to be age 62 or older...
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I remember two decades ago preparing to pay for golf for myself and my step son. The counter guy told me the amount that was due and I must have looked puzzled. He then said, "Our senior rates start at 50." I laughed and happily paid. 50? That is not a senior!! That opened my eyes, however, to the great deal seniors got for golf fees. If someone wanted to give me a senior discount, I was all for it. Fast forward 20 years and there are not a lot of places that call "50" senior as far as golf rates. Typically 60-62 is when most public access courses grant senior rates. Our senior club considers 50 as being eligible. The Mitten's state golf association draws the line at 55.
 
My golf friends and I are all around 70 and retired, which means we can play during the week when the senior discounts are available. The only snag in that plan is when my buddy's Son and his friends want to play. They're all still working and can only play on weekends. That's kind of when I gulp and break out the plastic!
 
Played golf yesterday, got behind a foursome that was slow and wouldn't let us play through. Couldn't get in my game mode, so it wasn't a good golf day. The weather was great, course was in rough shape. Try again on Tuesday, at home course.
 
So I had a second round of injections for my back on Tuesday. The first one worked ok but didn't last near as long as I hoped. I wonder if its because I went golfing too soon afterwards? Had it done on Tuesday. Went golfing on Thursday. They recommend no strenuous activity for a few days because the steroid tends to weaken the area until it sets in.

So this time I'm not doing anything till next week. I have a round planned for Tuesday. That should be plenty of time for the muscles to get their strength back. Hopefully this one lasts longer than the first one. I can have it done 3 times a year. But if it only last two months that leaves 6 months with no relief. The damage to the back is not something that can be corrected with surgery because its more of an degenerative arthritis thing.
 
charley48 said:
So I had a second round of injections for my back on Tuesday. The first one worked ok but didn't last near as long as I hoped. I wonder if its because I went golfing too soon afterwards? Had it done on Tuesday. Went golfing on Thursday. They recommend no strenuous activity for a few days because the steroid tends to weaken the area until it sets in.

So this time I'm not doing anything till next week. I have a round planned for Tuesday. That should be plenty of time for the muscles to get their strength back. Hopefully this one lasts longer than the first one. I can have it done 3 times a year. But if it only last two months that leaves 6 months with no relief. The damage to the back is not something that can be corrected with surgery because its more of an degenerative arthritis thing.
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FWIW, I am always skeptical of 'treatments' that address symptoms and not causes. So, I'm not a big fan of injections designed primarily to reduce pain. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if you are dealing with inflammation, stiffness, soft tissue injury, or something structural. But I'm one that is in favor of finding out and addressing the cause.
 
Okay, let's talk about some of the fun we get to have as senior players. One of mine is impressing the youngsters with the stuff we still can do.

Today I got to experience that again with a couple of mid-20-somethings. We got along great and had fun, which is the main thing at any age. But they kept marveling as I hit fairway after fairway, pin seekers on half my approach shots, four chip shots to kick in distance, and even managed to sink a couple of putts from distance despite greens that were punched earlier this week.

There are things that we can't do as well as before, but for many of us these are the things we can and even the young guys notice.
 
Older players are not the only ones that should be playing forward. How many times have you seen "da youts" playing tips when their second shot is from the forward tees? Have you ever joined a group of young randos that thought you were a semipro when you saved a few pars? That is real fun.
 
1860VS said:
I mostly play with guys a lot younger than I, and a couple of them can really bang it. They like to have a couple short par 4's they can drive very close to, if not on. We generally play the tees that are in the 6400-6500 yard range, regardless of slope. A good number of courses aren't even that long, so we play from the tips. There are a couple courses in the 6,000 yard range that take the driver out of even my hands on short, crooked par 4's, and I can work the ball off the tee pretty much at will on a day my body isn't too gonky. With my favored 5 yard fade drive on a decent back day, I still carry it 245- 255 ish, so moving up isn't in the cards yet, Although I may struggle a bit when the back is acting badly.
But I would consider any tees under 5800 to qualify as being "senior tees".
Going through this in my head has me wondering why I don't move up when my back is really acting up, at least till it loosens up, as golf will often do for it. But it would screw up the betting structure when the young guns already recognize they can drive it 50 yards past me and the odds are we will both hit the green in regulation anyhow......
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Play what makes you happy and forget the labels.
 
An interesting recent round 39 out 49 back... I think it was primarily a concentration thing on the back 9 but maybe coupled with getting tired. I guess I need to do some fitness training as the ball striking is coming... You'll see from the BSOTR thread that I had my longest ever drive and the irons are starting to go well but keeping it together for 18 holes is proving to be a bit challenging to say the lease. :eek:

A
 
Turning 63 this month. Despite still working a physically demanding job that has kept my strength well above average, I have put on 30 pounds the past 5 years and become a fat pig. Despite the weight gain, I still hit the ball further than most of the younger guys on my leagues, but I am not happy with the way I look or feel. I need to dedicate this winter to weight loss. It's not a lack of exercise, it's not a quality of food issue, it's a quantity issue. The steroid I have to take once in a while for my very bad back doesn't help, it makes me want to devour everything in sight. I need to exercise some self control.
 
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leftshot said:
Okay, let's talk about some of the fun we get to have as senior players. One of mine is impressing the youngsters with the stuff we still can do.

Today I got to experience that again with a couple of mid-20-somethings. We got along great and had fun, which is the main thing at any age. But they kept marveling as I hit fairway after fairway, pin seekers on half my approach shots, four chip shots to kick in distance, and even managed to sink a couple of putts from distance despite greens that were punched earlier this week.

There are things that we can't do as well as before, but for many of us these are the things we can and even the young guys notice.
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My wedges always seem to get compliments from the young guns. I always had a good short game, was always a high spin player. Young bombers from my leagues ask me to be on their teams for scrambles. Now with the mid season change from RTX to CBX wedges, I have gotten even more consistent.
 
I play fast and you don't have to wait long to see me make a quality shot. My short term memory of bad shots is terrible.:LOL:

I have a consistent ability to fix stuff during a round. After the 4th hole I realized my putting wasn't that great that day.
On the 5th hole I bounced the ball just off the green onto the fringe. Hit a high lofted putt 5 ft past the hole giving me a great uphill putt with no break.
Sank the 5 ft putt for par. Much better odds with a high lofted putt than pulling a wedge that will roll and end up the other side of the hole.
 
leftshot said:
FWIW, I am always skeptical of 'treatments' that address symptoms and not causes. So, I'm not a big fan of injections designed primarily to reduce pain. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if you are dealing with inflammation, stiffness, soft tissue injury, or something structural. But I'm one that is in favor of finding out and addressing the cause.
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I believe its part structural. But the aging process has made it a degenerative thing too. I had an injury over 30 years ago and its never been the same. When I was younger I could manage it enough. Now with arthritis its a lot harder to manage. A product of aging. Doc doesn't think surgery will help. I don't think I'd do it anyway. I just use over the counter lidocaine rub, a compression shirt for stabilizing it and Ibuprofen when I golf. It helps.
 
charley48 said:
I believe its part structural. But the aging process has made it a degenerative thing too. I had an injury over 30 years ago and its never been the same. When I was younger I could manage it enough. Now with arthritis its a lot harder to manage. A product of aging. Doc doesn't think surgery will help. I don't think I'd do it anyway. I just use over the counter lidocaine rub, a compression shirt for stabilizing it and Ibuprofen when I golf. It helps.
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When your MRI results say things like "L4-L5 There is edema and expansion of the severely degenerated facet joints" etc etc through all the vertebrae Steroids and narcotics are the only way I can get moving some days. But if I don't keep moving, it only gets worse........... Dr doesn't want to do surgery, he says stuff is too far gone for surgery to do much good other than rods which would kill mobility but would help support the worst areas but put additional pressure on the adjacent marginal areas, making them degenerate even quicker. . He thinks meds and exercise is the best course of action for now.
 
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1860VS said:
When your MRI results say things like "L4-L5 There is edema and expansion of the severely degenerated facet joints" etc etc through all the vertebrae Steroids and narcotics are the only way I can get moving some days. But if I don't keep moving, it only gets worse...........
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I had both Xrays and MRI. There were words and phrases I have no idea what they mean. Quite a few. I remember straightening of the spine and a couple with the facet joints. Among others. But from what I gather degenerative arthritis due to the trauma many years ago is the main culprit. I had a bad sciatic episode back then. Lasted over a month with very little sleep. Never been the same since. Doc says after the 3rd injection heating the nerves is an option. That is supposed to last a lot longer. I'm hoping this last round of injections lasts more than a month and a half.
 
charley48 said:
I had both Xrays and MRI. There were words and phrases I have no idea what they mean. Quite a few. I remember straightening of the spine and a couple with the facet joints. Among others. But from what I gather degenerative arthritis due to the trauma many years ago is the main culprit. I had a bad sciatic episode back then. Lasted over a month with very little sleep. Never been the same since. Doc says after the 3rd injection heating the nerves is an option. That is supposed to last a lot longer. I'm hoping this last round of injections lasts more than a month and a half.
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Best wishes my friend, back pain sucks.
 
charley48 said:
I had both Xrays and MRI. There were words and phrases I have no idea what they mean. Quite a few. I remember straightening of the spine and a couple with the facet joints. Among others. But from what I gather degenerative arthritis due to the trauma many years ago is the main culprit. I had a bad sciatic episode back then. Lasted over a month with very little sleep. Never been the same since. Doc says after the 3rd injection heating the nerves is an option. That is supposed to last a lot longer. I'm hoping this last round of injections lasts more than a month and a half.
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Best of luck Charley. Getting old isn't for sissies.
 
alistaird said:
An interesting recent round 39 out 49 back... I think it was primarily a concentration thing on the back 9 but maybe coupled with getting tired. I guess I need to do some fitness training as the ball striking is coming... You'll see from the BSOTR thread that I had my longest ever drive and the irons are starting to go well but keeping it together for 18 holes is proving to be a bit challenging to say the lease. :eek:

A
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You sounds like me. But, I'm 70 years old, so I apologize if you are nowhere near that. I've noticed that, even riding in a cart since my knees are shot, I start to tucker out toward the end of a round. Especially on the "better" courses we play that have quite expansive green complexes, and GPS systems that will shut your cart down if you get too close to a green or anywhere else they don't want you to go! We're playing just such a course on Tuesday, so I'll need to bring some restorative snacks with.

I have no illusions about this upcoming round. I haven't played in about a month and a half because I hurt my shoulder somehow. When my main golf buddy called me with the tee time, I told him I would check my shoulder again. Took an iron out in the back yard and discovered that I could now take a divot with no shoulder pain, so I'm good to go. I doubt I'll be good enough to be posting anything in the BSOTR thread!

charley48 said:
I had both Xrays and MRI. There were words and phrases I have no idea what they mean. Quite a few. I remember straightening of the spine and a couple with the facet joints. Among others. But from what I gather degenerative arthritis due to the trauma many years ago is the main culprit. I had a bad sciatic episode back then. Lasted over a month with very little sleep. Never been the same since. Doc says after the 3rd injection heating the nerves is an option. That is supposed to last a lot longer. I'm hoping this last round of injections lasts more than a month and a half.
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Nothing like your situation, but it does remind me of being examined for my cataract surgeries earlier this year. The doctor would examine me and there was a person in the room to write down everything they said. I'm fairly scientifically literate, but this was way over my head! I think the strangest one was where she did a detailed examination of my retinas. She told me that she would use her finger, on my eyelids, to distort my eyeball slightly to get a really good look! The terminology she used was totally foreign to me. Well, the place I went to is widely acknowledged as the best opthalmologic practice in the area, and the doctor was an honors graduate from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, so I had a lot of confidence.
 
I go to Lenscrafters to have my eyes checked. Instead of having my eyes dilated I pay another $35 to have digital images taken of my eyes.
With the digital image in front of us, I have a discussion about my eyes with the doctor! With such detailed imagery there are often telltale warning signs of health problems. lt is reassuring to know that they aren't there. ;) A sign of being well educated is that well educated people want to talk to you.
 
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Buckeyegolfnut said:
You sounds like me. But, I'm 70 years old, so I apologize if you are nowhere near that. I've noticed that, even riding in a cart since my knees are shot, I start to tucker out toward the end of a round. Especially on the "better" courses we play that have quite expansive green complexes, and GPS systems that will shut your cart down if you get too close to a green or anywhere else they don't want you to go! We're playing just such a course on Tuesday, so I'll need to bring some restorative snacks with.

I have no illusions about this upcoming round. I haven't played in about a month and a half because I hurt my shoulder somehow. When my main golf buddy called me with the tee time, I told him I would check my shoulder again. Took an iron out in the back yard and discovered that I could now take a divot with no shoulder pain, so I'm good to go. I doubt I'll be good enough to be posting anything in the BSOTR thread!



Nothing like your situation, but it does remind me of being examined for my cataract surgeries earlier this year. The doctor would examine me and there was a person in the room to write down everything they said. I'm fairly scientifically literate, but this was way over my head! I think the strangest one was where she did a detailed examination of my retinas. She told me that she would use her finger, on my eyelids, to distort my eyeball slightly to get a really good look! The terminology she used was totally foreign to me. Well, the place I went to is widely acknowledged as the best opthalmologic practice in the area, and the doctor was an honors graduate from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, so I had a lot of confidence.
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Yeah, all those words and phrases were foreign to me. All I could do is ask "Can you make it better?"
 
Academy is offering Callaway Diablo Hex 16 -- 19.99.

Good for slow swings. Distance and soft feel.

Good Golfing
 
The advantage of being an old senior player - me 75 yr old - is when I play in Match Play events and my opponent is about 30 or so and out drives me 50-100 yards - I am still closest to the pin on the 2nd or 3rd shot and cuz he let his guard down thinking "I got this" and then he gets a bogie and I walk away with a par. 2 up(y)(y)
 
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