OTish: Fulfilling Golf for the Older Gentleman

[JJShanley]

My father, who will turn 72 next month and has had a variety of health complaints in the last 20-odd years, has talked about quitting golf.  While he currently enjoys more stable health than in recent years, muscle wastage has weakened him.


We talked a little over the phone today about what he enjoys about the game, and how he can keep those aspects without putting pressure on himself.  Fundamentally, he enjoys hitting a ball around as well as he can with good people. 


He has the flexibility to choose between memberships at courses that are flat enough for him to walk, or which will allow him a cart if necessary.  I also hope to get him at least a new driver with a senior shaft as a graduation present to him, possibly even a set of 6-P irons.  That'll help him get the most from a swing that still looks sound.


What other things have you seen golfers of such a vintage do to enjoy the game?  Feel free to either post here, PM me, or email me (jshanle1@nd.edu).


Thank you.

[John Kavanaugh]

As an old man myself I can tell you the key to enjoying the game each year you get older is anger management and a group of good friends who hate all the same stuff as you. 72 is a bit late to find those new friends. A new membership is most likely not the answer.

[David_Tepper]

I would encourage your father to move up to a set of tees where he is playing a course no more than 6,000 yards long. The shorter, the better!

[John Kavanaugh]

I bought my Dad a set of clubs once. It didn't work out. Old guys got nothing to do. Club hunting is fun.

[Tom_Doak]

Two super-senior golfers that I know, each said to me in the last year or two, "I wish I had never gotten in a cart."  They felt that walking even a few holes for as long as they possibly could was better for their bodies than playing golf with cart assistance.

[John Kavanaugh]

To go along with what Tom just said: Buying a remote control power push cart has expanded my golfing life. For the first time I can go out alone and enjoy the walk without bothering with my clubs. The time between shots is also fun tooling the thing around obstacles. Lithium battereries have made them light and easily transportable. The only down side is that not every club wants them around.

[Duncan Cheslett]

I have to agree with Tom and John K.


The electric trolley has done wonders for senior golf, and the health of its participants. Walking a golf course two or three times a week is pretty much the perfect exercise for someone in their 60s, 70s and 80s - and the electric trolley makes this possible for most.


In the UK these are ubiquitous for golfers over 50, and for many younger players too. Very few seniors take carts - virtually all prefer to walk and take the view that carts are for invalids.


Get your dad an electric trolley with lithium battery and make sure the club he joins welcomes them.


Don't worry about the remote control function; this is an expensive gimmick IMO and unnecessary. 



The Motocaddy S1 is the market leader and the one I'd go for.

http://www.motocaddy.us/motocaddy-s1-electric-trolley

http://www.caddycountry.com/shopping/Motocaddy_S1_Digital-details.aspx

[Thomas Dai]

Older Gentlemen AND older ladies. A few thoughts...not necessarily applicable to all -


Electric power trolley - definitely
Really good quality waterproofs and golf shoes and cold weather clothing - encourages more frequent play in marginal/poor/colder weather
Golf shoes with metal spikes - if they're permitted - slips and slides in the damp and wet happen easier as you get older and recovery takes longer.
One of those gadgets that clips on the end of a putter and assists in removing a ball from the cup
Clubs with the correct flex shaft...nice and whippy
If arthritic, thicker grips (might) help
Entry into some senior opens as presents
Ask grandparents to help you to introduce their grandchildren - your children - to the game


Atb

[Steve_ Shaffer]

As an "older gentleman" living in an "active adult" age restricted community in the USA with 45 holes of golf, I agree with David Tepper about "playing it forward" as I now play from our white tees at about 5800-6000y. Moving to such a community will give the opportunity to quickly fit into the golfing scene. My regular MWF group of 12-15 frequently adds new members. Unfortunately, we also lose some due to health problems or the inevitable. Moreover, the Men's Club has weekly Thursday events and major events- club championships, member-member, etc. I am now playing in the regional Inter-Club events as well. Unlike those from across the pond, electric trolleys are not in the mainstream here in the USA or in my community. If one wants to walk, there are nearby muni courses where walking is available. There are some, not many,  golfers in my community who walk 9 in late afternoon.  My community has 2 fitness centers which are easily accessible and membership is included in our HOA dues. Golf here is affordable and without an initiation fee or membership deposit other then owning a house within the community. 

[Duncan Cheslett]

Unlike those from across the pond, electric trolleys are not in the mainstream here in the USA or in my community. If one wants to walk, there are nearby muni courses where walking is available. There are some, not many,  golfers in my community who walk 9 in late afternoon. 


My community has 2 fitness centers which are easily accessible and membership is included in our HOA dues.

The irony of playing golf in a cart and then going to the gym to keep fit never fails to amaze...

[John Kavanaugh]

One vital role in old man golf happiness is comprimise. When your buds want to ride, as most do, you ride. This notion that a single can walk as three other guys ride is ludicrous on every socially acceptable level. Or you could just sit out in Arizona and wait for three other old dudes to walk.

[John Kavanaugh]

Hell, I bet out at Geriatric National most guys take their golf cart to the gym. I personally take mine across the fairway to the bar. Feels legal anyway.

[JJShanley]

Thanks folks!  He has used an electric trolley since 1997, and I've encouraged him to take daily walks in general, but the latter has not caught on. 


He does play from the 6,000 yard tees, as the senior group he plays with at his current club all want to play from there, which is great.  (They play Stableford format, and quickly.)  He's beyond playing formal tournament golf, for a variety of reasons, but getting out once or twice a week and hitting the ball around will do him a world of good. 


I don't want to push him, for a variety of reasons, but I also know that he'd be miserable if he actually called it quits.  It's a tough balance.

[John Kavanaugh]

J,


Old men are half as miserable as they act and twice as lonely as they let on. Spend time with your Dad and he'll be fine. Write a letter to Sand Hills describing your situation and take him on the great American road trip. Neither of you will ever forget it.

[Carl Johnson]

JJ - You say:  "Fundamentally, he enjoys hitting a ball around as well as he can with good people."

"He does play from the 6,000 yard tees, as the senior group he plays with at his current club all want to play from there, which is great.  (They play Stableford format, and quickly.)  He's beyond playing formal tournament golf, for a variety of reasons, but getting out once or twice a week and hitting the ball around will do him a world of good."

Your father's talking about quitting.  Why?  From what you've said, I don't understand the reasons, and it seems to me you (we) need to understand the reasons to know what to suggest.

My situation.  I'll turn 75 in a couple of weeks.  I started playing when I was about 50.  Lowest handicap ever, 14.  Now mid-20s (and rising).  With recent surgery I'm out for at least 6 months.  It's killing me.  Fortunately, I can still go to the club Tue. and Thurs. afternoons to meet "my group" of seniors when they finish and settle bets in the bar.

For me, it is all about the game against the others.  Handicap, posted score, e.g., 98, are meaningless to my enjoyment.  The good stuff.  Winning (or trying to), hitting an occasional really good shot or making a good putt (I do not concern myself with bad shots or poor putts), socializing through golf with friends, fresh air and exercise.  I don't see how you can beat it.  From my personal experience, the guys who have the hardest time with failing skills are those who once were really, really good at it.  Guys who were scratch or near, now late 70s and 80s (age) and are 20+ handicappers.  Some of them measure success differently, against their former selves, and that's a problem for them.

[Kirk Gill]

I'm not that old quite yet, but until I get a knee replacement, I'm not walking a golf course. I can walk fairly well, but any uneven surfaces cause me to mis-step, which is very painful. I've honestly just not played golf at all of late, but I want to play. For now, a cart would be necessary, and even at that, fairly difficult. I've let the thought enter my mind that I'll never play a round of golf again....... we will see.

[Bill_McBride]

My father, who will turn 72 next month and has had a variety of health complaints in the last 20-odd years, has talked about quitting golf.  While he currently enjoys more stable health than in recent years, muscle wastage has weakened him.


We talked a little over the phone today about what he enjoys about the game, and how he can keep those aspects without putting pressure on himself.  Fundamentally, he enjoys hitting a ball around as well as he can with good people. 


He has the flexibility to choose between memberships at courses that are flat enough for him to walk, or which will allow him a cart if necessary.  I also hope to get him at least a new driver with a senior shaft as a graduation present to him, possibly even a set of 6-P irons.  That'll help him get the most from a swing that still looks sound.


What other things have you seen golfers of such a vintage do to enjoy the game?  Feel free to either post here, PM me, or email me (jshanle1@nd.edu).


Thank you.

As I turn 75 I'm in the same situation as your dad.  I've had a few health issues starting with a bum knee three years ago which morphed into a bad hip as well, and that has slowed my swing speed dramatically.  I feel embarrassed playing the forward tees with good players who hit first from the big boy tees.  Luckily nobody but me cares but it's still a difficult situation. 

[Matt MacIver]

I have a couple decades yet to get to the age being discussed but I bought a set of hickories last year anyway.  The thought is I'll begin mucking around with them now and when I get to the age where playing for $, or 18 holes, etc. is a slog I'll have these so I can still walk 9 and carry, since I won't be compelled to haul around 14 clubs or post a score. 

[Garland Bayley]

An 85 year old gentleman at my club who doesn't have a great game, managed an 86 last summer. I checked his bag, and found he had a 17 degree driver.


IMO you don't need senior shafts. The whole purpose of senior shafts is to let the shaft bend more so the loft on the club will increase. Instead you could bend the clubs to higher lofts if they are forged. Cast clubs are harder to bend, and have more limits on the degree of bend. Of course another possibility is to put a higher lofted club on the longer shaft. E.g., put a 9 iron on an 8 iron shaft. With the light weight shafts available you should be able overcome the added weight of the 9 iron to get the right swing weight.

[John Cowden]

Two super-senior golfers that I know, each said to me in the last year or two, "I wish I had never gotten in a cart."  They felt that walking even a few holes for as long as they possibly could was better for their bodies than playing golf with cart assistance.

This is a wonderful thread.  Thank you all.  And I heartily endorse the sentiment expressed by Tom's super-seniors:  As long as I can walk the course, I'm still alive.  I detest carts.   Age 64, and I may have a chance to shoot my age in 20 years or so. 

[Carl Johnson]

At age 75 I walk with a Kangaroo power cart.  However, I also have a 90 degree rule.  When the temp is over 90 degrees F on our somewhat hilly, humid mid-south course, I'll ride.