How To Hit Longer Drives For Seniors (Top 10 Tips)

 

If you thought that aches and pains and more doctors were the worst parts of getting older, think again.

Any golfer will tell you that losing distance on the golf course is, without a doubt, one of the hardest parts of getting older.

Luckily for most players, some things can be done to help gain some of this distance back.

As players get closer to the ages of 60 or 70, they are going to notice that there is a slight decrease in the distance they are able to get from their shots.

This is just a normal slowing down of the swing speed, but it is challenging to deal with.

If you are ready to gain some of that distance back, we have the info that you need to get it done.

Here are ten tips to help seniors to hit longer drives.

 

How to Hit Longer Drives for Seniors (10 Tips)

 

1. Exercise More Often

 

Did you know that the work you put in off the golf course can actually pay off on the golf course?

Golfers who learn to exercise at home will end up being much stronger on the golf course.

It is a good idea to do exercise not just for your golf game but for the overall health and well-being of your body.

At home, you can do golf-specific exercises, or you can focus on a general fitness routine, yet they will both help you get stronger on the golf course.

Exercising more often includes walking, lifting weights, and even swimming.

Sometimes the addition of twenty to thirty minutes of exercise a day just a few days a week could make a big difference in your golf game.

The more you can do this, the stronger you will become, and this will help you get more power on the golf course.

The more power you can get, the easier the game becomes and the better the chance you have of keeping your handicap as low as it is right now.

One great thing to invest in is a weighted medicine ball.

The weight does not have to be all that heavy, but making swinging motions with this ball in your hands can help to make a huge difference in how far you can hit your drives.

Always start with low weight and work your way up because you don’t want to use anything too heavy and end up hurting yourself.

 

2. Stretching

 

Golfers need to make stretching part of their regular routine.

This stretching can include yoga off the golf course as well as a stretch before and after your game.

It would be a mistake for a senior golfer to step up to the tee box and expect to just start swinging away at a big drive.

Senior golfers are very prone to injury, and this type of swinging can be a bad idea for golfers to try.

Before you head out for a round, spend a few minutes stretching your arms, legs, back, and even your neck.

The key is that these stretches are going to give you a wider and more elongated swing.

A swing like this will absolutely result in more distance for the player.

The stretching is essential to do after a round as well.

After a round of golf, players will tend to get stiff, and if the stretching is not worked on or continued, that lack of stretching can affect mobility.

The more mobile you are as a senior, the more distance you can get.

Keep your body as limber as possible for as long as you can after each round.

 

3. Proper Equipment

 

Potentially one of the easiest ways for a golfer to gain more distance and hit longer drives is to play with the proper equipment.

If you have the proper equipment in play, you will make things a bit easier on yourself when it comes to getting more ball speed and power.

Senior golfers who have noticed a decrease in distance should take advantage of the available technology for senior golfers.

Senior golfers need technology that includes lightweight materials, higher launching features, and a bigger sweet spot.

Senior golf clubs are manufactured to move weight around into positions that help players swing the club faster.

Even if the total weight of the club is the same, the swing weight of senior clubs is often quite a bit less.

The swing weight ends up making the club feel lighter, therefore giving senior players even more confidence.

Essentially, if you want to hit longer drives, go for a fitting and make sure you are playing with equipment that allows you to hit longer drivers.

Having the proper equipment is critical in golf.

 

4. Larger Golf Grips

 

Golf grips on golf clubs come in a variety of different sizes.

The standard size golf grip is for those with average size hands.

Seniors should consider going with a midsize or jumbo golf grip on their driver.

The idea behind this is that players will not have to grip the club so tightly with the fingers, and it could end up being considerably less painful for them to work with.

When the player experiences less discomfort, there can be more confidence and ultimately more speed from the swing.

The larger golf grip can take a bit of time to get used to.

At first, players may feel as though they don’t have enough control over the club.

Once you realize that you can hold onto the club rather lightly and still be able to get lots of impressive clubhead speed, the larger golf grips are a great choice.

Remember that, overall, a lighter golf grip is going to be a better choice for those who struggle with distance.

Clenching a golf club will restrict the speed you are able to get with it, and it will end up costing quite a bit of yardage, even for great players.

Also, play around with different grip types because some are soft while others have a firmer feel.

Most amateur players who are getting older enjoy the softer feel of a grip.

The soft feel seems to be easier on the hands and allows for less pain for those who suffer from arthritis.

 

5. Left Heel Lift

 

When you are younger and looking to perfect the ideal golf swing, you are told to keep your left foot on the ground.

Keeping the left foot on the ground is going to keep the golfer a bit more centered and allow for a more compact and tighter swing.

However, as you get older, a tighter swing is not always going to result in longer drives.

Players who need the extra distance from their golf swings are going to have to allow that left foot to come up slightly off the ground.

If the left heel can lift slightly, the backswing can usually get to the parallel position with better rotation.

The more rotation a senior golfer can manage to get on their backswing, the easier it will be to get more distance.

Distance and rotation certainly go hand in hand, and it can help a player to get the ball going quite a bit further.

If you feel stuck because you can’t get a complete rotation, it is acceptable to let that foot slightly raise as you turn.

The more control you keep over your body and avoid any other unnecessary movement, the better.

However, don’t be afraid to get a little bit looser in your swing as you age.

 

6. Right Foot Position

 

As we have mentioned, the more a golfer is able to rotate, the easier it is to get the distance they need.

For senior golfers, there is a small trick you can do with the right foot that will help you get a better turn in the backswing.

Typically, both feet are kept parallel during the golf swing setup.

This parallel stance helps with alignment and a more balanced and centered turn.

However, if you want to increase your turn and allow for a bigger swing, sometimes it can make sense to drop the right foot back just a bit.

If you step your right foot back just an inch or two and then turn that toe slightly to the right, you essentially open your body up for more hip rotation.

The ability to turn back in your swing gets quite a bit harder as you get older.

When you can leave this door open and allow the golf swing to rotate a bit more around that right leg, it can result in more distance.

This is a process that is worth trying on the driving range.

If you try and complete something like this while you are on the course, it will be difficult to implement.

Take your time and set yourself up on the range to practice this routine and see if you can figure it out.

The more time you spend getting used to the different setup options you have, the easier it will be to implement them on the golf course.

 

7. Release the Club

 

Releasing the golf club is important regardless of your age or your ability as a player.

The ability to release the golf club can prevent you from hitting a slice and struggling to get the distances you want.

As senior golfers age, they tend to hold onto the club a bit more than they should, and this makes it difficult for players to release the club.

As you swing through the ball, make sure that you are swinging the golf club and releasing it.

This means that you cannot direct the clubface to try and manipulate what it does at impact.

Instead, start to turn the club over on your downswing and make sure that it is square by the time it gets to the impact position.

Learning to release takes some time, but you can start practicing it by working on smaller shots and eventually working your way up to the driver.

The release of the golf swing is important, and it helps to get golfers the distance that they need.

You can take some videos of your golf swing and slow down through the impact position.

Take a look at what your hands and arms are doing and if they are properly turning over as you swing through the golf ball.

 

8. Left Foot Position

 

As we mentioned with the right foot position, most of the time, the feet are kept square when you are setting up for a golf shot.

However, as players age, keeping the feet square makes it difficult for the hips to rotate correctly.

This decrease in the rotation will lead to a more restricted swing and less distance.

Therefore, in addition to dropping that right foot back a bit and opening the toe, you can also open the toe of the left foot.

As a player swings through the golf ball, they need to transfer their weight to the left foot.

If this weight transfer is not completed, the ball is very likely not going to head to the proper target.

Instead, work on leaving yourself a bit open so you can swing through with all the power you need to get the extra distance required in your game.

 

9. Know When to Swing Hard

 

One of the major mistakes a senior golfer is known to make is swinging too hard.

Since the idea of losing distance can be highly frustrating, it causes people to start to try and swing harder at the ball.

Swinging harder is not going to be a good choice when you want the ball to go a long way.

Swing speed is essential, yet the swing speed needs to be applied appropriately for golfers to get the distance that they need.

When you start swinging the golf club really hard, the chance of it going left or right increases significantly.

The longer you hit the ball, the more efficient your golf swing is.

At the same time, you must stay in balance.

If you come up to a hole where the fairway is wide open, and you want to take a big swing at it, this is certainly understandable.

This can be done from time to time, but it is not necessary at the start of each hole.

 

10. Play the Right Golf Ball

 

Last but certainly not least is the idea of playing with the right golf ball.

When you play with the proper golf ball, you give yourself the ability to compress the ball, and it will result in more distance.

Golfers who have a hard time compressing the ball are probably playing with equipment that is too hard and not suited for the needs of a senior golfer.

There are many low compression golf balls on the market.

When you combine one of these with a lightweight and high launching senior driver, the distance improvement could be significant.

When choosing a golf ball for seniors, make sure that you get something that has some feel around the greens.

It’s important to remember that, as important as the distance is, the ability to get up and down around the green will not be affected by age.

Some senior golfers have a much better ability to score around the greens than a younger player.

Don’t give up that soft feel when you switch to a distance golf ball.

When finding the right golf ball, you will often have to try out a few different ones before you find the best match.

It can make sense to purchase one sleeve of balls at a time as opposed to buying a dozen.

This gives you the chance to decide if the golf ball is going to be the right fit for your golf game before you commit to an entire dozen golf balls.

 

Conclusion

These ten tips are simple ways for seniors to get more distance from their drives.

If a senior golfer starts implementing these tips today, they will be able to get results rather quickly.

Remember that it may not be one simple tip that fixes your game, but it could be a combination of several tips that eventually will make things work for you again.

Remember that, as a senior golfer, there is a chance you will lose a bit of distance.

If you can keep that loss to a minimum and try and get a few extra yards back, the game of golf will be all that much more fun.