Chapter 1 – Senior Golfers Play to Socialize
Senior golfers in a group have more fun and play more rounds of golf than the average
golfer. Having raised their families and retired from their professions, senior golfers
have more time than their younger counterparts. For that reason senior golfers are
considered to be the “bread-and-butter” of the local golf courses around the country.
Golf courses are becoming more and more “senior friendly” to compete for the senior
golfer’s business. Many of these seniors along with their spouses or significant other
play mainly for social reasons. Their love of the game and the fact they love playing the
game with friends has forced the golf industry to cater to them for their business.
While seniors might not have the ability to hit the ball as far as a younger golfer, they
know their limitations and will play a more intelligent game. They will use the
knowledge of the course and several other pieces of experience to score points.
Because the senior golfers use their knowledge and their experience, they more than
make up for the loss of yards on the tee off.
Chapter 2 – The Health Benefits and Injury Possibilities
All golfers who plays golf should be aware of the danger of injuries, which can occur
while playing golf, especially senior golfers. Because the twisting and turning motion of
the game, this places an undue amount of stress on the spine, hips, and shoulders.
Since most golfers are inactive during the winter months, injuries such as muscle strains
and injuries to the disc are common.
The golf swing includes bending over and then twisting, which is one the worst moves
people can make, according to physical therapists. If the knees are bent and the back
is straight it will keep pressure off the discs. You can also tighten the stomach muscles
to help give the back support during the golf swing. It is a good idea for all golfers,
especially senior golfers to do some warm-up exercises before hitting the tee.
There are health benefits to be obtained from playing golf. A growing number of older
American are profiting from the health benefits derived by playing golf. Here are some
tips offered by many of the sports medicine experts for senior golfers. These tips will
make the game more enjoyable and will lower the chances of the injuries connected to
the game of golf.
Physical fitness can be improved by playing a round of golf as long as the golfers do not
ride around in the golf cart for the entire round. Walking can be beneficial to the overall
fitness by improving the aerobic capacity. Walking can increase your heart rate to meet
the guidelines for aerobic exercise. Of course these benefits need to be balanced with
problems associated with walking long distances such as joint pain, heat related
problems among other complications due to the person’s general health. Carrying your
golf clubs is not recommended. You will be better off using a pull cart instead. As
always the golfer should check with his or her doctor to ensure it is safe for them to walk
nine or 18 holes.
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Chapter 3 – Senior Golfers Take a Different Approach To
Their Game
Just because it is believed to be inevitable for a senior golfer to experience a decline in
performance, does not mean it has to be that way. If you are a senior golfer, don’t give
up. The old adage “it’s all downhill from here” will only be true if you let it.
The senior golfer will experience more difficulties in maintaining the same level of
performance as he or she did in their younger years, but it is still possible. The avenue
of approach for you now, is your body. Your body is the main factor in the speeding up
or slowing down of your performance as you age.
Have you had the experience recently on the golf course of feeling as if you could not
make a full back swing? Do you feel as though your drives are not reaching the
distance as they once did? Are you experiencing aches and pains in your shoulders,
back, hips, or maybe even wrists while you are playing or after you have played? Then
you must improve your body.
Many senior golfers feel as though they have experience a loss of flexibility as they age.
This is probably true our bodies will lose flexibility as it ages, but the strength of the
body will decline just a rapidly as the flexibility.
As a senior golfer you will want to focus on strength, flexibility, nutrition and endurance.
These are important factors needed in a good total golf fitness program. It is important for the senior golfer to find a golf fitness program designed to fit their specific needs and to progress from their current fitness level. If one starts on a program beyond their...