With all the noise out there in the world of golf, it can be extremely difficult to know who to trust and what information you should be listening to—especially if you’re a golfer over the age of 50 and you’re watching some technique drill that only a 20-year-old could do!
As golfers age, many find themselves facing new challenges on the course, particularly when it comes to maintaining a powerful and consistent swing. However, reaching the milestone of 50 doesn’t mean the end of your golfing aspirations. In fact, this can be the perfect time to refine your technique, embrace a more strategic approach, and enhance your overall enjoyment of the game. The right mindset and targeted exercises can help you adapt your swing, boost your confidence, and continue enjoying the sport you love.
I am a firm believer that ninety percent of the advice out there is great—if you already have solid technical knowledge and the physical ability to execute the technique. There is a big difference between understanding a technique and being able to physically perform it.
Hint: It’s Not About More Strength or Speed
This is where things started to make sense for me regarding the golf swing. When I first got into this world of golf performance, I initially thought it was all about speed. I thought this because the PGA of America says that for every MPH club head, the speed increases, which should result in 2.8 more yards of carry. I work primarily with aging golfers who have lost distance in their drives, so that was a very attractive concept.
Now, the speed concept may be true for those physically and mentally gifted enough to pull it off; however, for the overwhelming majority of us amateur golfers, speed is more likely to hurt our swing than help it. If you don’t have a 100% reproducible speed swing, adding speed will only increase the variance and result in more inconsistency in what the ball does. If you’re a golfer, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s always that one shot when you were so relaxed and almost didn’t really care what the result was going to be that you absolutely smoked! It might have even been the best ball contact, shot shape, and total distance of your round, which usually makes you even more frustrated because you “didn’t even swing hard.”
That’s Right: Slow Down!
I wondered what might happen if I asked my clients to swing slower, specifically in the backswing. My rationale was that you are more likely to maintain control of your swing when you’re moving slower into the transition from backswing to downswing, which should result in a more consistent swing overall. Lo and behold, my clients were starting to see an average of 10 more yards carry while only gaining one more MPH clubhead speed!
Obviously, this doesn’t make any sense at all if you use the equation mentioned above, so the only way I could explain this using the laws of physics is that because more muscles were being used to deliver the club head to the golf ball, more power was being transferred into the golf ball, resulting in longer ball flight. And because my clients were now using more muscles as opposed to momentum to swing the club, their ball contact was getting better and more consistent. These two combined were helping my clients get significantly more carry without trying to swing any faster.
So, the simple tip is this: The slower you go into the backswing, the farther the ball will go.
Think it sounds too simple? Then let me end with this: Over all the years and thousands of clients I’ve worked with, both locally in my brick-and-mortar locations and around the world in a virtual setting, I’ve never worked with anybody who needed to speed up their backswing! I can also honestly tell you that as you get older, too fast of a backswing will exponentially hurt your ball contact. So trust me on this one, and just give it a try.
Here’s one of my favorite tricks to slow down your backswing: say your first name and middle name out loud – that should be how long it takes you to get to the top of your backswing. Then, yell out your last name to initiate the downswing. What most of you will find is that you’ll be long into your downswing before you ever start saying your last name, which will be clear proof that you need to slow down your backswing.
Whether you’re looking to lower your handicap or simply savor a round with friends, it’s never too late to elevate your golf game! For more tips and tricks, check out Bermangolf.com and search Berman Golf on all the socials.
Dr. Jake Berman, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist and owner of Berman Golf, where they focus on helping aging golfers increase distance off the tee, shoot more consistently, and play more frequently. If you’re not ready to accept “getting old” as an excuse for a poor golf game, call Dr. Berman at 239.431.0232 to take advantage of a FREE 30-minute taster session!