Golf is a game that can be played for a life time, but no one enjoys getting worse. In this video, PGA Professional Jack Backhouse explains what the best swing for senior golfers is and what you can do to increase distance and keep improving.
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Best Swing For Senior Golfers – Bigger Turns
The number one thing I would encourage all senior players to do is to turn further in the backswing. We know that the longer the backswing, the more speed potential, so this is the first place to start.
An increased shoulder turn starts from the ground up, so you need to flare your feet out at the address. This will allow for more hip turn, which you should encourage by allowing the trail knee to straighten, which eventually creates a bigger shoulder turn.
If you have to lift up your left heel in order to extend that backswing even further, then this is fine. Just remember how important it is to stay centred whilst turning, and don’t let this foot work move you off the ball.
Shallow is better
To maximise the efficiency of our strike we must swing on a shallow plane, and this can be encouraged by doing two things.
- Set up with 5-10 degrees of spine tilt away from the target at address. You can do this by, holding the shaft down your sternum and dropping your trail shoulder until the shaft hits your lead knee.
- We want to remain in this 5-10-degree tilt away from the target throughout our whole golf swing, so do some practice swings holding the shaft down your sternum and feel the pressure against the knee throughout the whole swing. This will feel to a lot of people that you are behind the ball too much, but this angled turn will help keep the club low and behind us.
Release it early and release it hard.
If you do not release the golf club using your trail arm and wrist, it doesn’t matter how well and how far you have turned in the backswing; you will never transfer the speed from the body out to the club.
The trail arm should fold and the trail wrist should cock backwards (wrist extension) and then extend and release into the ball. This is very much the same as the throwing motion, only we are doing it down towards the ball on the floor.
This often needs to happen much earlier than players think but we want maximum speed at the ball, not after it.
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2 quick tips for when you are tiring on the back 9
If you have been giving your swings maximum effort in the round, it wouldn’t be shocking to start feeling tired in the last few holes. Here are 2 ways you can swing to keep your speed up all the way to the end.
- Pull your trail foot back at address (close your stance). This will pre-set a big hip turn in and allow you to make a freer, longer swing without the stretch.
- Step through your shots. Gary Player did this, and it is a great way to release the club harder through impact. Make a normal swing but when you make contact with the ball, step your trail leg through and take a few steps walking after it. This will ensure you have given it everything!
Give these tips a try and let us know how you get on! If you want to keep up to date with Jack’s instruction you can subscribe to his YouTube Channel here, or keep watching our instruction page!
If you want to watch some more of Jack’s instruction videos, you can get to his YouTube Technique Tips playlist by clicking here. Please check out our other instruction articles if you like this video on the best swing for senior golfers. Senior golf swing.
About Now for the Back Nine
Peter Dawson, a prominent European Tour player in the 1970s and the first left-hander to play in the Ryder Cup, noticed a gap in the market for a coaching manual with tips for senior golfers. So he and co-author and pupil Simon Hawkins pieced together Now for the Back Nine.
The book is packed with plenty of easy-to-read, simple tips aimed at older golfers –though that doesn’t mean younger players can’t learn from it!
You can read our review of the book in our rundown of the best golf instruction books, or head to the Now for the Back Nine website if you need more information or want to buy a copy.
Peter also joined Alex Perry on the NCG Podcast to discuss his playing days and it’s a fascinating insight into playing in the golden age of the European Tour.
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