Golf Talk Tuesdays - 2021

[Music Lover]

I am in total agreement to get golf lessons from a good instructor right off the bat before you develop bad habits. 8 years later I am still trying to undo my bad habits and I have hundreds of hours of instructions since then.

I agree. After playing poorly for about 20 years I finally took lessons. The instructor told me there were two options:
1. Work with your existing swing and make it a little better
2. Start from scratch and learn to swing correctly.

I chose option 2 and my game is a lot better. But I spent an entire year playing worse than before. Scores of mid-90's became 100 - 110 until I finally caught on. Now my handicap (unofficial) is about 12.

 

[Christine]

Thank you all - I will start looking for golf lessons today.

Not sure about Norway but from talking to someone from your neighbor in Sweden they wouldn't even allow them on a golf course until they passed an ability test. Have to start out working on your game at the driving range and when you gain enough skill and pass the test can then play on a golf course, probably not a bad idea even if it's not a requirement in Norway.

Yes it seems we have a similar ability test I need to pass. It does not seem to be very hard - and perhaps just as much to teach us about dos and don'ts on the green.

 

[garyt]

I would recommend to anyone taking up golf at any age to take lessons from a good instructor.

Ahh, and there's the rub, finding a "good" instructor. The woods are full of crappy instructors, I've been through a few.
I took a lesson this Spring, told the guy I'm 64 looking for consistency, distance be damned. He had me swinging out of my shoes, all the while telling me I had 10 mph more in my 7 iron, which I believe I got up to 85-90 mph. My back was killing me after. He also told me my stance was too narrow and you can't turn from a narrow stance! Everybody knows it's just the opposite and a wide stance inhibits turn.
Lots of other similar stories. I just took a lesson from an older lady pro and she was really good, plan to take more, but right now I'd say I'm about 2 for 10 on good instructors too bad.

 

[rjk514]

How to golf with back pain...thoughts...

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

 

[RetiredHappy]

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

Go through together is the key. Less tension and torque on the back, plus it gives you more speed and longer shots.

 

[harllee]

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

I had to undergo physical therapy all summer to get my back in shape to play. It helped so might be worth a try if you have not done PT. I also wear a back brace while playing, it helps a lot. One suggestion from PT--flair your feet out on each side so you can turn more easily. I also stretch for about 30 minutes before playing using stretches I got from PT.

 

[harllee]

Go through together is the key. Less tension and torque on the back, plus it gives you more speed and longer shots.

Go through together? Not sure I understand..

 

[RetiredHappy]

Go through together? Not sure I understand..

Keep arms close to your body to stay connected. On the downswing, hips and arms go through together.

 

[Huston55]

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

If your pain is serious, see a Doc and get a referral to a physical therapist. If it’s just a bit of soreness, add yoga and/or Pilates into your weekly routine; and do it religiously. It will make a world of difference for your back, your flexibility and your game.

 

[Music Lover]

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

Are you physically able to do some weight training to strengthen your muscles?

 

[frayne]

Senior with back pain. Thoughts on how to stay in the game..

First suggestion is to see your doc and get an MRI to see why you are having pain and go from there. Changing your swing posture may work but also may aggravate what is the root cause that is giving you the pain. 70 year old golfer here that went through the gamut of back pain protocols from bone crushers, braces, acupuncture, steroid shots, PT, etc. Two years ago had a double fusion procedure L4/5/S1. Within four months I was out on the course chipping and putting and in about six month taking a full swing. Still shooting in the mid 80s most of the time and will sneak a round down into the 70s on a rare occasion or two. Everything I did up until surgery were just temporary stop gap measures that at the time seemed like the thing to do and worked for one to two years. Surgery was the last option and I've been fortunate to have had a successful outcome. Good luck.

 

[jcretire77]

Physical Therapy saved me from my monthly visit to the chiropractor. Those visits were becoming more frequent and I began to worry that I had disk issues that he was not trained to diagnose. I went to a PT athletic specialist who diagnosed weak muscles that were not holding me in place either before a chiropractic adjustment or not long after. I went six times to the PT facility and each time they added more exercises to the routine. Today is my 109th day of daily back exercises and have not been back to the Chiro since.

 

[Huston55]

Physical Therapy saved me from my monthly visit to the chiropractor. Those visits were becoming more frequent and I began to worry that I had disk issues that he was not trained to diagnose. I went to a PT athletic specialist who diagnosed weak muscles that were not holding me in place either before a chiropractic adjustment or not long after. I went six times to the PT facility and each time they added more exercises to the routine. Today is my 109th day of daily back exercises and have not been back to the Chiro since.

Bravo! [emoji106]

 

[Music Lover]

Physical Therapy saved me from my monthly visit to the chiropractor. Those visits were becoming more frequent and I began to worry that I had disk issues that he was not trained to diagnose. I went to a PT athletic specialist who diagnosed weak muscles that were not holding me in place either before a chiropractic adjustment or not long after. I went six times to the PT facility and each time they added more exercises to the routine. Today is my 109th day of daily back exercises and have not been back to the Chiro since.

So far at 59 I've never had to see a chiropractor. Part of it is good luck but a lot of it also has to do with a lifetime of weights and exercise. Strong muscles help support the spine, weak muscles lead to problems.

 

[Midpack]

Physical Therapy saved me from my monthly visit to the chiropractor. Those visits were becoming more frequent and I began to worry that I had disk issues that he was not trained to diagnose. I went to a PT athletic specialist who diagnosed weak muscles that were not holding me in place either before a chiropractic adjustment or not long after. I went six times to the PT facility and each time they added more exercises to the routine. Today is my 109th day of daily back exercises and have not been back to the Chiro since.

Not surprised, but glad to hear you're back on track. That's all the matters.

 

[garyt]

So far at 59 I've never had to see a chiropractor. Part of it is good luck but a lot of it also has to do with a lifetime of weights and exercise. Strong muscles help support the spine, weak muscles lead to problems.

Way more to it than that I'd say. I've lifted my entire life but I have tight hamstrings. Genetic that no amount of stretching will help measurably. Being tight they pull on my lower back, hence the need for the chiro.
My wife hasn't lifted a weight in her life and has never seen a chiro or had any back problems.

 

[Music Lover]

Way more to it than that I'd say. I've lifted my entire life but I have tight hamstrings. Genetic that no amount of stretching will help measurably. Being tight they pull on my lower back, hence the need for the chiro.
My wife hasn't lifted a weight in her life and has never seen a chiro or had any back problems.

There are exceptions of course. But if you take 100 healthy people where 50 of them exercise and 50 don't, the 50 that don't exercise will have far more back (and other) problems.

I can't prevent something happening to me that's out of my control, but I can prevent issues that arise from weak muscles.

 

[Music Lover]

I met my regular golf buddies for lunch today. The season is long over up here but we decided to meet for lunch once a month over the winter.

 

[harllee]

I met my regular golf buddies for lunch today. The season is long over up here but we decided to meet for lunch once a month over the winter.

Where I live this is the best time for golf--most days highs in the 50s-60s. Perfect golf weather, the courses are very busy.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I played with the ladies group today. Four 4 putts and 3 3 putts. 3 close range birdie holes became bogey/double bogey holes. Argh. I switched to the arm-lock putter about 4 months ago and it got better for a while. The excuse I am using is that the greens were very fast today. Our temperature is in the 40s and a little windy. I am told after the round that greens dry up faster in cold windy condition. Mental note for next time.

 

[gcgang]

Handicap index had gone to highest since I started playing as an adult. It’s been a rough year with health related issues, and at age 67, I was thinking my good score days were behind me. But yesterday gives me hope.

Started the first two holes hitting weak putts that just barely got to the edge of the cup, but then fell in! 5 th hole I had a sand shot go in. Capped the round with a 40 footer for my 4th birdie of the day to shoot my 4th best score in the eight years I’ve been at the club. Nice to have a day where almost every break goes your way.

Feel like the song, I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.

 

[aja8888]

For the last year and a half, my golf foursome has been playing weekly (south Texas) and recently took a step back. Hate to see this happen, but we are down to a twosome for the time being.

One fellow had a stroke a month ago and is blind in one eye now and lost arm and leg movement on his left side. It looks bad for him in relation to ever coming back to golf. Hopefully, he will have a really good recovery overall. Right now he is in an assisted living facility.

A few days ago, our best golfer, the former head of the Houston Golf Association for years, and a scratch golfer in his late 70's, jumped out of bed in the morning to try to beat the trash pickup truck he heard coming as he forgot to put his trash out the night before. Consequently, his quickness out of bed resulted in a slip and fall into his nightstand where he banged his head....then got up from the fall, and lost his balance and fell again, fracturing a few ribs.

The fall and head bang resulted in a brain bleed situation and he spent a few days in the ICU. He's done playing golf for a while.

So it's only two of us for a while...

 

[Big_Hitter]

I ended my season 12/1 with a 76, a career low. It was from the gold tees (second to the front) but even so my course handicap is about a 6 from those tees.

I ended the year at a 12.4 index which is down a shot or so.

Hope everyone had a good gold year.

 

[finnski1]

I ended my season 12/1 with a 76, a career low. It was from the gold tees (second to the front) but even so my course handicap is about a 6 from those tees.

I ended the year at a 12.4 index which is down a shot or so.

Hope everyone had a good gold year.

What did you shoot on the back 9?

 

[Big_Hitter]

What did you shoot on the back 9?

I had 15 pars, with a double on 11 and a bogeys on 3 and 13