[grosqueneen]

I think that losing one's "chops" as one gets older in golf is largely a myth that can be directly attributed to the PGA Tour.

We are constantly reminded of players on tour having left their best days behind them as they approach fifty years of age. But the thing that I don't think many people realize is that when a tour pro turns fifty, he has probably already hit well over a million full swing shots and that, combined with the mental grind of high-level competition adds up to his having "used up" his body and his mind.

But on the amateur level, even someone who plays a couple of times a week and visits the driving range a couple of more times a week is not hitting anywhere near the amount of golf balls as a pro does in a thirty year span. So the way I see it, I (at 51 years of age) still have a lot of quality swings left in me because I haven't burned my body up like the pro's have.

When I was younger, I used to get away with some swing flaws because I had great upper-body strength especially in the "twitch" reflexes needed to swing a golf club. So what I lacked in technique, I usually made up for in brute force or just a very quick "top down" delivery of the club to the ball.

But as I've gotten older, that upper body speed and power isn't quite what it used to be, so I've gradually become more aware of mechanics and nuance in my swing and as a result, I've actually ADDED distance to my game. For example, for years my 8-iron was my "150 club" which I consistently hit to 152 yards almost like clockwork. But today, my average 8-iron is around 155 or so. My "old" 6-iron distance was around 175 -76 yards and today it's right around 180.

Some will say that it's the equipment, but I'm playing basic forged irons with steel shafts and no special "science" to them and my ball of choice is a ProV1, which is not considered a "distance" ball. What I think is happening is that in the last few years, I've begun to really understand the nuances of a good swing and good mechanics and I now swing more efficiently and more purposefully than I did say, twenty years ago. As a result, I find that I'm getting more accurate and a bit longer overall while using less effort and that can only be because my swing has become more efficient and I'm using my entire body more than I used to.

My putting and chipping have always been the strongest part of my game and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Physically, I feel more like I'm in my late thirties (despite a few aches and pains now and then) and mentally I'm still a kid so all in all, I don't see why I can't actually play even better as I go through my fifties and beyond.

To me it's not about age as much as it's about attitude and since I haven't used up my body as many (if not most) professionals do by this age, I figure that as long as I stay healthy, I can look forward to perhaps some of the best golf I've ever played.


-JP