Unfortunately, I am fall into the category of a senior golfer. Actually, I am only a couple of years away from being allowed to move up in the tee blocks for Men’s Night, but that is a different discussion for another day. Right now, I am still having fun playing from the white tees (6000 to 6500 yards in distance) because my game is strong enough to play well from that distance. As I become a senior player, I notice that I need to make a major change in my game. It has nothing to do with my swing or equipment, but in my expectations as a player. Yup, not really something I ever expected I needed to adjust, but the time is getting close.

As my golf game matures (nice way of saying I am entering the senior realm of golf) I realize that I do have a few limitations I did not have in the past. The most obvious is my physical conditioning and flexibility. I do remain active, however I am not as keen as I was when I was younger. That is okay, but it can be a limiting factor on my golf game. There are other aspects of my game that are changing, but before I delve further into this area of interest, it is important to understand that it is okay to make changes to improve our game.

As I trundle down my current journey, I have to ensure that my ego does not limit my ability to play better golf. I know that my past successes have created an aura of expectation that I cannot sustain. Unfortunately, I cannot always break the barrier my ego erects in order to play better golf as a senior. I am still holding on to what my game was at its peak and that is okay……most of the time.

I play golf with long hitting young players more that I had in the past. I have to ensure I do not try and keep up because it dramatically affects my accuracy on most shots. This course management error ends up costing me many strokes during a round. As such, I have to accept I will never hit the ball as far as these young guns and to focus on areas more in my wheel house. This is part of accepting to be a senior player.

The other area I will examine is equipment. Currently, I use two hybrids – a 3 and 4. I hit them very well in most situations. My 5 and 6 irons are still working well, but I can feel that I am losing a bit of distance. I am not quite ready to make a change, but when it is time, I hope I have the confidence to make the shift. I do not chase new equipment, but for the right reasons, I am not adverse to making the change.

Senior golf is looking me in the face. I hope that I have the courage to accept this fate and make adjustments as required. As of right now, I am still good to go trying to score low on my home course. I can still compete well in most tournaments, so change is not in my future for the 2025 season. Who knows what beyond next season will bring, but I will face that when it comes.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!