Golf Straight Talk

With John Piccolo

     You can start at three. You can play until you're 100. You can take it up at any age in between. Because of an excellent handicap system, players of all abilities can compete against one another. You can play for fun, you can wager, you can play with family and friends, you can play with total strangers and you can also play alone.

     A whole whack of people in their 40's, 50's and 60's are taking up golf for the first time or finally have the time to take it more seriously.

     There are actually quite a few things in your favour if you're playing this game at a later age. You're bound to be much more patient than you once were. Your expectations are probably more modest. You are more apt to appreciate a nice walk with good company in beautiful surroundings. You understand you will hit good shots and bad shots and there is no God-ordained pattern to when each may occur. Hopefully, you accept you will hit good shots and get bad results and equally as often, hit bad shots and get good results.

     Walking is an important part of playing golf at any age but especially so as you get older. It helps to keep you strong and gives you a better feel for the course. If you must use a cart, hop off and walk as much as you can. Get into some sort of stretching routine as well. The benefits to your golf game and overall well-being can be substantial.

     But even if you keep yourself in good condition, it's inevitable distance, or the lack thereof, will start to become a worry.

     Take advantage of technology. The lighter weight and shock absorption of graphite can be a huge benefit. Make sure you have the proper flex of shaft and the right length of club.

     Getting rid of or not purchasing the longer irons and the driver is also probably a good idea. Look into a seven or nine wood which are much more forgiving than an equivalent iron. Hit the clubs that get the job done for you.

     As your swing speed slows down you need more loft on your clubs in order to get you maximum carry. Don't be too quick to go to the longer woods the Senior tour players are espousing. They'll only help if you swing like Lee Trevino. If you swing like Jack Lemon, stick with a shorter, lighter club. You'll have better control and make more consistent contact.

     Pay attention to grip size. If you have any trouble in your hands, a larger grip can go a long way towards making a club feel more comfortable and helping you create a fluid swing.

     While distance is always a concern, by far the most important part of golf is accuracy, especially from 70 yards and in. There is no reason you can't maintain or improve your game inside of this distance. If you have access to 30 yards of green space and a short cropped carpet, you can practise chipping and putting at home.

     Make sure you have the proper technique. If you're not sure, ask someone or take a lesson. If you make the time and have the inclination, your short game can match anyone's.

     If you do decide to take a lesson, don't go to an instructor who has decided what to teach you before he or she has even seen you swing a club. Make sure they work with the abilities you have and that they ask for feedback on what you would most like to accomplish. Both yourself and instructor have to be realistic.

     If you're happy with the way you play, don't care if you ever improve, and don't even keep score, that's great too. The game can be anything you want it to be.

     I have a friend who uses it to keep his back loose. Howard is 66 and figures he'd rather spend his time and money smacking balls than on a physiotherapist. (He just collapsed the face of his driver after hitting thousands of balls with the vast majority out past 250 yards.)

     I'm 33 and Howard has lived twice as long as I have. A non-golfer asked why I would want to play with someone so much older. Well, he'd have to be a complete idiot (he isn't) not to have learned more than me. I'd have to be a complete idiot (open to debate) not to try and extract some of that knowledge from him.

     Golf is the perfect setting in which to do this.

     It has been said that you can learn more about a person in four hours on a golf course than months or years as a casual acquaintance. It's absolutely true. You can tell how they handle pressure and adversity, success and failure, and whether they are willing to cut corners to achieve the former and avoid the latter. But for me, it is just a great place to learn period. And the people who've been around the longest generally have the most to teach. So I highly recommend getting a game with a long in the toother whenever you can.

     One last thing...
There is some criticism that retirees slow up play. I'm sure some of them do just like everyone else. But the guys I see go too damn fast! It's as if they're on a mission to prove they are not slow. Take it easy for crying out loud! You're retired! A nice steady pace is fine! Take some time to smell the flowers babies!