3 Golf Tips That Make Every Round Easier After 60

Simple ideas for enjoying the golf you play now

Golf changes over the years. Distances change. Energy changes. The first few holes can take a little longer to settle into.

None of that means the game has to become harder work.

These are three simple things I’ve found useful for making the round feel easier to manage and more enjoyable from start to finish.

Tip 1: Give the First Shot a Small Job

The first tee can make the opening shot feel more important than it is.

There may be people nearby. Your playing partners are ready. The group behind seems to have arrived early.

It is easy to make that first shot carry too much.

You want to start well. You want to avoid trouble. You want to feel comfortable straight away.

That is a lot to ask from one shot before the round has even begun.

I find it more useful to give the first shot a smaller job.

Pick somewhere clear. A comfortable part of the fairway. An area that gives you room.

Then get the ball moving.

That is enough.

The first shot does not need to tell you what sort of round you are going to have.

It just needs to start it.

Tip 2: Stop Spending Energy Where Golf Does Not Need It

A lot of rounds do not become tiring all at once.

You lose a little energy here. A little there.

By the back nine, the legs feel heavier, the bag feels heavier, and decisions can start getting a bit less patient.

I used to think the answer was simply to get fitter.

That helps, of course.

But there are plenty of smaller things that matter too.

Do not rush between shots.

There is no prize for getting to your ball first.

Keep the bag or trolley as light as it reasonably can be.

Drink before you are properly thirsty.

Have something small to eat before the energy disappears.

A banana, cereal bar or whatever works for you.

Nothing clever.

Just enough to stop the round becoming harder than it needs to be.

The same applies mentally.

A bad shot can use up more energy than walking the hole if you keep replaying it.

Once the shot is finished, let it finish.

The next one will give you enough to think about.

You do not need to carry the last one as well.

Tip 3: Know What Your Clubs Do Now

This is one of the most useful things I’ve learned.

Know what your clubs actually do now.

Not what they did ten years ago.

Not what they did on your best day last summer.

Not what the golfer next to you is hitting.

What do they do now?

If your seven iron carries 140 rather than 150, that is useful information.

If the hybrid is easier to trust than the long iron, use it.

If the driver does not suit a particular hole, leave it in the bag.

Golf gets harder when memory starts choosing the club.

You remember the old distance.

You remember the shot you used to hit.

And you start trying to force the club to do something it no longer does comfortably.

There is no shame in taking one more club.

The scorecard does not record which iron you used.

It only records the number.

The clubs you trust are usually worth more than the clubs you think you ought to hit.

That may be a hybrid.

A fairway wood.

A seven iron.

A wedge from a distance you know.

Use the clubs that make the next shot easier.

That is experience doing its job.

Keep the Game Worth Looking Forward

Golf does not have to look the same as it did twenty years ago to still be good golf.

A round can be enjoyable without being your lowest score.

A hole can be well played without looking impressive.

A shorter drive can still leave a perfectly good next shot.

And a round that leaves you with enough energy to enjoy the last few holes is usually better than one that has felt like hard work from the turn.

For me, that is the real aim now.

Enjoy the walk.

Use the clubs you trust.

Let one bad shot stay where it happened.

And give yourself every chance to enjoy the next round as much as the last one.

See you out there,

Andrew

More from Every Round Golf

If you found these three ideas useful, there is plenty more on Every Round Golf.

Practical articles on enjoying the game after 60, choosing equipment that suits the way you play, and making better decisions around the course.