Questions for 60+ age players

[Hal9000]

I am 62 years old and have been playing disc golf for 9 months. My form has improved and my lines have gotten tighter since I started. I seem to have reached a cap of approximately 320ft for distance drivers, 300ft for fairway drivers and 280ft for midranges. I do not throw my putter for drives.

I am trying to determine what are reasonable expectations for distance and what types of discs I should be throwing. I would really like to hear from other senior golfers because of the similar body limitations we may have in common.

My questions:

1. Are my distances equivalent to other seniors?

2. Are my gaps between disc categories normal? They seem small to me.

3. I have overstable, neutral and understable in each disc category. Do others use overstable, particularly in a distance driver?

4. I have difficulty with forehands. I tend to throw with OAT and it sometimes causes shoulder discomfort. Should I focus on backhands with understable discs, particularly for longer throws?

Thank you in advance for your answers. I am loving this sport. I only wish I had discovered it when I was younger!

 

[DavidSauls]

There are no standards for distance, everyone's body type and athleticism being different. That said, those would be pretty good distance numbers among older tournament players around here, not dazzling but probably better than half, pretty good for only playing 9 months.

 

[disclover55]

I concentrate on my short game . I use lighter discs . Generally I use stable or over stable discs into the wind and understable discs with the wind. Having pain when you throw is not good. Warm up,throw lighter discs , and have a good follow through enables me to play 300 days a year at 63 yrs

 

[DavidSauls]

As for the rest....

I'm almost 60, but unlike you in decline. Particularly my distance. With those caveats....

2. I'd think these gaps are fairly normal, depending on your drivers. My experience is that I throw fairway drivers just a little further than mids; most of my drivers, a little further than the fairways; and the occasional driver that really suits me, a little further than the rest of them. But that little bit sometimes matters a lot.

3. At least on the courses around here, a backhand turnover doesn't replace a forehand fade. It depends on the shape of the fairway; the understable discs thrown backhand turn early, then straighten out; the forehand shots go straight, then turn late. You need both.

4. But my forehand sucks. I'd say keep working on it, but.....if it's causing shoulder discomfort, don't. Or at least be careful. It might be mechanics, but you don't want "discomfort" to turn into "sidelined" or "surgery".

 

[armiller]

I'm particularly unqualified to answer this as a young whipper snapper, but I did at least one >60 fellow into the game. Your distance is already respectable. You may not enjoy the disc-golf-on-ball-golf-courses with tons of >400' open holes, but that distance will be fine on many more enjoyable courses.

A couple suggestions which you could easily ignore.
- you could probably practice throwing those putters off the tee; you might be surprised how they work for you
- for forehand, I'd recommend totally giving up on distance-type forehands unless that's your comfortable throwing motion; nevertheless, work on forehanding putters/mids/fairways (or whatever) on different lines that are useful in a round. In my experience, getting some simple wrist action down will not mess up a shoulder or elbow and can still be amazingly useful on the course when you need to straddle or hit a shorter forehand line. As far as the longer throws, I'd say work on the backhand turnovers like you suggested. As you already know, there are many holes that aren't really meant to be birdied anyway. Stay in the fairway and get either a long look or an easy 3, and you can still be a good golfer.

 

[RFrance]

I'm also 62. For your questions:

1. I'm just now getting those distances after 4 1/2 years. That's from working in the field almost everyday and reading all the good info on this forum for the last 3 1/2.

2. The gaps seem to be about right. There are some threads on the forum where those are discussed but if I recall, that's about normal.

3. Right now my most over stable distance driver is a Volt. I also have a Photon but that is more stable because it is beat in.

4. I eased into forehands because of shoulder pain from lifting weights when I was younger. Check out Sidewinders video in the Technique section for some good tips. Throw easy until you get it figured out. Everyone says learn forehand with putters and they are right.

I wish I had discovered disc golf earlier too. But now I'm at a big advantage because I recently retired and can easily find an open practice field and open courses.

 

[tonyroberts]

A 66 and playing for 5 years, I still haven't reached your distances. Just before the snow hit, though, I was making some strides with my form, so I'm hopeful that I'll be catching up to you this spring.

Form can always be improved, but it's a process and it takes time. Despite having an aging body, I still think I get longer throws with better form. Unless you have a frozen shoulder or other limitation, your game should be able to grow.

Sidearm has been a challenge for me, but this past season I practiced short sidearm throws with putters and mids quite a bit and I can tell you that saved me a few strokes in my last tournament.

The most fun part of the game for me is the challenge of trying to improve. I enjoy fieldwork, and I will admit to having spent a lot of time in the field practicing bad form, so I've gotten pretty good at being bad. That's another thing I'm hoping to correct this year.

 

[1978]

I am 62 years old and have been playing disc golf for 9 months. My form has improved and my lines have gotten tighter since I started. I seem to have reached a cap of approximately 320ft for distance drivers, 300ft for fairway drivers and 280ft for midranges. I do not throw my putter for drives.

I am trying to determine what are reasonable expectations for distance and what types of discs I should be throwing. I would really like to hear from other senior golfers because of the similar body limitations we may have in common.

My questions:

1. Are my distances equivalent to other seniors?

2. Are my gaps between disc categories normal? They seem small to me.

3. I have overstable, neutral and understable in each disc category. Do others use overstable, particularly in a distance driver?

4. I have difficulty with forehands. I tend to throw with OAT and it sometimes causes shoulder discomfort. Should I focus on backhands with understable discs, particularly for longer throws?

Thank you in advance for your answers. I am loving this sport. I only wish I had discovered it when I was younger!

If you are accurate those distances are good enough to compete in almost any division. I cant think of a major advanced event I needed over 320ft accurate distance if putting and mid range shots went well

 

[1978]

320ft distance plus an accurate 30ft putt = 350ft of distance effectively.

 

[teemkey]

In my experience, your distances are exceptional.

To get a true comparison to your age group, you should play in tournament's AM60+ division. I've played a few tournaments as a Senior Grandmaster, and most player's distances are 20+ feet less than yours. A few throw farther.

Since you've only been playing 9 months, it's probable that you can increase your distance with form improvements.

 

[araytx]

I am 57, but only been playing about 11-12 years. My distances are a little better, but I will say that if I can hit those distances accurately in 5 years, I'll be very happy.

 

[Coyote15]

I'm 55 and have been playing for about 12 years- my distances are very similar to yours. What I find is interesting is that I generally throw fairway drivers farther than the faster true drivers - the disc dimensions fit my hand better and the discs comes out much more smoothly. Unless there is a headwind of course.

 

[curmudgeonDwindle]

I'm deep into my 50's, but maybe what I say will be applicable.

I've always felt that golfers of all sorts are way too obsessed with distance; one of the paradoxes of golf is that when playing a 'straight' scoring game, it is often the most boring and routine play that brings the most success (low scores) in the long run, period. Basically, this means controlled placement drives, solid upshots & putting. 2 long-time older players who exemplify this approach are Alan Beaver and Stan McDaniel. Neither of these guys could ever have been considered to possess a 'cannon' but would frequently crush their opponents who are often much younger/powerful. Another similar player might be Barry Schultz, albeit I think him more athletically gifted than either Beaver or McDaniel. Results speak for this approach's value. There's also plenty of video available on Schultz to use as a model.

This leads one back to the question of why you play. Most people have several motivations; delineating a 'motivation hierarchy' makes your approach, decision-making and strategies consistent and directed. As does intimate knowledge of one's own game. There's a lot to be said for accepting one's (current) limitations and deciding to execute one's game within this framework.

For the majority of golf holes out there, your current distance ability is plenty adequate for excellent scoring - more time spent perusing courses on this site should buttress this fact.

As for your questions:
1. I don't know what other seniors throw distance-wise.
2. These gaps are not as small as you might think for the 'average' fellow. Bigger gaps should emerge as one's technique improves - almost all improvements in this area follow leaps in technique. The similarity in distances here indicate that you throw basically the same way (or have the same technical irregularities) regardless of mold or 'line'.
3. I think it best to limit the number of molds one carries for 'competitive' rounds and to match the tool to the work - try and throw the disc predisposed to fly the shape/line I want.
4. I believe that unless one has had extensive experience in other 'throwing sports', the forehand is increasingly difficult to master as one ages, which means expectations need be adjusted accordingly. Remember that every golfer has a dominant throw, for most it's the backhand and while I'm not discouraging you from learning, I think perhaps you're biting off a little more than you can chew at this point (cultivating a small get-out-of-trouble forehand being the exception and stepping stone). Patience is an under-rated mental skill in golfing and limiting your process goals will speed your improvement.

FWIW

 

[joecoin]

I turned 60 last year (which means I'm an adult now!)

1. Your distances are 20 to 30 feet farther than mine.

2. Your gaps between disc categories match mine.

3. I use all three types of stabilities, though I can't throw an over-stable distance driver properly unless into a huge headwind.

4. My forehand is poor, but that's a step up from the ridiculous it was last year. I can get maybe 160 to 170 feet accurately now. My breakthrough came when I extended my thumb out onto the flight plate as far as I could.


I throw a lot of 150 class discs when the wind is not too high. And I have lots of Comets, they remind me of the Frisbees I used to throw as a punk teenager. I'd rather face a 30 foot putt than a 10 footer.

 

[Hal9000]

Thank you everyone for your responses to my questions. They have been most helpful and made me feel much better about the state of my game!

 

[DavidSauls]

How far you can putt consistently?

That's the real distance question.

 

[DavidSauls]

I'm deep into my 50's, but maybe what I say will be applicable.

I've always felt that golfers of all sorts are way too obsessed with distance; one of the paradoxes of golf is that when playing a 'straight' scoring game, it is often the most boring and routine play that brings the most success (low scores) in the long run, period. Basically, this means controlled placement drives, solid upshots & putting. 2 long-time older players who exemplify this approach are Alan Beaver and Stan McDaniel. Neither of these guys could ever have been considered to possess a 'cannon' but would frequently crush their opponents who are often much younger/powerful. Another similar player might be Barry Schultz, albeit I think him more athletically gifted than either Beaver or McDaniel. Results speak for this approach's value. There's also plenty of video available on Schultz to use as a model.

This leads one back to the question of why you play. Most people have several motivations; delineating a 'motivation hierarchy' makes your approach, decision-making and strategies consistent and directed. As does intimate knowledge of one's own game. There's a lot to be said for accepting one's (current) limitations and deciding to execute one's game within this framework.

For the majority of golf holes out there, your current distance ability is plenty adequate for excellent scoring - more time spent perusing courses on this site should buttress this fact.

As for your questions:
1. I don't know what other seniors throw distance-wise.
2. These gaps are not as small as you might think for the 'average' fellow. Bigger gaps should emerge as one's technique improves - almost all improvements in this area follow leaps in technique. The similarity in distances here indicate that you throw basically the same way (or have the same technical irregularities) regardless of mold or 'line'.
3. I think it best to limit the number of molds one carries for 'competitive' rounds and to match the tool to the work - try and throw the disc predisposed to fly the shape/line I want.
4. I believe that unless one has had extensive experience in other 'throwing sports', the forehand is increasingly difficult to master as one ages, which means expectations need be adjusted accordingly. Remember that every golfer has a dominant throw, for most it's the backhand and while I'm not discouraging you from learning, I think perhaps you're biting off a little more than you can chew at this point (cultivating a small get-out-of-trouble forehand being the exception and stepping stone). Patience is an under-rated mental skill in golfing and limiting your process goals will speed your improvement.

FWIW

There's a lot of truth here, but my motivation to throw further is to just be able to match one particular player.

My former self.

I never threw amazingly far but was content with the distance I had. Now there's an annoying character living somewhere in my brain, reminding me on every long hole of where I used to throw, and chiding me when I come up short again.

That, and I often play a course that was apparently designed for someone who throws further than I do---in particular, for that former self. Particularly the water carries.

 

[Hal9000]

That is so true! I'm consistent putting out to about 15 feet, 20 on a good day. Past that, I tend to throw them to the right. I also have trouble getting a flat release.

 

[biscoe]

There's a lot of truth here, but my motivation to throw further is to just be able to match one particular player.

My former self.

I never threw amazingly far but was content with the distance I had. Now there's an annoying character living somewhere in my brain, reminding me on every long hole of where I used to throw, and chiding me when I come up short again.

That, and I often play a course that was apparently designed for someone who throws further than I do---in particular, for that former self. Particularly the water carries.

I resemble these remarks

 

[BogeyNoMore]

How far you can putt consistently?

That's the real distance question.

That's something you'll find playing in the Old Guys divisions. Father time, various ailments or injuries, etc. may have robbed some distance from long time players, but years of playing in a variety of conditions have sharpened their putting skills.

Some of those guys are money whenever they sniff a basket.