Realistic expectations for over 50 crowd

[Smigles]

Paul Francz from switzerland is in his 50s and can still throw 450-ish. But he has been playing since the 80's and stayed in good shape the whole time. He is also one of the best grandmasters we have in europe. All the other GM's in switzerland throw about half as far as Paul.

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

There's a few 50+ players out here that still can break 400'. It's not all about youth and flexibility.

I still love to beat down on the kiddies with upshot accuracy & putting.

 

[DannyM]

It really depends on the type of courses you play as to where the distance factor comes in to play. Here in the Carolinas, MOST of the courses are mostly woods, and technical, meaning that accuracy is needed much more than distance is. Yes, there are sections in most courses that "open up", where you can throw your max distance throws, but maybe 2-3 holes at most. Most of the best Masters and Grandmasters in this area are better known for their accuracy, and their short game than they are for being able to "bomb it". If you mostly play on wide open courses, then distance would be what you would be concerned about, in our area, the short game is what makes a great player. Yes, you still want to have a decent drive, but it's only a third of your game!

 

[DavidSauls]

I'll never understand the obsession some people have with distance.

I started playing when I was 50 and am 56 now. I am very competitive and as such really enjoy playing in tournaments. I can't remember ever playing a tournament or even a casual round where it has mattered who threw it the farthest or being impressed because someone used a putter on a 300' hole. Winning is so much more satisfying than throwing it a long way.

IMO it's about course management and putting. My rating fluctuates between 950 and 965, and if I am playing to my rating I can compete for the win in Grandmasters most of the time.

Sure, if I found a disc that added 50' to my drives I would use it, but I would much rather increase my accuracy on 30-40' putts - that will lower my score more than longer tee shots will...

How about an obsession with improving all facets of the game---including distance?

I want to putt better and throw my midranges better and throw my drivers better, both controlling lines of flight and adding distance. I want to throw better rollers. I want to improve my shaky forehand to go with my dominant backhand. On many holes, many of these techniques won't help me win. But I want to improve all of these tools, to have them when they'll help.

It's not an either/or---either improve putting, or improve distance. Why not both?

 

[Monkeypaws]

To get back to Grotto's original post, I have wondered myself where the actual last plateau will be, for a guy who started playing as a 50 year old.

I continue to slowly improve, but I'm pretty sure that I'll never get a sniff of 350', let alone 400'.

Luckily, as many others have said, there are only a handful of holes in the courses around here that need big distance.

 

[mattc]

realistically, i think you are "close" too max distance.
however, i am sure if you look hard enough, there might be another 20'-50' hiding somewhere.

 

[Fab Man]

I also didn't start till I was over 50 and I still remember when my son told me several years ago, "I hate to tell you this, but you'll never throw over 300 feet". It's been a few years and he's still right, but he's been watching me improve my form and now thinks maybe someday I will. When I go out to practice I'm more worried about working on my short game then improving my distance, but the distance is also improving as I clean up my form.

 

[Monocacy]

58 a couple weeks ago, throwing farther than I did at 40 and wanting more next year.

Comparable age, similar results here. I suspect my current distance limit is still technical rather than physiological.

My problem with age is that improving technique can generate new strains on the body, which can lead to minor injuries, which need more time to heal than they used to. By the time I get healed up, sometimes I have "forgotten" the feel of what led to the breakthrough.

Case in point - after spraining my ankle (not age-related, just stupidity), I realized that I was not getting much push from my back leg. Played a round concentrating on back leg push, and seemed to be making progress. Unfortunately on the last couple of holes I realized that I had strained my hamstring. :wall:

After a few days off I will add some leg stretches and exercises to my (already lengthy) warm-up routine.

There are not many sports where a person can continue to improve through their 50s. Disc golf, fortunately, is one.

 

[Doofenshmirtz]

I'm 42 so I'm not over 50 but I occasionally play with a couple guys who are in their mid 50s who easily throw 400. One is fat and one is skinny . they've been playing forever. I only throw 370 on my absolute best day and usually more like 350. I really feel that its technique that wins out over age.

This. I started playing at 46 and am 48 now. I can consistently throw around 380 and every once in a while, with a little tail wind, I can throw my Tern about 425. I got there with field work and working on my form. Before I learned decent mechanics, my longer throws would hurt my elbow or shoulder. Now I just tire out from the walk after 36 holes or so.

There is a local guy in his early 30's who pride's himself on being able to throw far. It's kind of funny to watch the amount of effort and grunting that goes into his throws and mediocre form and then occasionally throw further than him.

I know that I'll start tapering eventually, but don't see any reason, barring injury, that it should start happening anytime in the next few years.

 

[Ted Bratton]

Age itself is obviously not the limiting factor. If you want to throw farther, practice long drives often, and push yourself you will throw farther. The question is how will your body react?

 

[Moose33]

My dad is now 65 and when I started playing picked the game back up after not playing since the 80s. Back then all he palyed with was one of the old Wham-O discs. But he could get it over 300.

Now he has replaced both knees and deals with back issues. Current bag is a Sidewinder, Valk, Stingray, and a Rubber Putter.

On a good day when he's feeling good the SW will go 275, on a bad day his Stingray is the longest and he can get it out to 200 with almost all wrist.

If your body hasn't failed you I don't see why some small form tweaks couldn't get you a little more distance but I really doubt your going to see any big gains.

 

[Guurn]

50 you here, but I've been playing a long time. I still break 400' on occasion but usually I am in the 380' range (3 finger power grip). Injuries aside, almost everyone should be able to break 350' with modern discs. Of course everyone will have to work on their flexibility as well. For me and most Grandmasters I see that can drive over 350' the key is smooth technique.

I never thought I would be that guy, the one that watches tournament videos. I watch for players that have the technique I am shooting for. Once you know what you are looking for it is obvious. Simon Lizotte vs Steve Rico. One looks smooth and one looks forced. Some people that study technique talk about strong arming and the hit point a lot. They talk less about the run up (or walk up) and adding speed together. In my head I think about walking up at 2 mph, the reach back and shoulder movement for a few more mph etc along with the hitpoint to get the speed I need to get out that far.

Many guys our age have issues with their hips or knees and backs. This will affect your distance greatly. Increasing flexibility will help a ton. Time to take up yoga?

 

[grotto]

I have gained quite a bit in the last year and a half, but I do think I'm getting to my upper limit though. It's winter now and I can't get a run-up, wear boots and a coat, but I notice I'm driving just as far now as I was with a run-up in the beginning of the year. So I guess there is still room for improvement.

Had a nose angle issue I ironed out this year, so that has helped a lot. I'm 53, 6'2" and in good shape. Besides an old shoulder injury and a knee that bothers me once in a while, I'm pretty fine. Helps me keep it slow and relaxed.

 

[magictenor1]

I'm 55 and played long ago with whamo discs. back then I was generally longer than the others I played with using the older style frisbees. When I rediscovered DG I had some trouble adjusting to the golf discs and have never been able to get a lot of distance. I throw entirely backhand. I am however quite accurate and can throw my putter a good distance. On most courses I throw a putter for my second shot and it's probably the best part of my game.

 

[Peter S]

I will turn 47 in January. I can throw my 167 Gstar Boss & 168 Gstar Destroyer close to 400' as they are less stable.

My stable Star Destroyer is my most reliable placement long driver, no mater the wind with a reliable max of 340'

 

[Shamis]

Focus on technique. I'm not 50, but I'm getting close to 40, and after about 5 years of disc golfing I'm now throwing further than ever. When my mechanics are good, I throw far and it feels effortless. When they are wrong, I try really hard, strain muscles, hurt my back, hurt my knees/hip whatever, and don't throw as far.

400 feet should be doable for just about any healthy person (even an old one).

Other than that, I have met a 65 year old guy throwing 400-500 foot rollers. That's always a good thing to learn.

 

[World Eater]

Turning 40 this year. I actually have pins in my leg form a hip break a while back (fluke, slipped on some ice, and no my balance is not generally horrible...)

About a month after I started playing disc golf (playing every single day for at least 2 hours mind you...) I started developing a lot of pain in my leg. I was worried that was it for me because of the surgery but the doc gave me some stretches to do and it relieved the pain and now my injured leg is actually way stronger than it has ever been since the surgery thanks to disc golf.

I've been playing (incessantly) less than a year and have taken a couple lessons from a local pro, but have managed to get my distance up to the 400' range.

There's a lot of technique plateau in the 280-400 range so I wouldnt count your distance gains done. As another poster pointed out though, as we get older good form is not as much about distance as making sure that you arent injuring yourself or causing more wear on your bits than you should.

That said, keep practicing form. Clean it up, watch Feldbergs "the jewel" video to help on angle and run up, figure out how to accelerate your hips and shoulders at the right point in your turn. Your planted foot is your fulcrum - you're basically trying to run up, plant, and create a whip around that fulcrum. Relax and let yourself whip.

But the biggest key for me in getting past the 350+ plateau and also ironically in reducing the wear on my body has been learning to follow through all the way. If there's one thing I would preach about saving your body its that.

and finally - Scott Papa talks about getting older and being a pro on the DG circuit. Check out his bio on the Discraft site - I found it really informative and helpful. One thing he mentions is cross training and stretching becomes more critical as we get older since we dont have that awesome just-because-you-are-a-young-male core strength and flexibility.

edit : its Mark Ellis that talks about getting old, not Scott. Sorry guys.

http://www.discraft.com/team_ellis.html

 

[dukesilver]

How old is Ron Convers (http://www.dynamicdiscs.com/disc-golf-team/Ron-Convers-Jr/ )? Some of his 400+ ft throws on youtube look like he's barely trying.

 

[Steve West]

Hey, 40 year olds, get off this thread, dagnabit!

A man's strength peaks in his early 40s. You can't talk about being old until at least 50 or 55.

 

[World Eater]

Dude, you're just starting to come in to your old man strength at 55. I think it helps to activate your old man strength if you grow a beard and drink alcohol directly from the receptacle you purchased it in.