The 10 Best Golf Tips for Seniors – Play Great Golf at Any Age!

Think you need to give up control, consistency, or even low scores as you get older? Think again.

As we age, mobility and flexibility can naturally decline, but that doesn’t mean your golf game has to suffer.

In fact, with some smart adjustments and a focus on control, you may find yourself playing more consistent, enjoyable golf than ever before.

Don’t give up on low scores simply because you are now in the senior category.

Best Golf Tips for Seniors (Key Takeaways)

No time to read through all of our best golf tips for seniors? Here are the most important ones to keep in mind:

• Focus on the Short Game: The short game (100 yards and in) is your best opportunity to save strokes and lower scores. Dedicate the majority of your practice time here.
• Prioritize Alignment Over Distance: Seniors often struggle with alignment as mobility changes. Use alignment aids during practice to avoid costly mistakes on the course.
• Master Your Wrist Angles: Wrist control directly impacts ball flight, putting, and short-game precision. Tools like HackMotion can help you refine your wrist angles in real-time.
• Enhance Flexibility with Daily Movement: Regular stretching and light exercises for the upper body will improve your range of motion and help you swing more freely.

The 10 Best Golf Tips for Seniors

1. Improve Your Hand Path Length

Some senior golfers struggle with the ability to rotate. As you age, your body may become stiffer and less flexible.

In addition to working on your flexibility, you can set up with your toes turned out slightly—try turning them out 20–30 degrees. This small adjustment loosens up the legs and allows for a fuller turn in your backswing.

Another added benefit is that it increases your hand path length.

You may not be able to take the club as far back as you once did, but turning your toes out gives your hands a longer path around your body, helping you maintain distance as you age.

2. Practice Your Short Game (100 Yards and In)

The biggest issue senior golfers face is difficulty producing the same amount of distance they once did. It doesn’t matter who you are; seeing ten, fifteen, or even twenty yards of distance disappear is frustrating.

However, from 100 yards and in, nothing holds you back from being the best player on the course.

Begin practicing drills to improve distance control, alignment, and ball flight. Try to have both a high and a low shot from 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards, you can rely on.

To refine your wedge distance control, try the 1-2-3 Shot Drill:

3. Work on Stable Putting Mechanics

You’ve probably heard about keeping a pendulum-like stroke when putting, which promotes consistency and keeps the ball rolling toward the hole on the proper line.

However, many senior golfers unknowingly move their wrists too much during the stroke. To improve, focus on maintaining a stable amount of flexion or extension in the lead wrist throughout the stroke.

Use the HackMotion flexion/extension putting drill to see how much movement your putting stroke has.

The Flexion/Extension Putting Drill helps train a quieter wrist action by focusing on keeping wrist flexion and extension movements within 2 degrees throughout the stroke.

The goal here is to control the putter’s loft for more consistent roll and start direction.

4. Incorporate Daily Flexibility Exercises

Those days of running up to the first tee and playing a great round without warming up are behind you. At this point in your life, your body is naturally tightening up and becoming stiffer each day.

Add a daily walk to your routine and use a golf stretching aid to improve your mobility.

Swinging a weighted club or using a lightweight medicine ball can also help build strength and flexibility in your hips and shoulders – critical areas for maintaining your swing speed.

Quick Morning Routine Example:

• Toe Touches – 10 reps
• Torso Turns with a club – 10 each side
• Hip Circles – 5 in each direction

5. Set Realistic Goals for Consistency

Set achievable goals for your game that build momentum over time.

For example, challenge yourself to complete a round without three-putting. If you do three-putt, spend some time afterward on the practice green working on lag putting.

Another great goal is to get out of the bunker in one shot every time or to convert at least one up-and-down per round. These are short-term goals that are easy to track and help build long-term consistency.

6. Adjust Your Trail Foot for a Bigger Turn

Some senior golfers feel restricted in their backswing because of reduced flexibility.

A simple adjustment can help: pull your trail foot (right foot for right-handed golfers) slightly back and flare it outward at setup.

This small tweak does two important things:

• It presets your hips slightly closed, making it easier to rotate.
• It opens the hip joint, giving you a greater range of motion during the backswing.

Combine this with letting your trail leg straighten slightly as you turn, and you’ll find it easier to complete a smooth, controlled backswing. The result should be better ball striking without forcing your body into uncomfortable positions.

Play around with the amount you adjust your trail foot until you find a comfortable position that gives you a bit more range of motion.

7. Simplify Weight Transfer

As we age, it becomes harder to recover from excessive weight shifts during the swing. Staying centered throughout your swing is a simple way to improve consistency and ensure solid contact. Making your golf swing simpler as you age is smart.

Feel like you keep your body steady over the ball during your backswing. Avoid swaying too far back or forward as you swing.

You can still transfer your weight and rotate, but you want to focus on turning around a fixed point instead of shifting weight excessively.

Try the HackMotion Casting Drill:

8. Focus on Wrist Angles for Consistency

Many senior golfers struggle with wrist angles. These wrist angles impact consistency and the potential for even distance.

If your lead wrist (left wrist for right-handed golfers) has too much extension through impact, you’re likely leaving the clubface open, leading to weak shots that fade or slice.

Many senior golfers complain that the fade or slice is their most common mix.

Focus on keeping your lead wrist flat, or even slightly flexed through impact to fix this. A tool like HackMotion can help you measure and improve your wrist angles, but even without it, you can work on drills to feel the difference.

Try the HackMotion release drill to simplify your swing and get the impact position correct.

9. Use Controlled Power in Your Swing

When seniors try to “swing harder,” they often lose balance and consistency. Instead, focus on creating controlled power by maximizing the hand and clubhead path during your backswing.

With your foot dropped back, you create more space to take the club around you. You won’t look like you’re taking a John Daly driver swing; instead, you’ll be in a controlled position where squaring the clubface at impact isn’t any more difficult.

Think of it like this:

• A longer backswing with a smooth hand and club path gives you more time to generate power.
• Balance is key—don’t overswing.
• Let the downswing happen naturally, transferring energy into the ball without rushing.

Controlled power leads to efficiency, not brute force, and results in more consistent outcomes while still maintaining a respectable distance.

10. Use Modern Technology for Feedback

Technology isn’t just for young golfers—it can be a game-changer for seniors, too. Tools like launch monitors and swing analyzers can give you precise feedback to improve your game.

Check stats like clubface angle, swing speed, and ball flight if you can access a launch monitor. Make some of the adjustments we suggested and see how they impact your numbers.

Wearing the HackMotion wrist sensor will not only help you identify your inconsistencies but also help you fix them.

The HackMotion is interactive, allowing you to do drills in real time with feedback as to whether your swing is in the correct position.

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Level 1

Release drill Train your release before working on other aspects of your swing

Level 2

Dynamic transition drill Train your sequencing and pivot, as well as punch shots or your wedge game

Level 3

Impact full swing challenge Train your maximum power swing

Explore HackMotion Today

Most importantly, you’ll be able to track your progress and keep yourself motivated to continue improving.

In Summary

As golfers age, some degree of speed and power loss will inevitably occur. It’s perfectly fine to lose some distance as we age; instead, let’s focus on control, consistency, and enjoying the game.

To score lower as you age, use experience, smart golf course management, and close attention to the details in your game.

Golfers are finding success by gaining speed, improving their short game, and focusing on positive mental thoughts on the course.

Go give it a try, and let us know how it goes.