Dreading the transition from player to old man...

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By Rick F

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  1. Rick F

    Rick F
    Dedham, MA

    I took the last 2 1/2 years off from golf. I tried to get back into it last year and did a full bag fitting but it just didn't happen. Some of the clubs I got fit for were T150's with Modus 105 stiff and a GT3 with Graphite Design Tour AD DI stiff. Fast forward to this year and again trying to get back into it. Now I think the T150's might be too much club for me. I always said to myself when the day came for T250's or 350's or even graphite that it would be time to retire from the game.

    For the back story, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago along with arthritis and now it's getting worse. I cannot get a good night sleep because of the pain. My wife says I swear in my sleep as I toss and turn all night. It's getting difficult to practice or play back to back days now too. I lost 70# last year which I thought would help but I lost a lot of muscle and I am trying to relearn my swing, sequence and timing. i'm on a completely different plane now.

    I'm currently using the stack system, googling every video for getting club head speed back, flexibility back, golf exercises for 50+, how to hit it further but nothing is working... Never mind stopping time, I can't even slow it down! But to be fair, I've only been at it since March of this year so not a lot of time but the gym and the stack system make the pain worse.

    Winter (2024)/Spring (2025) I worked at a national golf chain and had access to a trackman whenever I worked and this was before the weight loss so my numbers were respectable for my age. 80 mph with a 7 iron and 160 carry. Last fall (2025) was my fitting and my club head speed was down to the low 70's about 72 mph on average. Right now it is at about 75 mph and I can't get it any higher than that.

    I don't know if I should hold off on getting clubs until I figure this out or get fit on a bad day knowing that I can play them when I am not at my best but won't overpower them on a good day either. I can't seem to have two non-consecutive days where some combination feels good both days though. Some days the PX LZ feels good, then it's the Modus 105 or AMT Black or DG 115 or DG 105...

    I have a 2023 T100 7 iron that I built as a range club with a project x lz 6.0 shaft. The days I hit it well remind of the good 'ol days but those are getting few and far between.

    For reference, I was fit for the following: GT3 10* (B4 setting) with GD Tour AD DI No fairway (can't hit them off the ground) GT2 18* hybrid (A1 setting) with GD Tour AD DI GT2 24* hybrid (D4 setting) with GD Tour AD DI T150 5-P with Modus 105 stiff SM10 48*, 54*, 58*

    I've had a pretty good golf life and now it's depressing to be transitioning to the next stage. I was a very competitive golfer and I was ready to walk away but now some of the dad's in my kids sports circle are trying to get me back into it because they know how good I used to be. When I stopped playing 2.5 years ago, I was a 3 and the lowest I have ever been was a +1. I never wanted to be one of those distance cheaters where I hit my 7 iron 175 yards because it has the loft of a 4 iron!

    Thanks for reading my autobiography!

  2. Barry M

    Barry M
    Reno, NV

    Welcome to the club. It's a big club with a lot of members, and it keeps getting bigger.
    When I was younger I was always chasing a single digit handicap, and I was pretty hard on myself. I was always strong physically but my mental side kept getting in the way. Did a lot of dumb (but always legal) things that have left me with a ton of old injuries, and they never go away. They just hide out in your body till a certain age, and then they all come back, with a side dish of arthritis. Now into my 70th year, and every morning it's a competition between those old injuries for which one will dominate the day.
    Best I could get to was a 13 index, and now it bounces around from there up to 17, but it doesn't frustrate me as much anymore (I lied). Some days are good days, and some are bad, and I'm learning to accept that. It's almost a blessing that I never got below a 13. I have friends who were able to get down to low single digits, and as they age I see them getting really upset about not being able to maintain their old game. A few have quit.
    My only input is try to enjoy the game a bit more. And I don't like the label "distance cheaters". It's no different than moving up to shorter tees. They're only trying to make the game more enjoyable.
  3. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Well, at 76, I sort of feel your pain. Definitely feel my pain….

    That life thing is going to happen, so try to enjoy the ride. There’s not as many opportunities to get a GIR anymore, but I can still maintain a decent pace of play, moving up a tee box and usually being the first to hit a second shot. A benefit is I get to practice my short game more and easier to practice putting rather than hitting buckets of balls at a range.

    Outside of golf, as we age we need to focus more on our wellbeing. All joints used in golf are essential for walking and other physical actions we took for granted years ago. I’ve found working with a certified TPI instructor to assess my weaknesses and develop an exercise program to get me golf ready has helped more than any of the speed programs out there. Even without losing 20% of body mass (60% of which is typically lean muscle mass) adding in resistance training and slowly increasing muscle mass makes my day to day that much better.

    Yes it sucks for driver head speed to dip under 80, but I’m still doing better than my contemporaries in my morning old men’s leagues. Take good care of your body and don’t worry that you have more hybrids than irons. Freddie Couples doesn’t.

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