Juniors and seniors: adapting the game at both ends.

Juniors

A development pathway

Golf Canada, working with the PGA of Canada, published "Long-Term Player Development 2.0", unveiled at Golf Canada's annual meeting in February 2015. Its theme is doing the right thing at the right time. Golf Canada's own coverage lists age-based stages under a "Golf for Life" heading: Active Start, Fundamentals, Learn to Golf, Introduction to Competition, Learn to Compete, Train to Compete and Compete to Win.

The stage count is not consistent between sources. That list has seven stages, while a Golf Canada and PGA of Canada launch release, as summarised, describes LTPD 2.0 as an eight-stage approach.

Play many sports first

Rick Hayman and colleagues (2011) interviewed eight elite English adolescent golfers, all with plus handicaps (plus 2 to plus 4) and in English Golf Union international squads. They had not specialised early. They played many sports in a playful setting, and structured, golf-specific deliberate practice appeared only after they were picked for international teams in late adolescence. The practice page has more on this research.

Clubs that fit

Tim Briand, Senior Vice President of True Spec Golf, set out his view of junior equipment to GOLF.com's Andrew Tursky in 2020:

• Fit by height and clubhead speed, not by age or gender. Golfers under about 5 feet who hit driver around 190 to 200 yards may suit a dedicated junior set with lighter, smaller heads, short flexible shafts and smaller grips.
• A beginner does not need 14 clubs. His example set is a driver, a hybrid, a 7-iron, three wedges and a putter, with short-game clubs especially important.
• Be careful with hand-me-downs. Cut-down adult clubs can shape a child's swing. If adult clubs are cut down, he suggests light, flexible shafts, because shortened adult shafts can play too stiff.
• Fit for six to seven months ahead, avoid clubs a child cannot yet use, such as blades, and have the fitter and instructor work closely together.
• A typical progression runs from junior sets to adult heads with ladies flex, then senior flex, then regular or stiff, with skilled juniors reaching adult heads and extra-stiff shafts around 17 or 18.

Supervision

The 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health recommends supervising children around golf. Clubs and balls can cause serious head injuries, as the injuries page notes. For programmes that introduce children to the game, see juniors.

Tee selection for shorter hitters

TEE IT FORWARD was launched by the PGA of America and the USGA in 2011, with a national promotion at facilities from 5 to 17 July that year. The concept is credited to Barney Adams, founder of Adams Golf. Its guideline chart matches a golfer's average driver distance to a recommended length for an 18-hole course:

The chart is keyed to driving distance, not to age, so it can be read the same way by a junior, a senior or anyone else.

Older golfers

Swing changes from Kellie Stenzel

Kellie Stenzel, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, has written two sets of suggestions for older golfers (GOLF.com, 2021 and 2024). Directions are for a right-handed golfer.

• Close the stance and flare the toes. Move the trail foot back a few inches and flare the toes for a deeper turn and a shallower path.
• Start turning early in the takeaway, to make up for a shorter backswing caused by reduced flexibility.
• Turn the upper and lower body together to avoid straining the back, and let the lead heel rise in the backswing.
• Use the hands and wrists more, with a tension-free grip in the fingers and an earlier wrist hinge.
• Learn to draw the ball for more roll, and add shoulder tilt at address with the driver for a higher launch.
• Adjust the equipment: lighter heads and more flexible shafts through a professional fitting, more loft (such as a 7-wood), higher-lofted hybrids in place of long irons, and grips sized to the hands, which matters more with arthritis.

Foot flare: a disagreement

Stenzel recommends flaring the toes to make rotation easier. Coach Cody Carter, as summarised from a GOLF.com article, uses foot flare to adjust backswing length: more flare for a longer backswing and less for a shorter one. A coach who can see your swing is best placed to judge which matters more for you.

Health research on older golfers

The 2018 consensus statement agreed that golf is likely to bring strength and balance benefits for older adults, and that golfers can generally return to play after knee, hip or shoulder replacement with a graduated return. When to return after surgery is a decision for your surgeon or doctor.

The R&A-backed Strength and Balance Study, reported in September 2020 and led by Professor Maria Stokes (University of Southampton) and Dr George Salem (University of Southern California), compared 152 golfers and non-golfers in two age groups, 65 to 79 and over 80, and ran a 10-week golf programme for 15 novice older adults. The reported results were favourable to golf, but they were awaiting peer review at the time, so we treat them as unconfirmed.