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Related golf tips:

• February 2008: How to start the backswing and downswing
• June 2004: A baseball pitcher’s motion is closer to a good golf swing than you think!
• December 2003: Your grip may be the cause of your off line shots!

Tom Watson of USA tees off on the 9th hole during the final round of the 138th Open Championship on the Ailsa Course, Turnberry Golf Club, Scotland.

With Tom Watson’s play at the British Open, Michael Allen’s recent stand in Hawaii, and Kenny Perry’s continuous charge, it seems like this new phenomenon of Senior Pros competing successfully against the kids is here to stay. Plus, with guys like Fred Couples, Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin entering the fray again via the Champions Tour, I believe we’ll see many more grizzled veterans mixing it up with the young bucks.

I think it’s great for golf! It creates new interest and bridges the generations. What other sport offers the chance to see 18- and 20-year-olds going head-to-head with players aged 40 to 60? Even non-golfers tuned into the TV coverage of last year’s British Open when they heard that 59-year-old Tom Watson was close to an historic win in this famous tournament. People of all ages wanted to see how an “old guy” could compete and win against players four decades younger than himself.

Sportswriter John Paul Newport thinks that Watson isn’t just good for his age but that this is what 59 looks like now. Fred Funk told him, “As long as you’re feeling pretty good health-wise, age is not a big factor.” Hale Irwin said that he played his best golf in his 50’s, when he won 45 times. He believed he was in the best physical shape of his life and the need to compete was still there. Also impressive was 40-year-old Catriona Matthew’s win at the Women’s British Open last summer. Again, the field included mostly younger players, some only half her age, and none had just had a baby as she had just 11 weeks prior.

Why Are These Older Players Able to Compete at Such a High Level?

One theory espoused by Ryan Ballengee is that older players played in the pre-Tiger era and learned how to win. Younger guys today have been less often in contention and have not won nearly enough to gain the experience of how to do it. Players like Tom Watson and Greg Norman have been in the winners circle often enough in their careers to have an edge over the less experienced.

I think that better overall conditioning and new nutritional knowledge are key factors for success with older players. It’s true that older players have more physical issues due to injuries sustained over time, but if they’re healthy and the intensity is still there, a player who stays fit and maintains a good diet should be able to compete with golfers a third their age.

I’ve recently discovered nutritional supplements that have made a huge difference in how I feel at 62 years of age. The one I recommend the most is MaxGXL: it increases your energy, detoxifies the body, and strengthens the immune system. Two-time National Long Drive Champion Art Sellinger says that every golfer should be taking Max GXL. Listen to what he says about his increased energy and flexibility, and how it’s changed his life in this video.

Golf is a unique sport for many different reasons, but perhaps one of the most notable sources of its appeal is that it’s one of those rare endeavors in life where age just doesn’t matter. Stay fit, eat right, and hit ‘em straight!

Related:

• Health Tips for Golf Longevity
• The Three Fundamental Golf Stretches for Maximum Swing Power

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Related golf tips:

• March 2009: Keeping it Straight for a Lifetime of Back Pain-Free Golf
• January 1999: Stretching – A Year-Long Investment in Your Game

Also see:

• Learn the Secrets of Nutrition and Flexibility!

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• June 2004: A baseball pitcher’s motion is closer to a good golf swing than you think!
• March 2005: End the confusion about body movement through the impact zone!
• February 2008: How to start the backswing and downswing

I’d like to hear your thoughts about the things that could be done to get people flooding back to this great game. Please leave me your comments below.

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• November 2002: Preventing the “FAT” Shot
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• July 1999: The Wet Bunker Shot

Doug Barron hits his approach shot on the third hole during the 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC Las Colinas in Irving, TX.

Earlier this month, Doug Barron, an almost unknown player who lost his tour card three years ago, became the first player to be suspended by the PGA Tour for violating their new drug policy. Barron has been suspended for one year.

“I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the TOUR or its players resulting from my suspension. I want my fellow TOUR members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on TOUR,” said Barron.

Under its doping policy, the PGA Tour doesn’t disclose what substance a player used. British Open champion Stewart Cink commented, “I know him a little bit. He’s taken medicine in the past for a lot of different reasons. I would think that has a lot to do with it.” Jerry Kelly, who’s known Barron for years, said he had several health issues. “My big question is whether he was doing something to make himself feel better and did not get the therapeutic use exemption,” Kelly said. “I mean, this guy had health problems.” [source]

Less than two weeks after the PGA Tour announcement, attorneys for Doug Barron, sought a temporary restraining order (the request was denied). Attorney Jeffrey Rosenblum, said his client took testosterone and propranolol under the supervision of a doctor for “therapeutic use.”

If drugs were “performance enhancing” surely Barron would have done a lot better in 2009: five tournaments, four missed cuts and one disqualification. No money earned. And, do you remember the story of Barron taking off his shirt during play at a 2006 tournament at Innisbrook? This was not a man of awesome physique.

“I don’t believe it,” Rod Pampling said. “Doug Barron? Look at the man. Tell him to take his shirt off and ask anyone, ‘Do you believe he’s on performance-enhancing drugs?”‘

As a professional golfer with tournament experience, I can tell you that this is a non-issue and I think it makes the PGA look silly. To ban someone who is not only ranked #1150 in the World Rankings but is only #349 in the USA. This is not someone who has posed a threat to the top players in the game. The PGA Tour should have sidestepped this one. I think this loses credibility with the general public. What are your thoughts?

Related: Does PGA Tour drug policy turn blind eye to recreational drugs?

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Related golf tips:

• February 2009: Chipping On An Uphill Lie
• October 2008: Chipping or Pitching To a Green Above Shoulder Level
• June 2008: Faults and Fixes Part 2 – Chipping
• September 2007: Simplifying the Chip Shot

Lee Westwood tees off at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain (Oct 30, 2009.)

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MaxGXL

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Do you have any products, resources or tips for maintaining golf longevity?

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• June 2003: The Right Shin Post – Another Power Leak!

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•  January 2004: Let your skiing improve your chipping! 
•  August 2009:How to get rid of tie hits

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• August 2002: The "Tomahawk" Shot
• April 2005: Another practice drill to end that slice!
• November 2007: Add the "chicken wing" to your arsenal of advanced shots

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• February 2005: To become a better putter, "hit and hold"!
• November 2005: Improving your putting stroke
• April 2007: An indoor drill for better putting

Find out more about the Radar training aid that Mel references in this video.

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Related golf tips:

• March 2000 – Power with Control
  
• December 2001: Seniors Effortless Power
• March 2006: Drills for increasing your power