Senior Golf Archives

After winter’s harsh snow and spring’s pesky showers, we’re sure many of us can’t wait to get outside and finally enjoy these warm days of summer! While enjoying the nice weather, why not try something new this summer like playing golf? Not only is it a great way to enjoy summer’s sun, but there are actually many health benefits of golf for seniors. Many Health Benefits of Golf

Time on the Green Boosts Your Health

We often hear the stereotype that all retirees spend their time on the golf course, which might not be such a bad thing! Golf can be played either competitively or for fun, and it’s a great sport for either beginners or pros. Many Health Benefits of Golf
So why not spend some time on the green this summer? You may get the following health benefits just from playing a game of golf:

Golf is a heart-healthy sport. Like many other sports and aerobic exercises, golf is great for your heart. You may not be running up and down a court or field, but walking 18 holes equals about four miles.
It exercises your brain, too! As mentioned above, golf is a great aerobic exercise with all the walking that you have to do across the course, but did you also know that nature walks improve one’s mental health? Golf courses are usually very scenic and relaxing places, which can help lower your stress levels and boost your mental health.
Golf is a social sport. While you can certainly play a round of golf by yourself, you may find it more enjoyable if you get a group of friends together to have weekly games. Loneliness can have detrimental effects on the elderly, and even just playing a game of golf with your friends can boost your health. Who knows, you may even make some new friends while on the green! Many Health Benefits of Golf

Golf Safety Tips for Seniors Many Health Benefits of Golf

Golf may be considered a leisurely sport, but that doesn’t mean that accidents and injuries cannot happen. In fact, seniors and infrequent players are those who are at the highest risk of experiencing an injury, which is why it’s so important to take these precautions before playing golf:

Take some lessons first. Just like any other sport, golf is no different in that you should take lessons first in order to learn the proper technique – it’s your number one defense against injuries.
Don’t forget to stretch! Swinging a golf club involves the entire body, so always warm up and stretch before playing a game. Some particular areas to pay close attention to are your shoulders, back and arms.
Use good equipment. This may seem insignificant, but having quality and properly-fitted equipment, including gloves, shoes, socks and clothing, can make all the difference in promoting your safety.
Stay hydrated. You’ll be out in the sun for a while, so drink plenty of water before, during and after playing.
Avoid the sun’s peak hours. The sun’s rays are strongest between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. If possible, play a game in the early morning or late evening hours.
Stay safe in the sun. Golf is a great sport, but in the warm summer months, it’s important to remember sun safety. To prevent damage from the sun’s rays, wear light clothing, sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, sunglasses and a hat.

-Meghan Orner
Medical Guardian
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Links:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/golf-health-benefits
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/golf_exercise
https://www.medicalguardian.com/medical-alert-blog/fitness/nature-walks-for-improved-mental-health

Avoiding the Senior Moment in Your Backswing

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people use the old “senior moment excuse” when they hit a poor shot on the golf course. Many times this happens simply because of deficiency of the short term attention span and not a lack of ability or degeneration of ability.

I am going to give you one very quick and easy idea that will help with this “faux” crutch. It’s time to throw away the shackles and regain your attention span.
Ready, here it is; I want you to get a newspaper or magazine, something with a color picture. I want you to make sure the picture you have chosen has a few objects, 4 or 5 and 4 or 5 different colors.
Now I want you to start slowly okay, we don’t want to pull a muscle!
Take this photo/picture and for 30 seconds I want you to stare at this picture and I want you to concentrate and like a person who has never seen something like this before, discover everything about this picture that you can, do this uninterrupted for at least 30 seconds. While you look at this see how many different things are in the picture, the colors. The textures, the designs, the depth of the field the photographer or artist used while capturing or painting the shot.
The idea is to keep your mind engaged in this single, focused activity for a period of time without being distracted. If you find you lose focus, simply start over. The goal is to do it for a solid 30 second time frame.
You may find it easier, when you begin this drill/exercise that you will want to do this in a quiet room. Then as you find you are able to do this with a simple picture, one with 4 or 5 distinct objects and colors, you will want to make the task more complicated, building your ability to focus and concentrate for a period of time.
The way to do this is before you add a more complicated photo; I would like you to add outside distractions. This may be something as simple as a radio playing in the background, or opening a window where outside, people are speaking, or a TV is playing in the next room. Nothing too crazy yet, remember, we don’t want to pull a muscle, we want you to build a strong level of focus and concentration.
You will be absolutely amazed at how fast this process takes place, and improves your focus. Remember this; top athletes do things like this daily, even when they are the best to keep this muscle sharp. Good luck and check back with me when we discuss how to anchor this so when you’re on the golf course it will be like flipping a switch to enact this strong level of focus to insure better golf! I mean just in case your opponent decides to jiggle some change in your backswing!