If you’ve noticed that you don’t hit the ball as far as you used to, there are still ways you can improve your swing technique and game. Seniors require a different technique than younger golfers because they don’t have quite the mobility and swing speed they may have used.
Flexibility and mobility become more challenging as you grow older. You may not be able to twist and turn the way you did when you were young. Trying to force the same range of motion as Tour pros could lead to lower back pain, sprained ankles, and other injuries.
When mastering the senior golf swing, it’s important to make adjustments to your swing that allows the body rotation to be easier. In addition, you should find ways to compensate for the lost power that you may have had in the past. Luckily, seniors can still improve their game. In this article, we’ll talk about what the closed golf swing is for seniors and how to perform it properly to level up your performance on the course.
What is the Golf Closed Coil Technique?
The closed coil technique is one of the adjustments you can make to your game as you age. In every swing, you are moving multiple muscles simultaneously. Let’s discuss the various components of your golf swing to get a better understanding of where the closed coil technique comes into play.
- The setup or address is the first phase of the swing. This is where you ensure proper positioning of your posture, arms, and feet. This is a static phase meaning that you aren’t moving.
- Next, you’ll swing the club to the rear so that the torque or wind-up causes potential energy to be built up. It involves the torsion on the upper body and pivoting of the knees.
- You begin swinging the club towards the ball, and your body reverses the movements you made during the backswing phase.
- Once the club hits the ball, you’ll direct the ball’s trajectory with the follow-through. This involves body rotation and footwork.
The coil happens during the backswing phase, where there is torsion between the lower and upper torso causing elastic potential energy to build up in your muscles. The stored energy helps to catapult the golf ball to hit far distances.
A closed coil golf swing helps to emphasize the stiffness in the hips and shoulders. Using a coil during your backswing helps to increase speed and power. It works by turning your upper torso against the lower torso resistance. As a result, the angle difference generates more speed during the downswing.
Master Your Golf Swing… In A Few Easy Steps.
How to Perform the Closed Coil Technique
It can be difficult to understand the closed coil technique until you see it visually or perform it yourself. To perform this technique, follow these steps:
- Setup in normal feet to shoulder-width stance and also make sure the knees have a slight bend.
- The feet must be parallel to the target line. Next, turn your left foot to about 25 to 30 degrees out while keeping the right foot in a perpendicular position. Make sure that the weight placed on your left and right foot remains equal to ensure that you can restrict the turning of the hips during the backswing.
- Keep the hips facing the ball while positioning the club at the back of your shoulders.
- Transition your weight to the interior of the right foot as you turn back.
- Keep turning your shoulders until the non-dominant shoulder is under your chin.
- While performing the coil technique, you should feel a slight tension in your core.
The adjustment in the feet allows you to unlock the hips to achieve a wider range of motion, thus getting a better rotation in your backswing. If you choose a wider stance, it can help with balance, especially when you’re swinging the club fast. Swinging the club fast can put you at risk of slipping or falling over. However, if you don’t have issues with stability, you can opt for a closed stance. This closer stance limits the follow-through rotation but helps to promote increased rotation in your backswing for greater power and accuracy.
In a closed coil swing, there is less force being placed in the forward swing allowing you to strike with greater accuracy and hit the ball more cleanly. This combination may add 15 to 30 yards more on your drives. It also prevents you from hooking and slicing your shots. The technique focuses on the rotation that provides the most power in the backswing rather than focusing on the follow-through or forward swing.
How Can Seniors Improve Their Golf Swing?
Utilizing the closed coil technique isn’t the only way to improve your game. There are many aspects of the swing and the game to help you become a better golfer.
Using Proper Golf Clubs
We recommend seniors to use hybrid clubs more frequently because they are easier to hit and enable you to hit the ball farther compared to the conventional mid or long iron. Seniors should use clubs that are lightweight and made of the graphite shaft, allowing them to wield and swing the club easily. Furthermore, the clubs should have a large sweet spot. Some golfers may overcompensate by forcing the shoulder movement to try to hit the ball with precision. A larger sweet spot makes swinging with accuracy much easier.
Seniors may also struggle with gaining higher lifts on their shots, especially as the hole draws closer. An angle of a club’s loft impacts the trajectory of the ball when hit. This can be a personal choice based on your preferences. Some golfers thrive under a 12-degree loft. However, if you want to maximize the overall trajectory and launch height, we recommend a loft of 15 degrees.
Next, consider the flexibility of the shaft. Seniors should use a senior-rated stiffness because it’s designed for older golfers. These shafts have greater flexibility allowing the club to swing back and generate more energy for the swing. If you notice that your drives are under 230 yards, we recommend switching to a senior shaft. Ultimately, having the proper clubs can give you more control, precision, and power on your swings.
Improve Your Strength
As you age, you tend to have a natural loss in strength. This is a normal effect of aging; however, you can counteract it. This involves strength training, which helps to improve your balance, mobility, explosiveness, and strength levels. A good swing requires good strength and mobiles, especially in the hips and core muscles. Consider following a simple strength training program to improve the mobility and strength of these muscles groups.
Is Learning the Closed Coil Technique Easy?
Since you’re not learning a totally new golf swing, it won’t take you months of arduous practice to master the closed coil technique. This technique tweaks the golf swing with minor adjustments like the setup on the ball, adopting a new stance, and limiting the follow-through motion.
The technique also involves adjusting the path of the club head, where you’ll begin the forward swing of the club toward the ball. Luckily, the closed coil golf technique isn’t very hard to master. Most seniors can see noticeable differences in their accuracy and distance within just a few hours of practice.
Who is the Closed Coil Technique Designed for?
You may be surprised that the closed coil golf swing isn’t only designed for senior golfers. Young golfers who may have suffered from various injuries that limit their mobility, such as their shoulder or hips, can struggle with similar problems as senior golfers. For example, shoulder injuries can be long-lasting and persistent. Damage to the shoulder joints can drastically limit the range of motion and power in your shots. The closed coil technique will improve your swing even with a restricted shoulder injury. It enables golfers to receive their power back in the swing without forcing the shot, which can lead to further injury.
What Is The Closed Coil Golf Swing for Seniors – Conclusion
If you’re struggling to get enough rotation or lack the strength in your hips, core, shoulders, or back, the closed coil golf swing can make a significant impact on your game. This technique enables you to improve on the accuracy and distance of your shots and use less effort to achieve greater distance. It prevents pain and is much more comfortable than the conventional golf swing. That’s because you won’t have to force yourself to achieve greater mobility or compensate by using other body parts to hit the ball farther. Seniors looking for a way to play golf and get better despite some of their natural aging physical limitations can utilize this technique.