Hitting it Longer with Age

As we age, things start to slow down in certain aspects and speed up in others. Obviously, for a time, we have many more responsibilities, and our free time becomes less and less. The time we used to give to ourselves becomes shorter or, in some cases, nonexistent. Our back tightens and maybe our belly gets a bit bigger. No matter which way we look at it, time is not on our side (neither is gravity). I won't get into all the super deep science behind why the body changes with age and why things start to become more difficult, but let's just go ahead and agree that for a large percentage of us, it does. I mean, I myself hadn't even visited a physiotherapist until the age of 30, and at that point, I had been doing the sport of Longdrive for 5 years. Then, one day not long after turning 30, it all hits home - the little things turn into bigger things, small muscle aches turn into hellish hot spots, sore joints don't just go away, and you actually have to take care of yourself in ways you hadn't really considered previously. Now, of course, I'm generalizing here, as some men and women are just fine in their 30s, 40s, even 50s. They likely have taken great care of themselves, done a lot of preventative things to help withstand the sands of time. But I'll promise you, they are likely in the 1% but for the other likely close to 99% of the general and somewhat non active public, they are looking at the opposite of things, things like medical appointments that aren't always in the best circumstances of why they are there, could some of these things been avoided with a earlier change in habits and a more healthy lifestyle, more than likely for some and in this day and age with the amount of fast paced and high stress responsibilities that life demands the answer is yes, but how do we make that change and where do we start.

Now, what can we do after it's all said and done to make corrections, change habits, live a better all-around life, and, well, the real reason you're here: Hit Bomb drives on the golf course with your friends.

Step 1 - Stay active. This seems easy enough, but when I say active, I don't mean going to the course, jumping in a cart, and playing 18 with some friends. What I mean is getting your butt in the gym the outdoors becoming more active and

building a routine. It doesn't have to be an everyday thing, but if you can work your way into a three-day-a-week routine, it will do wonders not only for your general health but also for building strength, working on mobility, getting in some cardio. After a short while, once the initial soreness or tiredness subsides, you will have more energy and feel better overall. This is the easiest but also the most difficult part of it all - GETTING STARTED!!

Step 2 - Now that we have achieved a somewhat routine of things, we can start to put things in compartments, setting up our training days properly and doing the little small things daily that will not only help us hit the ball further but also help us feel better in general for everyday life. Adding in daily step counts, following a somewhat healthier eating schedule or "diet" (not a fan of that word) can help us become accountable to things. If we can be more accountable, we can become one step closer to achieving the things we would like to achieve. Regularly Hitting big high drives down the fairway 300+yrds

Step 3 - The reason why I like to discuss steps 1 and 2 first is because if you have a hard time training 3 times a week, getting some cardio in, and following a nutrition guide, then Step 3 becomes a bit more difficult. This is where we make time to head to the range for practice. In my case, as a Canadian, half the year is spent at indoor facilities (I prefer indoor personally for privacy and tracking purposes). So once we get there, we should have some kind of plan in place for how I am going to hit the ball further today. I've been working out, eating better, maybe lost a few pounds, and have more flexibility, so boom, it should just be there. Well, I don't know about you, but I've never just shown up one day and hit it 20 yards longer. That would be pretty sweet though, haha.

Step 4 - So this is what we do: we make a plan for practice. "Today I am going to warm up with a handful of iron swings, some wedges, and work my way up to my driver." Okay, great start. Now, once we have the driver in our hands, what do we do? I always tell people that you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. When you're working on speed and every ball is going dead straight, you're not trying hard enough; there's more in the tank. Mentally, we have to dig deep, drop our ego, and accept that we are going to miss. Since we are on the driving range or in the simulator, who cares? You're not trying to go low; you're just trying to go long. I usually focus on one simple swing thought, and it's obviously speed-related. Maybe a quicker backswing, a harder pressure shift, or a bigger hip turn. Just try to keep it simple and focus on one of these things. Of course, I prefer to be on a measuring device so I can see what's working and what's not in terms of speeds. But if you watch the best of the best at what they do, they are always evolving. You might not see it with the naked eye, but I'm sure they felt it. Their coach might see it, but generally, the average spectator or viewer likely doesn't. Now, if you commit to the correct changes while adding steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 together, we have a recipe for a real speed push...

Step 5- What is a speed push, well now that we are physically more fit, our nutrition and hydration are better, we have a and understanding of prepared practice and knowing what a digging deep mentally is like, now is the time we can try and truly push our speeds and get the most out of the work we have done. our hitting capacity(the ability to hit more shots during a practice sessions) at a high rate is there, we know how to mentally cue ourselves and we can mentally push ourselves for longer periods breaking mental barriers and physical limitations. This is where lasting speed is built and held onto,

Step 6 - The last pieces to the puzzle: Speed training away from hitting balls. We have all seen and heard of certain clubs, sticks, and similar tools that can help us ramp up our speeds. I feel like these tools do have their place, as I have used a few along the way myself. Could I calculate how much of a percentage gain you can get while using these tools? Not really with any super efficient accuracy, but done properly with the right amount of intent and not overusing or being lazy during training, they do have their place in this journey. Just be aware, like anything extreme, there is always a chance of becoming injured (again, a big reason for the first 4 steps here - it's the preparation and readiness to maximize the speed training).

In this journey, there will be ups and downs, good days and bad, tougher weeks than others, but if you can put it all together consistently over time, not only will you generally feel better, you will likely have more energy on a daily basis, have better overall health markers, and be able to gain that extra 20 yards. This is what it's all about. What I generally see is unfortunate. I see people jumping straight to step 5 (or just hitting balls and hoping for the best) and all they do is spin their tires, blaming a whole bunch of different drivers (because it's the club, not them; hell, the club sales market is built off this). The lack of true ownership of why they are doing only 1/5th of the work and asking why they haven't improved. Like I said, you can look up and down the PGA Tour range or a world long drive warm-up area on a final day, and you will see from one year to the next, maybe the same groups of players and hitters that are there over the weekends, but the small changes (sometimes large) they have made over those 365 days are the reason they are playing for championships regularly. I had been at my very fastest ever a week before my 40th birthday, hitting a ball at 237.1 mph, and am the only 40-year-old as of now to hit a golf ball over 230 mph. Evolution is a real thing; you just need to not only understand it but also know how to do it. Now, is it time for you to evolve?

If you would like to work with me directly, head over to the contact form and send me a direct message. We can build a program together specifically for your needs and wants.

Hit them Long!!!!!

Ryan Gregnol