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AlignmentSpecial for Seniors All clubs Seniors ⏱ 3 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Lee Trevino's Tips for Seniors: Left Shoulder Closed

Lee Trevino offers advice to older golfers. First tip: Get your equipment adjusted, because your body and swing speed change. Second tip, demonstrated with the driver setup: When you can no longer turn your head, you open up without realizing it, and you lose distance.

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Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

4 minSame problemReading Greens with Your Feet, Justin Rose's WayJustin Rose · Intermediate10 minSame problemBrooks Koepka's Fairway Finder: The Safe FadeBrooks Koepka · Intermediate / Expert5 minFrom the same proLee Trevino's Right-Hand Grip: Curve It, Keep It LowLee Trevino · Expert

What the lesson shows

Lee Trevino insists: You need to get the right gear, especially as we get older, because the body changes, swing speed changes too, and the swing becomes shorter. He then explains a phenomenon that everyone is familiar with when driving: as we age, We can't turn our heads anymore. In golf, when you're in a square stance, you can't see the target very well; so you end up opening up to look at it.

The problem is that the shoulders and hips open up: You can hit the ball straight, but you won't generate any speed; the clubhead moves outside the line, and you have to correct it, which costs you distance. His solution, demonstrated with two drives: pull your left shoulder in, with your shoulders turned slightly away from the target, even if it means you can barely see the target anymore. He warns that it takes a little practice before you try this in a game.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Have your equipment checked during a fitting, since your speed and swing have changed.
  2. At address, check the alignment of your shoulders and hips: are they open toward the target?
  3. Pull your left shoulder back so that your shoulders are slightly turned away from the target.
  4. Accept that you won't be able to see the target as clearly from this position.
  5. Practice at the driving range before using it on the course.

Key Takeaways

As we get older, having the right equipment becomes very important.
The body changes: the speed slows down and the swing becomes shorter.
We turn our heads less, so we open up to see the target.
Open shoulders and hips: the club heads outward, and we lose distance.
Pulling your left shoulder back helps you regain speed.
It takes a little practice to get the settings right before you start playing.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Turn your body to see the target if you can't turn your head.
  • Keep your shoulders and hips open at the start: you'll go faster.
  • Let the club drift outside the line and then have to correct it.
  • Keeping equipment that no longer matches your speed.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Drives with the left shoulder tucked in, shoulders slightly closed
  2. Checking Shoulder Alignment with a Club Resting Against the Chest
  3. Comparison of Open Stance and Closed Shoulder on a Few Drives

Your Questions

Why Do Older Golfers Lose Distance, According to Lee Trevino?

This is mainly because they turn their heads less: to see the target, they open up. With their shoulders and hips open, the club moves outward, and they no longer generate speed.

What does he recommend to regain speed?

Tuck in your left shoulder; keep your shoulders slightly turned away from the target, even if it makes it harder to see the target. He warns that you need to practice this before playing.

Why get the right equipment as you get older?

Because the body changes, swing speed decreases, and the swing becomes shorter: the equipment needs to adapt.

Learn More

All “Alignment” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Senior Special” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you The Basics of Rory McIlroy's Driver Swing with Michael BannonRory and Michael Bannon demonstrate the fundamentals they've been working on since childhood: intermediate target, rails, ball, grip, and takeaway width. Justin Rose's putting session with Phil KenyonBefore a tournament, Rose and his coach check his setup, the ball's line matched to the top of the putter, a start-line gate and the slope in percent. Reading Greens with Your Feet, Justin Rose's WayRose walks in a semicircle to feel where the slope changes direction, then adjusts his stance until a stick on the ground points to the center of the hole. Lee TrevinoAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Lee Trevino). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.

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