5 things your teen golfer can do—that you can't

With golf season nearly in full swing (excuse the pun), you might find you're struggling a bit to get your body operating the way it used to. The reality of aging is that unless you take measures to counter the erosion of physical abilities, you're not going to be able to swing a golf club like you did in your (subtract 10 years from where you are now), says Mike Hansen, one of Golf Digest's Certified Fitness Trainers.

Hansen (below) says he sees five main areas where aging golfers struggle—especially when compared to the abilities of the typical junior golfer:

1. Balance issues: "A lot of those have to do with the ability to slow the club down," he says.

2. "Being able to make a good shoulder turn and get the club on a plane due to a tight thoracic spine and shoulder joints."

3. Speed generation: "The junior can generate speed faster. It takes the older population more time, but with some work they can get faster."

4. Hip and shoulder disassociation for a more consistent swing and better positions throughout the swing.

5. Cognitive function: "They get tired much easier on the course."

Knowing that now is the time to address dysfunction and lethargy, Hansen, one of Golf Digest's 50 Best Fitness Trainers in America, has come up with a simple routine of five exercises to help counter the impact of aging/inactivity. He demonstrates four of them in the video below. The fifth is just a recipe for a cardiovascular routine that will help keep your mind sharp under physical duress.

For better balance, Hansen recommends single-leg rotations: "It's important to be able to balance, especially on the lead leg (left for right-handed golfers) when trying to create more speed or get to a full finish. Most older golfers will stay on their back leg or slow the club down way too early because of lack of balance."

For better shoulder function, Hansen recommends kneeling thoracic rotations with shoulder stretching: "Tightness in the upper back and shoulders can wreak havoc on your swing. Turning your shoulders at least 70 degrees comfortably while getting your hands above your head is what many instructors would like to see. Lack of mobility here will cause you to stand up in your swing and make the club come more outside-in, causing that nasty slice. Years of computer work, driving, sitting—and playing golf—are just some of the culprits here."

To swing the club faster, Hansen says to do banded, low-to-high golf-swing rotations. "Teenagers use their legs to generate more speed. I’ve always said that if you give an adult a stick and tell them to hit a ball, they’re not going to use their legs. As we age and get tighter in the hips, we tend to rely on the arms to swing the club. One of the best ways to incorporate more speed in the swing is to get your legs more active."

To get more separation in the hips and shoulders, leading to a more consistent swing, Hansen says to perform supported hip rotations progressing to more taxing segmental rotations as you improve. "The ability to lead the downswing with your hips and maintain your posture is tough for aging golfers with many factors. It could be tight hips, lack of core strength or simply never really doing this correctly before. Whichever your issue is, this exercise will help."

Finally, to bring more energy to the course, Hansen says you've got to perform activities that get your heart rate up. Ideally, elevate your heart rate in a range of 60 to 80 percent of its maximum. The formula to find your max is 220 beats per minute minus your age. So a 50-year-old's max is around 170 bpm, which means he or she should be working out in a range of 102-136 bpm for about 20 minutes three times a week. Obviously, consult your doctor before doing anything strenuous.

Watch Hansen demonstrate the exercises in this video. And if you're interested in learning more about Golf Digest's Fitness Trainer Certification, click on this link.