Those of us whose age leads off with a 7 might be finding that the swing we used even into our 60’s doesn’t work too well anymore.

We’re not as flexible as we used to be, and our body is not responsive to the demands of the swing we had when we were younger.

We have lost distance, and maybe we don’t hit the ball that well. Never fear. The Recreational Golfer has a solution for you. It’s in the form of a shorter backswing.

If you take the club back no farther than where your leading forearm is parallel to the ground, and rotate everything back through the ball, it will be much easier to meet the ball with the center of the clubface, where distance is born, and to hit the ball straight.

To see what I mean, look at this swing of mine from 2010, which is pretty close to what I’m recommending now. This swing gave me 230 yards off the tee and 142 yards with my 7-iron.

Trust that this is all you need to do. It could be easy to think that with such a short backswing you will have to swing harder and power into the ball. That, of course will ruin everything.

Swing with the same tempo and rhythm you have always used. We’re just giving your body something it can do now, and do well.