Tom Watson shares three tips for older golfers to focus on before even hitting a ball

“When I’m asked about senior golf, there are a few things I talk about before we even get to the swing. The first thing is your equipment. This is your friend, a hybrid is your friend, all the way from four to eight hybrid, get something that has a big sole to it so if you hit a bit behind it, it’s going to go right through and you’ll get the elevation you need. The problem in senior golf is we don’t get the ball elevated enough,” Watson explained first.

He also mentioned two more important tips that can help older golfers adjust their game effectively.

“The second thing is the golf ball. Don’t play with a pro golf ball or something like that. You can’t compress it anyway, so make sure that that hard ball will just jump off the club face and go further in distance.”

“I talk to seniors about grip and set up and mainly the grip has to be light. It has to be light as you want to get your hands active in the golf swing. You can’t turn your body very much but you have to keep your hands as active as possible. 80% of your speed comes from your hands and arms and in senior golf, more like 100% as your body doesn’t help you so much.”

“So, the thing I like to do, light grip pressure, in the stance, narrow it and pull the right foot back, that helps for more turn and so you can get a little behind it with your left shoulder. The key is to get as far back as you can and with light grip pressure; you can just come in and hit it.”

Tom Watson’s putting advice for amateur golfers

When Tom Watson shares his thoughts on the game, it’s never a bad idea to listen. While many of his tips are particularly useful for senior players, he also has advice that applies to everyone, regardless of age.

One area where Watson’s experience really shines through is on the greens. He has a simple adjustment that can help amateurs struggling with breaking putts.

“Here’s a little trick I use on breaking putts. If you have trouble missing it on the low side, the amateur side, this is what I do.

“This is what I do to correct it, it’s just a little bit of a tweak with your grip. Take your left hand and turn it over so you can see one maybe two knuckles with it.

READ MORE: Greg Norman’s 2012 prediction about Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus has aged perfectly

Watson went on to explain how he handles putts breaking in the opposite direction: “If I’m consistently missing this putt to the left, I will take my left hand and go the opposite direction, turn it to the left a little bit. This keeps the putter face from turning to the left at all.”

“If you continue to have problems missing putts on the low side of the hole, all you have to do is tweak your grip. Strengthen for a left-to-right putt and weaken it for a right-to-left putt.”