What New Golfers Can Learn From Watching Senior Tour Golf

What Can New Golfers Learn From Watching Senior Tour Golf? (image: NY Times)

 

This past week, the 2021 Senior Open was played at Sunningdale Old Course in England. I was lucky enough to catch the last round on TV, even through a hectic Olympics schedule. I don't typically watch Senior tour events, but I am glad I watched this one. It was a great display of golf, as Welshman Stephen Dodd, fought off attacks from the likes of golfing legends Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke and Bernhard Langer, to win his first major. Even sweeter perhaps is that Dodd is now eligible for PGA Tour Champions events.

 

For those that do not know, the PGA Tour Champions and its European counterpart, the European Senior Tour, are senior professional tours featuring older golfers. Typically these are players that have found success on either the PGA Tour or European Tour, but want to continue their careers in a less-stressed fashion. There are fewer events on senior tours and the ones played are only three rounds in length, except for majors. 

 

As I watched the final round of the Senior Open, I started thinking a bit more about senior golf and the players in general. I realized that average golfers, especially those new to the game, can learn a great deal about golf by watching senior tour events, even more so than regular PGA Tour events, in my opinion. 

 

 

So what exactly do I think can be learned? Well, I think it can be boiled down to two things: how to approach the game mentally and learning through experience

 

 

1) How to approach the game mentally

Let's face it, most of us golfers do not have aspirations to play professional golf. We play because we enjoy the game and enjoy playing it with others. Now that isn't to say that we don't want to get better; we all do. We all want to hit that perfect iron shot or sink that clutch putt. One way players can improve their game is to examine how they approach it from a mental aspect. 

Here is where watching senior golf comes into play. From the events that I've seen, there is a more relaxed and calm atmosphere that seems to be present at these events. We see senior players having a good time while playing their rounds, talking to their playing partners, the fans, etc. It just feels more relaxed than when you compare it to a normal PGA Tour event. And it's for good reason. To be fair, most of the senior players have already had successful careers and may not necessarily have the same worries as a standard PGA tour player, such as trying to make a name for themselves or breaking through to win, etc.

This is the correct mindset us players should have towards the game, in my opinion. We shouldn't beat ourselves up over a bad shot, or let negative thoughts about a previous shot influence the next. I think any golfer, but new golfers in particular, can look to these senior players as an example of how to implement this correct mindset, in a tried and tested manner.

2) Learning through experience

The motto of the PGA Tour Champions is "Where Legends Play". This pretty much sums up the golfers that play on the senior tours. We're seeing experienced veterans, giants of the game, playing these events, outright legends in some cases. These are golfers who have been a part of professional golf for a long time and know how to play the game the right way. It's analogous to a master artisan, who has perfected their craft over time.

And who better to learn from than the masters themselves. What average players can learn from these veterans are things like shot-selection, game-plans for hole shapes/styles, how to recover when you find trouble, and overall golfing knowledge. Sure, the players are older, their swings are more restricted and they don't bomb it like the regular tour pros. But the vast wealth of knowledge that they possess is invaluable to learn from. Imagine being able to pick the mind of some of golf's greatest players. This is a pipe dream for most of us, but the closest we can get right now is watching senior golf in action. 

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Bernhard Langer is a perfect example of someone who newer golfers can learn from; the poster boy for senior tour golf, hands down. I love watching Langer golf, because to me at least, he appears to be having a genuinely good time while playing, regardless of if he's playing well or not. He's no stranger to winning, having won 42 times on the European Tour, twice at the Masters and 42 times on the PGA Tour Champions. And he brings all that experience to the table every time he plays. It really is something special and Langer is just one of dozens of senior players with similar pedigree. 

 

If you're still not convinced at what you're getting when you watch a senior tour event and the influence it can have on you, give it a try. You may be surprised at what you see.

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

What Can New Golfers Learn From Watching Senior Tour Golf? (image: NY Times)