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STILL IN MOTION
Because slowing down isn’t in the plan.
THIS WEEK'S STORY
I played a round a couple of years ago with a man who was 74 years old and routinely outdrove people half his age. Not dramatically, but consistently. He had a clean, controlled swing with genuine hip rotation and a follow-through that did not look like it hurt him.
I asked him what he did to stay that way.
He said he spent about three hours a week on what he called the machine behind the swing. Not at a driving range. Not with a swing coach. Three hours a week keeping his thoracic spine mobile, his hip rotation functional, his glutes strong enough to drive through the ball rather than spinning on a stiff pelvis.
He had played competitively through his forties. He understood the mechanics. And somewhere in his late fifties, he made a decision that most recreational golfers never make: he stopped trying to fix his swing and started building the body the swing requires.
The result was a 74-year-old who moved better through a golf swing than most men in their late fifties. The machine was running well. The swing followed.
THE MAIN MESSAGE
Golf is one of the most physically demanding recreational sports for active adults over 60 because it asks the body to do something it spends the rest of the day avoiding: explosive rotational movement through a full range of motion, repeated 70 to 100 times per round, often after walking four or five miles on uneven terrain.
The specific physical demands of golf that deteriorate with age:
-- Thoracic rotation: the backswing requires the thoracic spine to rotate 45 to 90 degrees. When the thoracic spine is stiff, the lumbar spine compensates, which is how golf-related lower back injuries occur. This is the most important physical variable in the golf swing and the one most directly trainable.
-- Hip internal rotation: the downswing requires the lead hip to internally rotate powerfully as the pelvis clears. Restricted hip internal rotation forces the upper body to compensate, producing the over-the-top swing path that most recreational golfers spend years trying to fix with technique when the real problem is mobility.
-- Glute and hip drive power: the power in a golf swing does not come from the arms. It comes from the ground up through the legs, hips, and core. When the glutes are weak or slow (see Issue #25), the arms take over, producing inconsistency and elbow and wrist strain.
-- Rotational core stability: the ability to transfer force from the lower body through the core to the club without leaking energy is entirely dependent on the anti-rotation core strength covered in Issue #31. A core that cannot resist rotation cannot transmit it efficiently.
-- Single-leg stability: the golf swing requires loading the trail leg completely, then shifting to the lead leg through the downswing. This single-leg weight transfer is a balance and stability challenge that deteriorates without targeted training.
The good news is that all five of these variables are directly trainable, and improvement in each one produces immediate and noticeable changes in ball flight, consistency, and physical comfort after a round.
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Stretch of the Week: Seated Thoracic Side Bend
Why: The lateral thoracic mobility that the backswing requires is distinct from thoracic rotation and rarely addressed by standard warm-up routines. This stretch targets the intercostal spaces and lateral thoracic structures that limit the side-bend component of a full shoulder turn.
How to do it:
Sit tall in a firm chair, feet flat, hands interlaced behind your head
Keeping the pelvis level and the lower back still, lean the entire upper body to the right
Hold 3 seconds at the end of comfortable range, feeling the stretch along the left side of the ribs and thoracic spine
Return to upright slowly, then lean to the left
10 reps each direction, 2 rounds
Tuesday goes deeper with three thoracic mobility variations specific to golf preparation, including a rotation-plus-side-bend combination that mimics the backswing demand.
Strength Move of the Week: Band Golf Rotation with Hip Drive
Purpose: Trains the sequential kinetic chain of the golf swing — hip drive into rotational power transfer — using a resistance band anchored at hip height to mimic the swing load pattern.
How to do it:
Anchor a medium-tension resistance band at hip height to the right of your body
Stand in an athletic stance, holding the band with both hands, body turned to face the anchor
Initiate the movement by driving the left hip away from the anchor — do not start with the arms
Allow the rotation to follow the hip drive, arms staying connected to the torso throughout
Finish facing away from the anchor, weight fully shifted to the lead (left) leg
8 to 10 reps facing right, then set up to face left for the opposite direction
3 sets each direction
Thursday expands with three rotational power progressions and the medicine ball slam variation that trains deceleration — the most important and most undertrained phase of the golf swing.
Suggested Equipment: Alignment Sticks (Set of 2)
Alignment sticks placed along the target line and foot line during practice swings provide immediate feedback on club path and stance width. Used during the band rotation drill above, they serve as a reference for foot position and weight shift direction. Cost under fifteen dollars and usable both on the range and at home for training.
Saturday covers the full golf fitness toolkit and the pre-round warm-up sequence that takes under ten minutes and meaningfully reduces injury risk and first-hole stiffness.
SIM60 receives no commissions or affiliate compensation for any equipment referenced in this issue. All mentions are for illustration purposes only.
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This page breaks down 6 things to stop today + what to use instead for lift without irritation. Read the lash tips.
THE TAKEAWAY
The best investment most recreational golfers over 60 can make is not in a new driver or a swing lesson. It is in the thoracic mobility, hip rotation, and rotational power that determine whether the body can execute the swing the brain already knows how to make. Fix the machine. The swing follows.
YOUR TURN
Do you play golf? Has physical restriction ever shown up in your game — tightness in the backswing, lower back pain after a round, loss of distance that your pro attributed to mechanics when it might have been mobility? Reply and tell me. Issue #42 has something for you whether or not you play.
Still moving forward,
— The SIM60 Team
simsixty.com · Educational content only. Not medical advice. SIM60 receives no commissions or affiliate fees for any equipment referenced. All mentions are for illustration purposes only.
