ode I live in a 55 plus golf community. The course is somewhat difficult due to the greens and what you face when you miss them. It’s amazing how many guys here can shoot their age. These guys have probably always had good swings. They are also good putters and chippers.

We have the occasional 80+ year old who does it. And the occasional early 70s. But mostly they are between the ages of say 73 to 78. Like @fatshot . That seems to be the sweet spot.

I’m sure it helps that these guys play the same course 150 times a year, if not more.

      DonM I’m sure it helps that these guys play the same course 150 times a year, if not more.

      That helps a lot. I was a member at Fox Hollow for over 10 years. Must’ve playing it well over 1000 times. You get to know everything about the course. The most knowledge playing that many times comes from knowing the greens.

        DonM They are also good putters and chippers.

        Hit the fairway with your tee shot and a solid short game is the 🗝️.

          DonM I’m sure it helps that these guys play the same course 150 times a year, if not more.

          This too.

          Not to water down my round too much, but this course I play doesn't have large teeth. It's short, flat and straight. Even tho every hole has OB right and left along the entire fairway since it winds thru a neighborhood, and the rough is tree lined, it just lays right in front of you. Accuracy off the tee is paramount and every green is guarded right and left by sand bunkers, but If you hit it straight, it's a pretty easy track, as the greens are slow. My index is 11.5 and my course handicap here is 7. Par is 70, so I'm basically "supposed" to break 80 here 8/20 rounds.

          @Typhoon would probably shoot in the 60's easily.

          I'm still proud of my 72, tho. 😉

            Typhoon I got to thinking after seeing Fatshot’s spectacular round where he shot under his age. How many of youse have shot your age or bettered your age for 18 holes. Regulation course.

            Fatshot shoots his age regularly. He should check the Guiness record for most times shooting your age.
            Seems there is a sweet spot to doing it. Pretty hard to impossible for most people if you're in your 60's. 74-75 seems an age where you'd have a decent chance if you're a solid golfer, but far from easy. 75-80? Depends on what kind of shape you're in.
            The really old guys might have the best chance. If you're still playing golf at 88+ you're likely in really good shape and probably a decent golfer. My dad shot 43 his last time out at 93. We never played 18 at that time because I was still working. But he would have regularly shot his age if we had.

                Eguller Started trying to shoot my age when I was 63, but didn’t do it until I was 67. Gagged a few opportunities along the way… but my home course was a par 74, but now a 73.

                This is the most impressive way, imo. A guy in his 60's shooting in the 60's. Well, except for Typhoon of course, who is not of this world.

                  ode Other than a B Langer type, I only see it as possible on a short and easy course for someone in their late 60,s or older!

                  This. The course matters a WHOLE LOT! I know some of the courses Fatshot plays and no matter what tees you play they are challenging, as opposed to my near home slump buster course that offers no real trouble unless you can't hit it straight. There should be an equation where you somehow divide your age by the slope rating or something. I think I'll eventually shoot my age at the slump buster, but not likely anywhere else.

                      sdandrea1 Yep. I'd say here, the sweet spot goes to 85.

                      That might be the "easiest". You're likely still in good shape if you're playing and have played for a long time. Most holes playing up you can go 140-120- and a little pitch on the green and two putt and you're at 90. We never played 18 then but my Dad would have done it darn near every round at 88-93 and he wasn't a "golfer" per se. Never played before 62, never practiced. But he could hit it straight all day.

                        sdandrea1 I mentioned somewhere (probably in here) that I play with an 85 year old who has over 135 rounds at/under his age.

                        Tell him Fatshot is on his tail and he has 7-8 years on him too!

                          garyt1957 . I think I'll eventually shoot my age at the slump buster, but not likely anywhere else.

                          Yep. Shooting your age on a "real" golf course is a different accomplishment.

                              Typhoon I’ll start… many times. In fact I think I was 58 when it shot 57 on a par 70 course.

                              Holy shit, I just saw this! You framed that card, right? Had your buddies sign it too, right? Jaysus, that had to be the course record. Did you tell the pro? I'd probably quit golf after a round like that! 👍

                                  garyt1957 "Pretty hard to impossible for most people if you're in your 60's. 74-75 seems an age where you'd have a decent chance if you're a solid golfer, but far from easy. 75-80? Depends on what kind of shape you're in."

                                  That's where I'm lucky.....at 78 years of age, I'm able walk 18 holes with no problem (probably helps that NW Ohio and SE Michigan are mostly flat!), I take no medications, have never had any major injuries, and I've been able to keep my weight down b/c my wife is a nutrition zealot!! My dad and his mother both lived well into their 90's and were in pretty good shape until near the end, so genes help as well.

                                  I didn't break 80 all that often when I was in my 60's, but since I've started working on my short game regularly that's when the scores really began to come down. Senior tees (about 5400-5600 yards) help too, of course!!

                                      fatshot That's where I'm lucky.....at 78 years of age, I'm able walk 18 holes with no problem, I take no medications, have never had any major injuries....m

                                      So basically, the opposite of me, right? 😂🤣

                                        fatshot I have become a better golfer now than earlier in my life. I stopped blaming my clubs (as much). And got serious about fixing the holes in my game. I wish I would have worked on my short game years ago.

                                        Being around all the other seniors for the past several years, I've realized that I had to have decent swing mechanics in place before it's too late. I've probably said this before, but the mad slasher swings that a lot of guys get away with into their 50s, do not survive very well in the 70s. Almost every good golfer I play with has a nice smooth swing on a good plane.

                                        Most of my mistakes are still mental ones. Almost always they are from trying to get close, from jail, after a missed green. When I go home and think woulda coulda shoulda, those are the things that stand out. If I top a drive or slice a 6 iron into the bunker, no regrets. It didn't happen because of wrong thinking. I'm able to laugh those off and carry on. But the flop shot that I bladed over the green, that pisses me off.

                                            sdandrea1 Shooting your age on a "real" golf course is a different accomplishment.

                                            'Real golf course'? As opposed to a fake one???

                                            Any time someone plays ANY 18 hole course and shoots their age is outstanding, imo. As long as the yardage is there, for age and handicap(?). And that would be a point of discussions and probably asterisks 😉.

                                            I doubt anyone here will shoot much less than normal if they play a links style vs. 'normal' course...trees/shrubs/water holes/hills/etc., with same yardages. If anyone thinks otherwise, they are only fooling themselves.

                                            Also jmo.....if you cannot putt, quit thinking about your age on the scorecard.😲

                                                DonM A lot of TRUTH there Don.....Esp. the part about mental mistakes!! Almost every round
                                                I play I can point to dumb decisions I made that cost me a shot here, a shot there. One thing that has helped
                                                me a lot is looking at all 3 distances to the green (front, middle, and back), and chosing a club that should
                                                get me to the BACK distance!! Unbelievable how often playing to the back distance results in me being Pin High!

                                                A golfing buddy of mine said to me last year, "I tend to under-estimate my distance....you tend to OVER-estimate
                                                yours!" Hit me like a ton of bricks.....