BWhen I was 61, I thought my driver went 130 meters. In reality, it was 116. My 7-iron, supposedly 145 meters, landed in the median at 132 meters. Over 18 holes, that adds up to 6 to 8 approach shots that I systematically came up short on. One hour on TrackMan, 150 Euros, and 7 clubs were corrected. My average score dropped by 4.1 strokes in the next three rounds.

Senior golfers don't know their distances. This is the most common—and easiest to fix—cause of higher scores for those over 60. The human memory stores the 2 to 3 best shots of a season, not the median. Consequence: consistently short approach shots. One hour with a launch monitor solves this problem in 60 minutes—and is by far the most cost-effective investment in improving one's score.

What a launch monitor hour really shows

Three ways to a launch monitor session

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Senior golfers without launch monitor data are flying blind — and their scores reflect it.

— Dr. Mark Broadie, Strokes-Gained researcher, Columbia Business School

Three insights from thousands of Launch Monitor sessions with senior golfers.

Distance is not feeling

What senior golfers save as „my PW goes 130 m” is usually the best-of-season distance. The median is 10–15 percent below that. Those who plan with the median avoid systematically short landings—and score measurably better.

Spin is more important than speed

For slower senior swings, backspin is the dominant distance factor—more important than clubhead speed. Spin loft optimization through custom fitting often yields more carry than speed training.

Spread beats carry

A club with less dispersion produces better scores than a club with more carry and more dispersion. Bag optimization should prioritize dispersion first — not maximum distance.