The equipment steps you can take to get back age-related distance loss

Question: Is there equipment that can gain back some of my distance? I’m 68 years old and am 20 yards shorter than I was 10 years ago.

Answer: Seeing how two of us writing this column are in our 60s, we feel your pain. You also are not alone as Arccos research reveals.

There are few things more dejecting in golf than no longer being able to carry that bunker at the corner of the dogleg or having to go up a club or two on a par 3 where you used to hit 9-iron on and now sheepishly haul out the 7-iron.

We’re guessing you’re not looking for us to tell you to hit the gym. Still, although equipment can never fully mitigate a 20-yard loss (Father Time remains undefeated, except perhaps for Bernhard Langer), making sure you’re optimizing your launch conditions is a great place to start and can help significantly.

As your swing speed drops, your launch conditions are likely changing. If you’re launching it too low or spinning it too much, those can be distance robbers that can be somewhat addressed by adjusting loft. That can be as easy as taking out that wrench and fiddling with some different settings to see if you can find a more desirable launch/spin combination. We prefer you see one of our 100 Best Clubfitters but failing that, try to find a launch monitor to rely on rather than eyeballing it. Rapsodo’s MLM2Pro, which we use at the Golf Digest Hot List, is both reliable and highly portable if you’re so inclined.

Some other options include going to a lighter shaft. That can add some swing speed, but it’s not a given it will produce a more efficient strike. There is such a thing as too light, but going lighter is worth exploring. Again, there is no one silver bullet, but if you stack a number of incremental gains on top of each other, you’ll notice the difference.

In irons, if you’re still swinging heavy steel shafts, a lightweight steel or graphite option could help you gain back some distance in those clubs. Let’s be serious, at your (our) age if you’re still swinging steel you better be playing the Champions Tour or competing in the U.S. Senior Amateur. Also, a number of irons released in recent years have much springier faces that can bring back yards. Look at your wedges as well. Muscleback wedges with heavy steel shafts are tour-pro cool but wedges that are more of a cavity back with lighter shafts might be easier to hit on full-swing shots.

Also, you can look at golf ball to get more efficient flight, not just with driver but irons, too. You can’t hit Bridgestone’s Tour B X at 70 and get distance. Just ask Fred Couples. Actually, we did (well, we asked Bridgestone to ask Freddie).

"If I were younger, I’d probably still be playing Tiger’s ball. But at this point in my career, the Tour B RX [a ball targeted at driver swings under 105 mph] just fits me better. I can still swing smooth, and it gives me more distance and the control I need." In short, the RX maximizes performance at Couples’ current swing speed, ensuring he doesn’t sacrifice power while gaining consistency.

Are you going to find 20 yards? Unless you’re swinging persimmon or poorly fit clubs, probably not. But there are—without question—yards to be gained through equipment, in woods, irons and golf balls for golfers of all ages.