Vertical Golf Swing: The Senior Golfer’s Cheat Code for a Better Game

You think they’re just signs that you’re getting older—the dwindling distance, the high scores, the aches and pains.

And sure, it’s technically true—those are changes that generally come with age.

But it’s not because you’re no longer capable of playing a strong and relatively painless game. It’s because you’re using a swing that isn’t compatible with this phase of your life.

If your current technique requires flexibility and major strength, it’s time to trade that old swing in for a vertical golf swing. I’ve developed a body-friendly golf swing specifically for senior golfers, and it’s guaranteed to ease a lot of the frustrations you’ve been facing on the course.

It’s called the Vertical Line Swing System, and I’m about to walk you through the five key components of this system, as well as a couple drills to help you master it.

I’ve seen so many golfers smash their handicaps with this swing… even players in their eighties and nineties. So stick around. You’re gonna want to try this for yourself.

BONUS: Get Todd Kolb’s Body-Friendly Golf Swing Cheat Sheet!

The Vertical Golf Swing: Key Takeaways

The five most essential components of the Vertical Line Swing include:

A strong grip where you’re able to see about three knuckles on your lead hand
A senior-friendly setup with about 60% of your weight on the lead foot and the ball positioned in the middle of your heels
A proper takeaway where your hands stay in and the clubhead stays out
A natural hip turn, which you can accomplish by allowing the trail knee to release on the backswing
A vertical lead arm direction on the backswing

To get a feel for a proper vertical golf swing, practice the Lift and Go Drill and make sure your knees touch as you finish your swing.

The 5 Components of the Vertical Line Swing

There’s a lot I could say about the Vertical Line Swing System—enough to fill a book, in fact. But we’re all about simplicity here, so I’ll sum up the core concept of the VLS System in eight words:

Arms take it up, body takes it around.

Instead of wringing yourself out trying to find more length in a flat backswing, you create a vertical swing path with the upward motion of your arms. This gives you instant length. Add some natural turn in your hips and shoulders (no need to force it!), and you’ve suddenly got a swing built for distance.

That’s the big overview. But it’s not everything you need to know. In order to execute this vertical golf swing well, you’ll need to master five key components.

#1: A Strong Grip

Never underestimate the importance of using the correct golf grip.

For “experienced” golfers, a stronger grip is best. Our strength tends to fade as the years add up, and this leads to less control over the golf club. If you strengthen your grip, however, you’ll find it much easier to control the clubface and create more clubhead speed.

If you’re not sure whether your grip is weak or strong, just take a look at your lead hand when you’re holding the club. If you see two or three knuckles, you’ve got a strong grip. If you see zero knuckles, it’s a weak grip.

Here’s another way to make sure you’re using a strong grip:

Stand with your shoulders relaxed and your arms hanging at your sides.
Keeping your arms at your sides, take your club in your lead hand.
Add your trail hand.

When your lead hand is relaxed at your side, it will naturally take a strong grip. Simply add your trail hand as you normally would, make sure you can see about three knuckles on the lead hand, and you’re good to go.

#2: A Senior-Friendly Setup

A senior-friendly setup includes two crucial elements: the 60/40 and the correct ball position.

The 60/40

We’re kind of obsessed with the 60/40 here at VLS Golf, but we’ve got good reason to be.

The 60/40 refers to the distribution of weight between your two feet at setup. You want to start with about 60% of your weight on your lead foot and 40% of your weight on your trail foot.

This sets you up to shift your weight properly throughout your swing, moving most of it into your trail foot on the backswing and shifting it forward again on the downswing.

You see the same principle at work when a pitcher throws a baseball or a tennis player serves the ball. A natural weight shift helps with tempo and improves contact (more on that later). It’s also a tremendous source of power, and that’s why it’s one of my favorite tips for senior golfers.

You may not be able to twist like a twentysomething, and you’ve probably lost some natural strength. But you can still create that side-to-side motion that helps you build momentum and generate more speed without killing your back.

Ball Position

The correct ball position varies depending on the type of shot you’re hitting. You can find advice right here at VLS Golf for the best ball position for drivers, hybrids, and wedges.

Right now, I want to talk about irons, because this one comes with a senior-specific consideration.

When I work with my more “experienced” students, I like to have them bring the ball a little farther back in their stance than what traditional instruction advises.

This is because older golfers tend to struggle with that weight shift I just mentioned. Their balance isn’t as good as it used to be, so in the downswing, they instinctively keep their weight on the trail foot to maintain stability.

The problem is that the low point of your golf swing moves with the position of your weight. If you keep your weight on the trail foot, you move the low point farther back in your stance. So if you’ve got the ball too far forward, you’re going to hit the ground and then the ball.

That’s why I tell my senior golfers to position the ball in the middle of their heels.

In this position, you’ll still get ball-first contact with a perfect weight shift, and you’ll find a lot more forgiveness if your body is still instinctively staying on the trail foot.

#3: A Proper Takeaway

This one is simple to say but might take a little practice to get the feel for.

On the takeaway, you want to feel like your hands stay in (closer to your body) while the clubhead stays out (farther from your body).

This sets you up for better clubface control and a more solid shot overall.

#4: Hip Turn

This is the “body takes it around” part of the Vertical Line Swing System.

Now, don’t give up on me here if you’ve lost a lot of flexibility, struggle with pack pain, or have had surgery. I’m about to teach you a senior-friendly technique for finding more rotation in your vertical golf swing.

It’s simple. Release the trail knee on your backswing and let the hips turn.

Let’s say, for example, you set up with about 30 degrees of bend in your knees. As you swing the club back, allow your trail knee to release to about 15 degrees of bend.

That will allow you to turn your hips, which then allows you to turn your shoulders. It’s a chain reaction that opens up more space for deeper rotation without the tension. And, as we know, that rotation adds length to your swing, which ultimately adds clubhead speed for more yards.

#5: Vertical Lead Arm Direction

Now we have the “arms take it up” part.

In your backswing, make sure your lead arm swings back and up.

A lot of golfers learn to keep the club low and around. That technique may have served you well when you were young and flexible. But as your range of motion diminishes, so does any hope of finding length in a flat backswing.

A vertical golf swing allows you to lengthen your swing by simply bringing your lead arm higher. The additional length you find by allowing some natural hip turn is just icing on the cake.

How to Practice a Vertical Golf Swing

Now, a strong grip and a senior-friendly setup are changes you can easily make before your swing begins.

Making adjustments during your swing is very different. It’s tough to evaluate and manage your technique in the one second it takes you to complete your motion.

Fortunately, I’ve got a couple tricks for improving your swing motion without having to think about it.

The Lift and Go Drill

This drill is excellent for training your body to find the top-of-backswing position you’re aiming for.

Here’s what you do:

Take your regular setup.
Maintain your golf posture as you lift your arms.
Turn your upper body toward your trail side. Your hands are now where you want them to be at the top of your backswing.
Return to your address position and repeat the motion.

Run this drill a few times in a row, and you’ll start to feel what it means for your arms to take it up and your body to take it around.

You can even try hitting a ball with this drill if you want, though it’s a little challenging.

Finish With Your Knees Touching

This tip is a favorite of mine because it’s so simple and surprisingly effective.

Make sure your knees are touching when you finish your golf swing.

That’s all you have to do. Just get those knees touching. You have to do a lot of things right in your swing to end in that position, including that all-important weight shift we talked about.

It sounds too easy. I totally get it. Try it anyway and thank me later.

BONUS: Get Todd Kolb’s Body-Friendly Golf Swing Cheat Sheet!

Learn the Entire Senior-Friendly System

At this point, you’ve nailed the basics of the vertical golf swing. If you’re ready to make major strides in your golf game, I highly recommend learning the complete Vertical Line Swing System at this link.

You’ll go beyond the basics to discover why traditional techniques no longer make sense for you and eradicate bad habits that have been secretly robbing you of speed and destroying your contact.

You’ll also learn a ton of drills to ensure the lessons you learn stick with you.

There is absolutely no reason your game has to get worse with time. Check out the VLS series and look forward to many more years of excellent golf.

About the Author

PGA Teaching Professional Todd Kolb is a five-time Golf Digest Best-in-State Instructor, Amazon Best-selling Author, and Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year. In over 30 years of coaching, he’s worked with from newbies to an LPGA major champion. He’s currently the Director of Instruction for VLS Golf and USGolfTV and dedicates his efforts to helping the everyday golfer cut through overcomplicated traditional instruction to find solutions that actually work for them..