Here is the honest diagnosis for every senior golfer who closed their stance to get distance back and ended up with a worse swing.
A bigger backswing is not more range of motion.
That sounds like a technicality. The implications are big. Because the most common advice for a senior losing distance is to close the stance, which does give a bigger backswing. But it does not give a bigger forward swing. The total available range of motion has not changed.
Dr. Berman calls this a compensation. And one compensation guarantees the need for another.
At Berman Golf, the goal is not to add range of motion that is not there. It is to make the range a golfer already has more efficient.
Why Closing Your Stance Fails
Here is the math, kept simple.
Say a golfer has 90 degrees of backswing and 90 degrees of forward swing. That is 180 degrees of total range of motion.
Now close the stance. The backswing is still 90 degrees, but the 90 degrees forward is now stuck. The golfer cannot finish the swing anymore.
Nothing was added to the total available range of motion. The backswing got bigger at the expense of the finish.
This Swing Trap Hurts
Here is why this creates a chain reaction.
Closing the stance to make up for lost distance is a compensation. Compensating for one problem guarantees the need to compensate for another.
As soon as the stance closes, it becomes nearly impossible to take the club back on the right path. It almost guarantees that the clubhead goes way inside on the takeaway.
Why You Get Stuck
Here is what happens from that inside position at the top.
The golfer is stuck. The only option is to cast way over the top, come down with early extension, hang back on the back foot, and hope and pray.
Hope that one out of 14 tee shots turns into that beautiful draw. That is the reason many golfers close the stance in the first place. But a closed stance does not deliver the draw. It delivers the chain of compensations.
The Fix: Normal Stance, Reach Away From the Ball
Here is what to do instead.
If the reason for closing the stance is to get a bigger backswing and more distance, go back to a normal stance. Then change the thought on the takeaway. Instead of taking the clubhead back inside, think about reaching the clubhead away from the golf ball and back away from the target.
This forces a true body turn, instead of the armsy version. In the armsy version, the elbow bends, the knee straightens, and the golfer stands up. Now the golfer is blocked and has to cast over the top just to get back down to the ball.
Turn Without Tightness: The Alignment Stick Drill
Here is how to see it for yourself.
At address, bring the clubhead away. It is going to feel like it is going way outside. Dr. Berman says it is actually right down the line.
Bring an alignment stick and put it right behind the ball, on the target line.
Find the Right Swing Path
Here is what to feel.
At address, bring the clubhead right down that alignment stick. Feel the core turning. Feel the right leg loading. Feel the left shoulder going down toward the golf ball. Feel the swing staying on plane.
Now the body is generating true shoulder turn, true core activation, and true loading of the right side. And the golfer can undo it and get back the other way, because the swing has not been stuck by a closed stance.
The goal is not to add range of motion. It is to make what is already there more efficient.
Wake Up Your Power
Here is the full address-to-impact checklist.
At address, soft knees, hips back, chest up, core engaged. Bring the clubhead away from the golf ball by rotating with the belt buckle, not by hinging the wrists. Get a nice turn and feel the right leg loading.
Then, on the way through, here is a pro tip. Focus on getting the left knee straight. Dr. Berman says this is extremely challenging for the majority of the seniors he works with.
The Senior Distance Fix
Here is why traditional golf lessons do not work for seniors.
They tell golfers to stay loose and swing easy. That advice does nothing but kill distance and destroy the back.
A different method is needed. An activated swing.
Reach for More Yards
Here is the thought that replaces hinging the wrists.
In the backswing, think about loading into the right leg and reaching the left hand away from the target. Do not think about hinging the wrists or bringing the clubhead up. Think about reaching.
From the side, it looks like a push and pull. The goal is a lot of elongation and rotation. While reaching away, the core is firing and the glutes are firing. Then the club can come up.
The club should not be wrapped around the body. The body turns first. Then the club comes up.
Finish Without Fighting
Here is how the swing finishes.
On the way through, the left knee straightens. That allows the hips to clear and the golfer to finish the true available front swing. Dr. Berman calls it the front swing for simplicity: backswing, front swing, total swing.
The goal is to make the swing available right now that much more efficient. No more compensations. Straight up rotation. Finish the golf swing.
Get a Free Swing Analysis
Want to know whether the takeaway is going inside and whether the lead knee is blocking the finish right now?
Set the camera or phone up at two angles. One from the front, face on. One from behind, down the line. Film in slow motion. Swing.
Send both videos to gaindistance.com and Dr. Berman will give a free swing analysis. The first one is on him.
See exactly what the camera shows, not what the brain thinks is happening. The takeaway path and the bend in the lead knee through impact are two of the clearest things visible in slow motion, and two of the most commonly missed from the inside.
Want a Step-by-Step Blueprint?
If this resonates and the advice out there feels designed for 25-year-old tour pros, there is a simple blueprint built specifically for senior golfers.
It breaks down:
How the aging body changes
Which muscles actually produce power
How to gain distance without swinging harder
How to improve consistency while reducing aches and pains
It is written at a fifth-grade reading level with clear visuals and practical drills that can start immediately.
A FREE digital copy is available at: 👉 gaindistance.comÂ
No gimmicks. Just clarity on how the body should move to play better golf for years to come.
Bringing It All Together
A closed stance gives a bigger backswing but takes away the finish. The total range of motion does not change. The compensation guarantees another one: an inside takeaway, a cast over the top, early extension, and hanging back.
Go back to a normal stance. Reach the clubhead away from the ball, not inside. Use an alignment stick behind the ball to see the path. Rotate with the belt buckle instead of hinging the wrists. Feel the right leg load. Then straighten the left knee so the hips clear and the swing finishes.
At Berman Golf, the focus is biomechanics first. Not cookie cutter swings. The goal is teaching the body how it should move, especially as it ages, so power can be generated safely and repeated under pressure.
The in-house and online coaching programs are built specifically for senior golfers who want more distance and better consistency without beating up their bodies.
For anyone tired of advice designed for tour pros and ready for a blueprint built for their body, help is available.
Because when the body turns first and the stance stays normal, compensations are not something to manage anymore. The swing just works.
And when the swing just works, the game gets soooooo much easier!
If you enjoyed what you read and want to see it in action, watch the video below where Dr. Berman demonstrates the reach-away drill and the alignment stick!
