After decades of service as a Los Angeles City firefighter, avid golfer Gene Merchant was battling more than Old Man Par: he was fighting a bad back, shoulder pain, and arthritis in his knees. This was the reality for Gene, a 79-year-old resident of the Lake Tahoe, Calif. area who found his handicap climbing as he aged. After a hiatus from the game to raise his family, Gene returned to golf but was eventually met with physical limitations from a lifetime of service. Describing the hurdles he faced, he says, “I'm a retired firefighter, so I have a bad back, I've had shoulder surgeries, hernia surgeries, and my knees act up with arthritis.”
Despite admitting, “I hate exercises like calisthenics, any of that kind of stuff, I'm not into that – except for cardio,” Gene still went seeking a solution after seeing GolfForever advertised on television in 2024. He decided to give it a try and began using the GolfForever Training System which includes the Swing Trainer and its corresponding mobile app, which is loaded with expert-guided golf-specific exercise videos. Often setting it up in his home workshop, his routine now involves about an hour of exercise four or five days a week. “This system seems to work the core and the whole body pretty well.”
After just five or six months, he started to notice a real difference in his game – Gene was driving the ball up to 40 yards longer. His average drive, which had dipped to 190 yards two years ago, is now consistently reaching 230. This distance gain was solely attributable to GolfForever; there were no swing tips or equipment changes. Gene attributes this success to the improved flexibility and core strength he developed through the program, rather than changes to his technique. “It's the only thing I'm doing now,” he says. “I haven't taken lessons in years and years. I figure at my age, I can't really develop any new swing habits. Yeah, old dog, new tricks.”
Beyond the game, Gene has noticed improvements in his daily life, including significantly better balance, which he attributes to the program’s core work increasing his stability. “I've got a lot better balance than I used to have and I think that's because working the core and a lot of the exercises also work on balance.” GolfForever ultimately provided Gene with exactly what he was looking for: better flexibility, improved balance, and more distance on the course. Best of all, he achieved this without feeling like he's putting in any extra effort. "I don't feel like I'm trying any harder, but the ball's been going a little farther," he concludes.
Although he once played to a 7.4 index and regular tournament competitor, Gene now competes at 13.3, quite respectable for his age. With his newfound flexibility and core strength, he continues to prove that age is just a number when you have the right tools to stay in the game.