I'm 71 and golf was becoming less fun hitting from the whites so I had a little talk with myself and thought to put my ego aside and give the forward tees a try. That move changed my entire outlook on the game and my abilities. This forward tee move persuaded my playing partner to move as well but it took him awhile to move forward but we shaved several strokes off our scores and made this great game a whole lotta fun again. I strongly suggest you take the steps forward and once your buddies see your scores go down and how much fun you're having maybe they'll toss their egos aside too. Good luck and enjoy the game again.
I have a sleeve of these I use for practice putting. After proper alignment I'll stroke the putt and watch how the ball rolls for instant feedback on whether it was a pure stroke or a swipe. It works for me.