getting in shape = low scores!

[Robert]

Over the past six months, I have been working out and getting in better shape. My average round before I lost a large amount of weight was in the high 80's to mid 90's. I touched a club for the first time since March when I played Pacific Grove near Monterey Bay on Tuesday. I had 36 putts and shot eight over for the last six holes for a score of 80, which I'll take. Wait till I lose another 100lbs!

 

[nixdad]

There's a lot to be said about staying in shape. I think one of the biggest advantages is the stamina portion of the game. You don't get pooped out walking up the 15th fairway and then the rest of the round is crap.

Another advantage for me is the recovery. By staying in shape, I can play all week and stay focused and not worry about hurting and aching bones.

 

[SplooGe]

Is the back 9 on PG not beautiful? It is also the place of my low round went out in 40 and came back in 36.

 

[slickpitt]

There is a lot to be said for this. I've lost about 30 pounds so far, and where I've seen the biggest change is weight transfer and staying balanced. That being said... I have struggled a little with timing. It's easier now to make the transfer so it's hard to find the timing, but it's a good trade off, the timing will come.

 

[zaphod]

Weight loss+ leg strengthening+ core strengthening has help my game especially late in the round.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

For those of us in the frozen north, if you want a good leg strengthing exercise take up skiing. I walk a lot of 9 hole rds during the year & my legs are in pretty good shape, but the 1st few times I go skiing i'm sore the next day. Takes a little while to build those muscles back up & it helps come golfing season.

 

[ezra76]

I need to start working out again. I was starting to feel more stability when I was working out my legs a lot. I've at least started a little stretching though. I can feel that helping already. I've mainly added some shoulder, back and chest stretching. The shoulder stretches have helped a lot I feel. It's like I can get my shoulder turn full without having to compensate by breaking something else down. Results seem to be more accuracy since I feel like the swing is a lot smoother and free.

 

[JEFF4i]

Being in shape is sooooooo important, especially if you want to compete.

When I get into 4-5 day tournaments(poorly timed practice round on my part, doh!) I'm always hoping I did enough workout and golf to be ready for it. It is very, very taxing. Respectively, if you have a hard time fishing out those last couple holes, being in shape helps a lot.

Essentially its two things.

A) If you are in shape, then the weight of playing golf doesn't tax your body so much, so it has more to get you through the round.

B) Mentally, your mind really only has about 10 dollars worth of focus. The money it spends on your body being tired, is less you have for the shot ahead.

Mind, B was actually adapted from a concept in A Twist of the Wrist

 

[West Coast Duffer]

I would say this is my #1 problem with golf, I feel I could be so much better if I was in shape. I'm not overweight but just very poor diet and sittting on my ass all day. I'm gonna work out hard this off season and hope my scores improve.

 

[ezra76]

I just got motivated and did a 1 set circuit of a bunch of exercises. I overdid it, too fast, though. I came "this close" to vomiting.

I've come up with and will show it sometime, with a modified "lawnmower" exercise. Instead of isolating a lat I've been able to isolate more of the ribcage and abdomimals from a side position. Using a chair to do a more upright lawnmower pull using a 40lb. dumbbell. Key is really focusing on pulling with the core to get the weight up. I think I actually popped a few blood vessels in my 2nd abs on the left side.

 

[JEFF4i]

Ez, dude...

You always overdo it. Balance man,

 

[indacup]

Working out has screwed up my game....

Starting about 6 1/2 months ago I got a personal trainer and since that time, I've lost 6" in the waist, lost almost 60lbs fat and gained almost 30 in muscle.

I have felt like I am learning the game all over...my tempo is off, I find myself almost too limber and pulling too many shots now... I noticed wear marks on the grips from squeezing too tight...

I noticed the other day that all my irons need to be adjusted because the lie angle is off since I'm not reaching over a belly.

I feel like I am almost starting all over....very dejecting.

 

[ezra76]

Starting about 6 1/2 months ago I got a personal trainer and since that time, I've lost 6" in the waist, lost almost 60lbs fat and gained almost 30 in muscle.

I have felt like I am learning the game all over...my tempo is off, I find myself almost too limber and pulling too many shots now... I noticed wear marks on the grips from squeezing too tight...

I noticed the other day that all my irons need to be adjusted because the lie angle is off since I'm not reaching over a belly.

I feel like I am almost starting all over....very dejecting.

Great job on the weight loss. 30lbs. of muscle is a bit much... professional bodybuilders only gain about 5lbs. per year of muscle. Guys may bust on me for only weighing around 150 but would be seriously suprised how light they would be if they were even close to 9-10% bodyfat.

Edit- I stand corrected. 5% is a figure more for guys who are approaching thier "genetic potential". Gains of 20-24lbs. a year are possible. However, for me to do that I'd have to a) workout hard, no BS b) eat enough to get up to about 230-240lbs. then cut back to 175lbs. after. Which I think is about reasonable. I worked out for 2yrs. in prison, worked in the kitchen and ate 6-7 meals a day. I gained 50lbs but when I got out it took getting down to about 165 to get to 10% bodyfat. So it took about 2yrs. to gain about 25lbs. of muscle, which isn't even accurate since I was more like 8.5% to start. Also, these results are not possible in the real world. I'm talking about workouts of 2hrs. a day, 6days a week, 150g's of protein, over 350g's of carbs and about 6000 calories a day. Avg. in 11-13 hrs. a day sleep as well for recovery.

 

[twofast2s]

don't forget, getting in shape is not the same as getting stronger.

my routine is when it gets too cold to play, i hit the gym. throughout the winter and spring, i work on my flexibility, core strength, and endurance. this helped me tremendously and now i'm at 8hndcp as suppose to 12-14 year before. i think this was just a fact that if you walk, you get tired, and so does your mind. if you're in good shape, you still have good energy to focus.

but i worked on strength around my shoulder, and let say i had to pretty much rebuild my swing.
but keep working and congrats!

 

[eclark53520]

don't forget, getting in shape is not the same as getting stronger.

my routine is when it gets too cold to play, i hit the gym. throughout the winter and spring, i work on my flexibility, core strength, and endurance. this helped me tremendously and now i'm at 8hndcp as suppose to 12-14 year before. i think this was just a fact that if you walk, you get tired, and so does your mind. if you're in good shape, you still have good energy to focus.

but i worked on strength around my shoulder, and let say i had to pretty much rebuild my swing.
but keep working and congrats!

"In Shape" is a very subjective term. Where as 'in shape' for body building is much different than someone that is 'in shape' for marathon running.

Too many people also put way too much bank in their weight. As in how much the scales says in lbs or kilos. This really is an insignificant number. The number they SHOULD be focusing on is their body fat percentage. Keeping your body fat in check is much more important than what the scale says. I really wish we could ban scales, it really hurts peoples self images. Some people are just built bigger, meaning they will weigh more even at a proper body fat percentage as a smaller person.

ANYWAY...Great job on getting your body fat percentage down!


Hey ez, at the end of my Junior year(5 years ago) in highschool i weighed 220lbs at 5'11" and 9.2% bodyfat all natural and in the best shape of my life. Right now, just 5 years later, i weigh 180 and i would be willing to bet my body fat is at least double what it was back then. I dont even want to check it. Sad really. I need to get back into my routine. its hard now that i am a desk jockey...i have a very large frame though, which keeps me on the heavier end even with a low BFP

Problem is, with lifting like that it makes the golf swing kind of difficult without literally hours of stretching.