Bo the Golfer's Golf Journey

[StuM]

7 hours ago, Bo the Golfer said:

Been a bit of delay in updates but I needed to come back east as my mom's health has taken a serious turn for the worse. In a 3 day span we learned she had a tumor to she has stage 4 cancer and stopped eating and drinking for the most part. She has had a rough 3 months but certainly didn't think we'd be at the point of setting up hospice for her. My mom was never into any sports really other than following the Red Sox because my dad was a big fan. She always cared about what we were involved in including asking about how golf went. 

I have kept up with my 5 minutes of daily practice and will go to the gym here in NH tomorrow morning. Despite the somber nature of this trip my family has commented more than a few times about my weight loss so it's important to me to keep it up. I know my mom always wanted us happy in whatever we did so I'll continue with my fitness journey keeping that in mind. 

Sorry to hear of your mother’s health issues.  My thoughts are with you.

[iacas]

Sorry to hear it as well. Find strength in your loved ones.

[boogielicious]

Sorry to hear Bo.

[GolfLug]

Sorry man. Keep pursuing life and let her find strength in yours. My thoughts with you.

[Bo the Golfer]

Was thinking of giving this a try. Grip is shown starting at 3:10. It's extreme for sure but seems like it may solve some issues. I'm not a small dude at 6' 3" 247 and traditional methods have not worked well for me. If I can hit some balls this weekend at the dome (3 inches here in MN Thursday night with 5 to 8 coming in the next couple of days) I'll put it on video and let you know my thoughts. Let me know what you think. 

[bkuehn1952]

The grip does look extreme. I am interested if those who know what a golf swing should be have any comments. I imagine a person with a large/tall body might need to make some deviations to the more standard setup, grip or swing.

[iacas]

4 hours ago, Bo the Golfer said:

Was thinking of giving this a try. Grip is shown starting at 3:10. It's extreme for sure but seems like it may solve some issues. I'm not a small dude at 6' 3" 247 and traditional methods have not worked well for me. If I can hit some balls this weekend at the dome (3 inches here in MN Thursday night with 5 to 8 coming in the next couple of days) I'll put it on video and let you know my thoughts. Let me know what you think. 

No, don't do that.

I teach a guy who is 6'5" and 425 pounds, and he… grips it normally. You're not the outlier you seem to want to convince yourself you are.

Pretty disappointing you couldn't tell me that you were leaving Evolvr. I kinda feel like I'm owed an explanation — you don't break up with someone by just ghosting them. So what gives?

The last post I made, I asked you to do what I was asking you to do. You could do it at slow speed if you wanted, you just had to show yourself (and me) that you could do it.

You're not going to get better at golf chasing weird things on YouTube (or by watching YouTube at all, really). You're going to get better at golf if you follow a road map that makes sense and do what you're asked to do… slowly at first, and then building up speed as you learn new habits. There are a lot of good instructors out there, but you're not one of them… and what golfers don't realize is that they're "their own coach" when they try to implement whatever random stuff they happen to find on YouTube.

---

[Bo the Golfer]

24 minutes ago, iacas said:

No, don't do that.

I teach a guy who is 6'5" and 425 pounds, and he… grips it normally. You're not the outlier you seem to want to convince yourself you are.

Pretty disappointing you couldn't tell me that you were leaving Evolvr. I kinda feel like I'm owed an explanation — you don't break up with someone by just ghosting them. So what gives?

The last post I made, I asked you to do what I was asking you to do. You could do it at slow speed if you wanted, you just had to show yourself (and me) that you could do it.

You're not going to get better at golf chasing weird things on YouTube (or by watching YouTube at all, really). You're going to get better at golf if you follow a road map that makes sense and do what you're asked to do… slowly at first, and then building up speed as you learn new habits. There are a lot of good instructors out there, but you're not one of them… and what golfers don't realize is that they're "their own coach" when they try to implement whatever random stuff they happen to find on YouTube.

---

Actually,  I sent you a message either on here or Evolvr that I would be taking a break as we were moving and that was going to be some time before we got settled. Then I had everything going on with my mom so as much as I hate to be the guy that would ghost someone,  I don't believe that I did. Plus the fact that golf took a very back seat to life the last 4 to six weeks. 

[Bo the Golfer]

As far as don't do that, I don't know yet. Certainly seeing some of the same issues but with that being said I do not feel I'm coming up off the ball as much, I feel like I'm keeping the ball in sight much better, and the strike was very good. I don't feel compression generally but shots were flying off the middle of the face. I will say that I don't video the slow work I do. That is probably the first 1/3 of the bucket. I video what things look like in real speed so that I can get what's going on in a real swing. I think the slight improvements I'm seeing are because of the slow swing work and the 5 minutes daily practice. I forgot to apologize in that last message @iacas as I believed I let you know where I was at. I'll be back as I've respected your input going on 17 years now. My mom is going to pass literally any minute now as she continues to not eat and drink very little. Let me get through that first. 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Bo the Golfer said:

I video what things look like in real speed so that I can get what's going on in a real swing. I think the slight improvements I'm seeing are because of the slow swing work and the 5 minutes daily practice.

Don't just video the fast swings. It takes a looooooong time for changes to show up there. You have to record the slow ones, too, so that you know if you're doing it properly. So you can pay attention to what it feels like. So that you know you're on the right track.

You're not going to get better by trying to do what you find on YouTube videos. Particularly extreme outliers like gripping the club in some bizarre way. Your grip doesn't really affect that part of your backswing.

Maybe Evolvr wasn't for you; that's fine. I'm just saying that I wish you'd told me that you were leaving and why. 👻

[Bo the Golfer]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Don't just video the fast swings. It takes a looooooong time for changes to show up there. You have to record the slow ones, too, so that you know if you're doing it properly. So you can pay attention to what it feels like. So that you know you're on the right track.

You're not going to get better by trying to do what you find on YouTube videos. Particularly extreme outliers like gripping the club in some bizarre way. Your grip doesn't really affect that part of your backswing.

Maybe Evolvr wasn't for you; that's fine. I'm just saying that I wish you'd told me that you were leaving and why. 👻

Again, I believe I did. I'm a lot of things, but one of them isn't flighty. I loved Evolvr,  the timing was just poor but will be better soon. 

[billchao]

Sorry to her about your mom, @Bo the Golfer. Golf will always be here when you’re ready to get back.

[Bo the Golfer]

While @iacas brought up a great point, like many things there is no absolute. Youtube is a tool that must be used sparingly and wisely in my opinion. While I would never try to learn how to play better golf exclusively using Youtube it does have it's uses. I'm not sure I've ever seen better short game explanations than Dan Grieve. Dude is a master. And I've only been exposed to AMG via YouTube. While I don't watch them religiously if someone on this or another forum points out a good one I feel would help me I'll give it a watch. 95% of my YouTube golf watching is entertainment. While I'm well beyond their target audiences I'll watch Good Good, Luke Kwon, the Bryant Bros., BustaJack, and a few others. Some of the courses they get to play and the guests they have on at times makes for a good watch in my opinion. Places like this site, Evolvr, and in person lessons are the way to go for improvement but to say no to something out of hand that you could possibly learn from whether with golf or anything else in life robs you of information which could be presented in a way that really helps you. Granted my example was a crazy a$$ grip but hey, you never know. 

[iacas]

Spoiler

2 hours ago, Bo the Golfer said:

Again, I believe I did. I'm a lot of things, but one of them isn't flighty. I loved Evolvr,  the timing was just poor but will be better soon.

3 hours ago, Bo the Golfer said:

Actually,  I sent you a message either on here or Evolvr that I would be taking a break as we were moving and that was going to be some time before we got settled.

It's understandable why you did not, but you didn't. I looked in three message topics and in my DMs at both sites. You can do the same if you'd like — I don't think you're going to find anything. And nobody's called you "flighty" or anything like that.

And again, it's understandable why you didn't — you've had a lot going on.

On to the more relevant stuff…

15 minutes ago, Bo the Golfer said:

While I would never try to learn how to play better golf exclusively using Youtube it does have it's uses.

I'll get back to this.

15 minutes ago, Bo the Golfer said:

… but to say no to something out of hand that you could possibly learn from whether with golf or anything else in life robs you of information which could be presented in a way that really helps you. Granted my example was a crazy a$$ grip but hey, you never know. 

I said "no" to the grip:

3 hours ago, iacas said:

No, don't do that.

I teach a guy who is 6'5" and 425 pounds, and he… grips it normally. You're not the outlier you seem to want to convince yourself you are.

Then I said you shouldn't chase "weird things."

3 hours ago, iacas said:

You're not going to get better at golf chasing weird things on YouTube (or by watching YouTube at all, really).

The parenthetical, to be pretty quick about it…

• YouTube videos require you to become the instructor/coach. They don't watch you to say "no, you're doing that wrong" and they don't provide feedback. They don't make you go at the right pace, and they don't do ANYTHING to determine whether this piece, though it may be right for you at some point, is right for you NOW.
• I think YouTube can be good for learning some fundamentals, some basics… some "theory." AMG videos are good at this, in large part because they can stop you from going down some other sort of rabbit hole or stop you from trying to do things that almost nobody good does, or that falls outside of the norm.

Though I might look at YouTube to see how to clean my sink with vinegar/baking soda, I'm not going to learn to be a plumber by watching YouTube. Not unless I basically made it my full-time job. Too many people think, by watching some YouTube videos which generally over-promise results, that they'll find "the right one" and will "fix" their game, when very little comes instantly.

Like "try out this weird grip" videos.

Just say no to band-aids and "weird" stuff like this. Or don't. Because what do I know? 🤪

Also, clearly, I'm not talking about golf as entertainment on YouTube.

[Bo the Golfer]

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

  Reveal hidden contents

It's understandable why you did not, but you didn't. I looked in three message topics and in my DMs at both sites. You can do the same if you'd like — I don't think you're going to find anything. And nobody's called you "flighty" or anything like that.

And again, it's understandable why you didn't — you've had a lot going on.

On to the more relevant stuff…

I'll get back to this.

I said "no" to the grip:

Then I said you shouldn't chase "weird things."

The parenthetical, to be pretty quick about it…

• YouTube videos require you to become the instructor/coach. They don't watch you to say "no, you're doing that wrong" and they don't provide feedback. They don't make you go at the right pace, and they don't do ANYTHING to determine whether this piece, though it may be right for you at some point, is right for you NOW.
• I think YouTube can be good for learning some fundamentals, some basics… some "theory." AMG videos are good at this, in large part because they can stop you from going down some other sort of rabbit hole or stop you from trying to do things that almost nobody good does, or that falls outside of the norm.

Though I might look at YouTube to see how to clean my sink with vinegar/baking soda, I'm not going to learn to be a plumber by watching YouTube. Not unless I basically made it my full-time job. Too many people think, by watching some YouTube videos which generally over-promise results, that they'll find "the right one" and will "fix" their game, when very little comes instantly.

Like "try out this weird grip" videos.

Just say no to band-aids and "weird" stuff like this. Or don't. Because what do I know? 🤪

Also, clearly, I'm not talking about golf as entertainment on YouTube.

I wasn't commenting on what you had to say about the grip or youtube. Was just giving my take on how I view youtube. I just credited you with making a good comment. And I realize what you know. Don't sell yourself short 😜

[Bo the Golfer]

On a positive note I was down to 245 this morning. Fitbit tells me that I've lost 13 pounds since 3/4. My goal was originally 240 and I've now changed it to 235 but who knows where I'll end up. Just not 321 again lol. 

[Bo the Golfer]

I received a call a little while ago that my mom has passed. While I'm obviously very sad, I'm glad that she is no longer in pain and can be with my dad again. I'm so happy for seeing her last week and her being aware enough to talk a little. I'll miss her so much. 

[4zim]

28 minutes ago, Bo the Golfer said:

I received a call a little while ago that my mom has passed. While I'm obviously very sad, I'm glad that she is no longer in pain and can be with my dad again. I'm so happy for seeing her last week and her being aware enough to talk a little. I'll miss her so much. 

Very sorry for your loss. Condolences to you and your family.