RFKFREAK's Journal About Golf Past, Present, and Future

[RandallT]

Having played with 'da Freak several times, I'm not sure he needs the "golf specific" exercises, he moves plenty well for a bigger dude. When the weight comes off and the flexibility increases he'll be pounding the ball like a monkey on a cupcake. Keep up the good work, I can only imagine the struggle. I've been blessed with a good metabolism so it's hard for me to appreciate the effort it takes.

This is a great thread and all the better with imagery like monkeys pounding cupcakes. Hope the motivation continues, @RFKFREAK ! I also wouldn't sweat the occasional binge eating. I have found that is just a short term blip. I gain weight when I lose motivation over a long period of time. Just a weekend of gluttony- gone in a few days.

[RFKFREAK]

RFKFREAK,

You need to keep in mind that your body lays down fat over time, which means you don't just put on a few pounds over a weekend.

Also keep in mind that not everything you eat comes out of you straight away. Food will take time to digest, which will give you the impression you are putting weight on when in fact you aren't. This is why many people caution against daily weighing of yourself and if you do then do only take in to account your average over a week. Your weight will quite naturally fluctuate up and down but it's what happens over a period of time that counts.

Yah, I know. I'm not discouraged and am satisfied with my progress thus far.

Finally, the point if practice is exactly that...to practice. If you are being distracted by tv while practicing then you really aren't practicing. If you want to benefit then you need to concentrate.

Different strokes for different folks.

I don't like quiet.  When I work out, I'm always listening to something, usually music.  When I was younger and had to study for a exam, I'd have the tv on as background noise.  When I go to sleep, I leave the tv on or have something playing on youtube for background noise.  Just because there's noise in the background, it doesn't mean that you're not concentrating on your practice.  Can it be a distraction?  Sure, if you let.  And there are people (maybe you're one of them) who can't help for it to be a distraction.  I am not one of those people.  Background noise is comforting to me.

Having played with 'da Freak several times, I'm not sure he needs the "golf specific" exercises, he moves plenty well for a bigger dude. When the weight comes off and the flexibility increases he'll be pounding the ball like a monkey on a cupcake.

Keep up the good work, I can only imagine the struggle. I've been blessed with a good metabolism so it's hard for me to appreciate the effort it takes.

Thanks, bro!

This is a great thread and all the better with imagery like monkeys pounding cupcakes. Hope the motivation continues, @RFKFREAK!

I also wouldn't sweat the occasional binge eating. I have found that is just a short term blip. I gain weight when I lose motivation over a long period of time. Just a weekend of gluttony- gone in a few days.

It's been going good.

As the thread I posted indicates (http://thesandtrap.com/t/79267/the-colin007-and-rfkfreak-albany-road-show), yesterday was a trip to check out a simulator.  Although it was quite disappointing as I wanted to establish my shot zones, it was fun to play Augusta.  After that, had a good dinner and then it was leg day.  I didn't get to run on the treadmill yesterday as I didn't start working out until later but I got on the treadmill today.  Didn't burn as many calories as usual (only 338) as I was only on it for 20 minutes because I was running on it during the first intermission of the Rangers game.

Sadly, there's still snow on the ground so no outdoor practice.  One thing I noticed on the simulator was that I was trying to implement the changes I want to make to my swing and I hoped it would come easily using a full speed swing, but, sadly, it's not naturally there yet.  I think the next time I can go and practice outdoors, I'm going to work on doing it slowly and maybe investigate a way to do it indoors.

[mailman]

Quote:

I don't like quiet.  When I work out, I'm always listening to something, usually music.  When I was younger and had to study for a exam, I'd have the tv on as background noise.  When I go to sleep, I leave the tv on or have something playing on youtube for background noise.  Just because there's noise in the background, it doesn't mean that you're not concentrating on your practice.  Can it be a distraction?  Sure, if you let.  And there are people (maybe you're one of them) who can't help for it to be a distraction.  I am not one of those people.  Background noise is comforting to me.

Hahahaha...yeah...very true mate

Reminds me of school as well...I could never understand the kids who had to have their walkmans on at full bore to study! Actually what probably got me jealous is that most of these kids were top set kids...the bastards!

Regards

Mailman

[RFKFREAK]

Reached a small milestone today when I stepped on the scale.  I looked down and the scale didn't show me a number in the 260's or 270's - it showed me 259.7!

Now, I know it was only 0.3 pounds under 260 but two days ago it showed me 260.1 so I wanted to get down in the 250's by the end of the week.  I'm sure it'll fluctuate the rest of the week but hopefully by the weekend it'll show me a lower number.

Still practicing indoors because of the snowfall but I'm thinking of setting in a video to Evolvr of me putting to try and get some instruction in this winter.  Anyone ever done this?

[rkim291968]

Reached a small milestone today when I stepped on the scale.  I looked down and the scale didn't show me a number in the 260's or 270's - it showed me 259.7!

Now, I know it was only 0.3 pounds under 260 but two days ago it showed me 260.1 so I wanted to get down in the 250's by the end of the week.  I'm sure it'll fluctuate the rest of the week but hopefully by the weekend it'll show me a lower number.

Still practicing indoors because of the snowfall but I'm thinking of setting in a video to Evolvr of me putting to try and get some instruction in this winter.  Anyone ever done this?

Awesome!   Planning to lose 10 pounds in a week seems too drastic though.

I lost 2 lbs since I started golf workout (and treadmill) but I started from 145 and my losing 2 lbs is equivalent to your losing 3.5 lbs .   The workout must be working for me.  The other day, I hit a 254 yard drive on a hole that my previous longest drive was 225.  (Yeah, and a new driver & lesson helped).   Is your working out & losing weight adding distance to your drive?

[RFKFREAK]

Awesome!   Planning to lose 10 pounds in a week seems too drastic though.

I lost 2 lbs since I started golf workout (and treadmill) but I started from 145 and my losing 2 lbs is equivalent to your losing 3.5 lbs .   The workout must be working for me.  The other day, I hit a 254 yard drive on a hole that my previous longest drive was 225.  (Yeah, and a new driver & lesson helped).   Is your working out & losing weight adding distance to your drive?

Well, what I meant was that I wanted to see the scale say something like 25x.x (so 259.9 would have been acceptable).  10 pounds in a week would have been unhealthy, IMO.

Sadly, I'm in NY so the snow on the ground is preventing me from hitting the golf course.  Hopefully I'll see some increase in the distance of my drives not only I get lose fat and add muscle but also as my technique gets better.  We'll see in a month or two (or three *sigh*).

In the meantime I did some indoor putting practice today.  I did two drills and could certainly do better.

The first is the yardstick drill that's in LSW.  I hit 25 balls and 6 went left, 18 down the middle, and 1 to the right.  I was successful 72% of the time.  I'd like to get this to 85% but overall, I don't think having my putter face square at impact is one of my greatest weaknesses.

The other one I did was a distance drill that was on School of Golf last night where you make a print a cup on a regular sheet of paper, tape it to the carpet, set up a barrier 1 foot behind the, "cup," and try and get the ball to stop b/w the cup and the backstop.  I did 25 shots from 8 feet and then 25 shots from 4 feet which resulted as follows:

8 feet
Short	Good	Long	Total		Short %	Good %	Long %
10	10	5	25		40%	40%	20%

4 feet
Short	Good	Long	Total		Short %	Good %	Long %
3	18	4	25		12%	72%	16%

Overall I was disappointed with how I performed doing this drill.  I feel distance control is something I'm very poor at; worse than many other aspects of my game.  I'm going to keep an Excel file and chart how I end up doing on it over time.

[RFKFREAK]

I haven't posted in this thread in a while because nothing golf related has happened due to the weekly and sometimes semiweekly snowfall.  Not as bad as Boston but aggravating nonetheless.

The last two weeks, to use a phrase incorrectly, I've fallen off the wagon when it comes to exercise and even though I haven't strictly adhered to my diet, I've been good most days but I guess the ying-yang explains while I've only lost 2 pounds the last two weeks.

The bright side, though, is that in 9 weeks I've lost 21 pounds.  Obviously would like to drop the weight quicker but can't really expect to if I'm not putting in the effort that's necessary.  That said, I did some strength training today and burned 500 calories on the treadmill today.

[RFKFREAK]

So, some more good and bad.

Been slacking on the working out.  I thought this might happen as it's hard for me to keep motivated.  However, and this might be the reason for the lack of motivation to work out, I have crossed the halfway mark of my goal and have lost 27 pounds since I began this mission two and a half months ago and am on the cusp of getting under 250 pounds!

As far as golf goes, more snow, so I've been working on my swing indoors.  I even posted a video and Mike was good enough to respond.

Anyway, more than halfway to my goal and with a month and a half to go, I'm feeling good.  Even if I don't make it in the 4 month time frame, if I get close, I'll be quite happy with my accomplishment (and will also kick myself in the butt for not working out regularly).

[mailman]

Well done mate. Keep up the good work! :) Regards Mailman

[RFKFREAK]

So, it's been about a month since I posted in this thread.

Work has once again come to front and center as it always does in March, hence, I haven't been able to really workout or do any outdoor practice, although the weather has had a hand in that, too.

However, I've been really good with the diet and have lost 37 pounds since I started in December.  With two weeks left to go for the completion of the 4 month period where my goal was to lose 50 pounds, it seems like I'm likely to fall a bit short of the goal.  Whereas I'm proud of the progress I've made and the fact that I've proven that I still have a good amount of will power, I dropped the ball when it comes to working out.

Whereas this month hasn't been the best for finding time to workout, in the previous 2 months and change, I certainly didn't commit to that.  I'm not really surprised by this because I've never been a gym rat and view working out as a chore.  That said, the next step I'm taking to try and get myself disciplined to workout more is to join the gym my buddy goes to on March 31 (the last day of the promotional $3 enrollment fee).  I'm hoping having to go there because he's going will make me more accountable and get me to go.

I think once I get down to 225, which will likely be between the end of April and the beginning of May, I'll reassess where I and see how much more I'll continue with this.

Of course, I'll have some idea of how it's impacting my golf game so there's that to look forward to.

But, need the weather to cooperate and for the courses to open up!

[RFKFREAK]

Played my first round of the season and put up a mind numbing 124. Glad I decided beforehand to not have it count for my HC and count it as a practice round. Part of it had to do with the fact it was very windy and part of it had to do with wanting to get at least one round in this season to shake off the rust and get back in the swing of things. This is the first round I played using Game Golf and I absolutely love it! http://www.gamegolf.com/player/RFKFREAK/round/245962 [IMG]http://cdn.thesandtrap.com/9/9b/9bffcaa6_2015-04-04Scorecard.jpeg[/IMG] For most of the day I was pulling and pull hooking the ball. Combine that with my usual bad ball striking being atrocious, it led to the horrific score I put up on the front 9, included 8 penalty strokes and six 3 putts, which included 3 putting on each of the first five holes. I also forgot how to swing my long and mid-irons which is where most of the 8 penalty strokes on the front 9 came from (I think only one came from one of my woods on the fairway and none from the driver). Not the way I wanted to start the season. On the back 9, I fixed my driver swing, even though on 17, I stupidly played for the pull/pull hook with the driver and it went dead straight OOB. I got one more penalty stroke on 18 when I stubbornly topped my 5W OOB when I didn't feel comfortable with it on my practice swings. My irons, though, were still pulling and pull hooking on the back 9, albeit not as bad and not as often. Were it not for those two penalty strokes on 17 & 18, I shot three over on the last 6 holes. So, something positive to take from a terrible round. Now that I'm back from my mom's, my plan this week is to put that new gym membership to good use and go to the gym with my buddy for the first time tomorrow and then hopefully go back with him on Wednesday and Friday. It's supposed to rain everyday except Thursday and Sunday but I'm going to try and practice Key #2 with my net on Tuesday and submit a video to Evolvr and play 9 on Thursday and hit the range and play 18 with my golf buddies Saturday and/or Sunday. Hopefully I don't wear myself out, haha!

[RFKFREAK]

I also noticed that on my well struck balls, my distances seemed to increase. It might be wishful thinking so I'll have to recheck it after I play a few more rounds but I'll be happy if all the work dropping weight that I've done during the offseason has paid off some.

[mailman]

Pity about the 8 on the final hole mate, otherwise you were looking pretty good on the back stretch. Those three putts are real killers for me. you know, when you pull, hook or slice a drive its almost "acceptable" but a three putt to me is NEVER acceptable! I absolutely hate them!! regards Mailman

[RFKFREAK]

Pity about the 8 on the final hole mate, otherwise you were looking pretty good on the back stretch.

Those three putts are real killers for me. you know, when you pull, hook or slice a drive its almost "acceptable" but a three putt to me is NEVER acceptable! I absolutely hate them!!

regards

Mailman

Yeah, the 8 was an unfortunate way to end the back 9 but I deserved it.  I was the fool who didn't feel comfortable with my practice swing and bullheaded anyway, I was the one that took 2 shots to get out of the bunker, and I was the one that left it relatively close once I got it out of the bunker and still 3 putted.

So it goes.  Just try and learn from the round and play better next time.

[Fairway_CY]

Hey man... I just read through your thread.  I enjoyed it!

I've struggled for years to find any real consistency in my game.  In 2010, I went through a stretch where I shot an 85 and an 89 which were endcaps around a streak of 108 - 98 - 108.

Sometimes the game clicks.... sometimes it doesn't.

One thing that HAS been helping me recently has been using the 'grinder' mentality.  It's not the best way to play a round, but I find myself 'forgiving' my bad holes.  I used to go through a round and, if I played the first 4 or 5 holes decently and then I had a blowup on the 6th hole... it would ruin the rest of the front side.  I'd 'reset' myself on the 10th tee and I'd play well until I had another blowup hole... and then I'd ruin the rest of the round.

Now, I'm doing everything I can to play to or below my handicap.

For example, I played in a tournament the Saturday before last.  My course handicap that day was 21.  My goal was to shoot 71 + 21 = 93.

I don't really pay TOO much attention to the par listed on the scorecard.  Instead, I play it to MY par.  I know there are some par 4's that I'm not going to hit in regulation... and I know my short game (right now) isn't good enough to consistently get up & down.  When I'm in a situation where I'm within 20 yards of the green in regulation... I focus on getting 'up, up & down'.  I give myself 3 shots to get the ball into the hole.  That would typically result in either a net par or net birdie for me.

It's kept me focused, even when I have a stretch like I had that day.  I started out bogey - double - double - triple - par - quad.  That's +12 to 'true par' but only +6 to 'my par'.  I had a few holes after that which saw me make 'true pars' which resulted in net birdies and/or eagles (I had 3 holes that I got 2 strokes from).  I ended up posting a 90 for a net score of 69, which was a -2 net score.

It helps me to play like that rather than worrying about realizing that I'm +12 after only 6 holes.

Good luck with your journey!  I'll be following along!

CY

[rkim291968]

I also noticed that on my well struck balls, my distances seemed to increase. It might be wishful thinking so I'll have to recheck it after I play a few more rounds but I'll be happy if all the work dropping weight that I've done during the offseason has paid off some.

I think the workout should have added distance, not so much the weight loss.  I am into 3 months of workout and seeing pretty good (relatively speaking) distance increase.   You should see it too unless you lost way too much weight in the process.

[RFKFREAK]

Hey man... I just read through your thread.  I enjoyed it!

I've struggled for years to find any real consistency in my game.  In 2010, I went through a stretch where I shot an 85 and an 89 which were endcaps around a streak of 108 - 98 - 108.

Sometimes the game clicks.... sometimes it doesn't.

One thing that HAS been helping me recently has been using the 'grinder' mentality.  It's not the best way to play a round, but I find myself 'forgiving' my bad holes.  I used to go through a round and, if I played the first 4 or 5 holes decently and then I had a blowup on the 6th hole... it would ruin the rest of the front side.  I'd 'reset' myself on the 10th tee and I'd play well until I had another blowup hole... and then I'd ruin the rest of the round.

Now, I'm doing everything I can to play to or below my handicap.

For example, I played in a tournament the Saturday before last.  My course handicap that day was 21.  My goal was to shoot 71 + 21 = 93.

I don't really pay TOO much attention to the par listed on the scorecard.  Instead, I play it to MY par.  I know there are some par 4's that I'm not going to hit in regulation... and I know my short game (right now) isn't good enough to consistently get up & down.  When I'm in a situation where I'm within 20 yards of the green in regulation... I focus on getting 'up, up & down'.  I give myself 3 shots to get the ball into the hole.  That would typically result in either a net par or net birdie for me.

It's kept me focused, even when I have a stretch like I had that day.  I started out bogey - double - double - triple - par - quad.  That's +12 to 'true par' but only +6 to 'my par'.  I had a few holes after that which saw me make 'true pars' which resulted in net birdies and/or eagles (I had 3 holes that I got 2 strokes from).  I ended up posting a 90 for a net score of 69, which was a -2 net score.

It helps me to play like that rather than worrying about realizing that I'm +12 after only 6 holes.

Good luck with your journey!  I'll be following along!

CY

Thanks for reading the thread and following.

Yeah, when I started the back 9 I just put the front 9 out of my head and tried to remain positive and not let it impact me too much.  I like your idea of planning on playing holes in relation to the course rating and hole HC rather than to par.  I kind of did that on 13.  I drove the ball short and to the left behind some bunkers and a tree.  The hole continued uphill and I couldn't see the green so instead of trying to hit the green, I took out my 9I to lay up into the fairway and leave myself a comfortable distance and play for bogey.  My 9I went a bit longer than I expected since I was going based on last year's distance and didn't adjust for the offseason working out and weight loss I've done but I still left myself in the fairway and left myself a wedge in.

I'm going to try and adopt this game plan you've suggested next time I go out.  I guess this means I have to figure out the course rating and see the HC for each hole, eh?  Haha.

I think the workout should have added distance, not so much the weight loss.  I am into 3 months of workout and seeing pretty good (relatively speaking) distance increase.   You should see it too unless you lost way too much weight in the process.

Yeah, I mean, I've concentrated more weight loss than working out due this winter and I think if my distances have increased that it's probably due to being trimmer and allowing myself more flexibility.  But that's just my hypothesis and maybe the inconsistent working out I've done has been more helpful.

[RFKFREAK]

So, I followed through with most of my plan this week.

Monday I went to the gym with my friend and we began to implement his workout plan.

Tuesday, I did some indoor and outdoor practice with my net.

Wednesday, I did some more outdoor practice with my net and submitted a video to Evolvr,  My friend was sick but still motivated to go to the gym.

Thursday, did some indoor practice.  I was planning on hitting the course for 9 but it was really cold and windy.

Today, I went and played 9 after work and I'm proud to say:

I shot my lowest 9 ever - a 44!

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/RFKFREAK/round/255176

I did this inspite of my driver being putrid (longest drive was 225 and the other five under 200.  I'm not sure what I'm doing as the ball is going low, not very far, and tracking to the left.  On the drive home from the course, I got my Evolvr video response so I have some things to work on which is good.  I'm playing tomorrow and if I don't get my driver situation fixed tomorrow, then I'm going to ask @colin007 to videotape my driver swing and submit that to my Evolvr instructor and see what my instructor says.

I'm pretty pumped about shooting under 50, even more pumped about over 45 and I know it's an easy course ( 32.4/105) but it's an accomplishment so I'm happy  The only downside is that we're not technically in season over here so I can't post it for my HC.

Anyway, here's the scorecard: