adamgoodman

I'd like to resurrect this thread. After a long off-season I took my first ~60-75 swings to get fitted for new clubs and I feel like I got hit by a truck. Playing golf makes me more sore in places I can't even imagine than heavy lifting ever has.

Didn't even notice this... In my head just centered down the middle with gym and golf in red and repeat in white. GYM GOLF REPEAT If I could be greedy could I get two so I could gift one to my dad? These are great.

I feel like this is more or less my original idea. IMO these guys can be at best described as "built for golf" and I'm yet to see a Tour pro who is objectively muscular/built, regardless of how functionally fit or athletic they are. That's pretty much why I posed the question whether people who have a passion for golf draw a line in the sand between their fitness goals and golf game (like I do) or try and have them work together.

I always saw Tiger’s physique as vastly overrated in terms of build... Koepka is maybe on his way there... Rory and JDay are just slim guys wearing a size too small... Especially Jason Day... I guess by “work out” I actually mean “lift weights”. But obviously we all perceive these guys through different lenses.

My only interjection is that fitness is my profession so I’m well versed in what to expect from regimented exercise/nutrition... It’s just a measuring stick thought as to whether someone is “built”: walking on the street in a well fit shirt, can people tell you work out? Vain, sure, but that just ties back to my question... I work out for what I see in the mirror not for my golf game.

I would kill for one with my tagline on it... GYM. GOLF. REPEAT.

I'm sure there's a good reason why there's never really been a truly muscular/built Tour player... Athletic/lean yes, but nobody I would see in street clothes and say "yeah, that guy definitely puts in the time at the gym."

At this point in my life (23) I can outdrive my father (56) by about 40yds (250's v 290's). Jokes on me though 'cause he can still bench press more to go along with the rippling 6-pack I've been chasing after the last 4+ years.

My own take: I take fitness/exercise probably more seriously than my golf game. My gym time is entirely geared toward physique development (isolated weight lifting). I can say confidently that my "brand' of fitness affects my golf negatively and vice versa. Not so much performance, but really how prepared my body feels to do one or the other. Playing 18 holes with a chest pump and DOMS from yesterday's leg workout adds a whole new element to the game managing pain, stiffness, soreness, etc. Then the flip-side would be golf generates its own set of aches when you're actively ill-preparing your body for it.

Used to work at a golf course in college which included 2-3 range picker sessions per day... From experience getting hit with a ball inside one of those things literally sounds like a gun shot. But yeah, I still aim for it.

Stupid aggressive. Constantly banging drives that I failed to shape through fairways, sending approach shots over the green that didn't have enough spin, nearly dunking chip shots only to have them slide 8 feet past the hole. Refusing to leave the driver in the bag on par 4's under 400yds even though my 100yd and in game is my weakest asset.

Golf and fitness pretty much dominate 90% of my existence professionally and personally.

Adam Goodman is back from the dead with a brand new swing and more importantly a brand new outfit. Ready for your hyper-critical analysis. HIT ME. I don't know why it's so small.

Start competing again.

33-37-70 (-2) having trouble keeping focus on the back playing alone.

Wow, I haven't been on here in ages. And I haven't picked up a golf club for 7 months before today. Here is my latest swing. Seems to me my grip is too strong, my tempo is too quick, and my left foot comes off the ground a little. Any other notes?

I guess. Mainly I'm trying to say that golfers often forget that we are all just playing a game.

There are bigger things in life. The less seriously I take the game, the better I play.

It's a really tough topic to cover, because every single person reacts differently. Personal story, my father put a club in my hands when I was 8-years-old, but he was about 90% hands-off. He never enrolled me in any sort of instructional path, because he wanted to wait until I was old enough to make a conscious decision as to whether I wanted to pursue golf. I spent one summer at a casual children's golf camp, and the pro who ran it suggested that my father allow him to personally instruct me and get me going in the Junior tournament circuit, but we both decided against it because at this time golf just wasn't serious. Now my father always ENCOURAGED me to play, but it always came to the point where it was me saying "yes" or "no". So until I was 15, golf was nothing more than a casual hobby. Fast forward to now, and I'm 18-years-old and a scratch golfer, because I took it upon myself to make golf my passion when I got into high school. But there's a catch... I can't help but wonder what could have been. If I had actually taken the opportunities I had when I was younger, and maybe given a little bit harder of a push, I wonder what kind of player I could be at this point of my life. Yet, it's very possible the intensity at such a young age could have easily soured the sport for me. On one hand, I can't complain with the path I took ending up scratch before I can even legally drink, but I suppose my conclusion is not to leave yourself wondering what could have been.

I'm an 18-year-old, 5'5" 145 pound scratch golfer. Here is my response: 1) How long did it take to break 70? If it took you 2 years, was that 2 years from the first time you picked up a golf club, or did you just play around for the first year and then take the second year seriously? I first picked up a golf club when I was 8-years-old and played every now and then from when I was 12, but I never really took it seriously until I was 15. (I played my freshman varsity golf season with 8 junior-sized clubs. LOL with me.) I first broke into the 70's when i was almost 16, and broke 70 when I was 17. 2) What methods did you follow? Did you pick and choose from different instructors, books, DVDs, or even just watching tips on the golf channel? Did you follow a single set method/book/DVD/instructor and follow it like it was your bible? I consider myself "self-taught" since neither of my two golf instructors lasted more than one lesson, but that really means nothing. I can't say there was one crowning source of information, but I generally just absorbed as much information possible, but committed myself to working out the kinks myself until I found a generally solid repeatable swing. Don't be afraid to make adjustments to find what works 3) What does it take to score in the 70s consistently (in your opinion of course)? A consistent swing? A good mental game? 70% mechanics 30% mental? Please share. Ball-striking. If you're a solid ball-striker, your short game does not have to be something outstanding, as long as you're not three-putting every green. I am no more than adequate at my short game (which honestly separates me from elite level), but my short game is significantly shorter than most golfers I encounter. And this ball striking does not need to be found by pounding balls at the range for hours. You have to understand your swing. I hardly every practice at the range or the putting green. If you're the type of player who needs to discover himself on the range before the round, you will never be consistent enough to get close to scratch. Walk onto the first tee knowing what you individually have to do to put that first ball where it needs to go, and be able to make adjustments on the fly. Conclusion, I know people will be critical because I don't put emphasis on practice. But the truth is I worked my way to scratch golf on the course, not on the range, because I understand my swing. I know how to adjust, so no one will ever see me "fighting" a particular issue on a single day.

Ball striking > Short game.

Brilliant. Hahahaha, they actually used to call me "AI" on my golf team.

I practiced almost never and took my golf game with as little seriousness as possible with fun being the number one priority... And here I am. Point is, everyone reaches their goals differently.

As a four-year Varsity player, with three years at number one, the less seriously I took myself at practice and matches, the better I played.