Fit v Flab Is it a load of old baloney?

[mikee247]

Ok so Ive always been reasonably fit by nature and up bringing and run quite a bit (dull I know) at the moment but I cant honestly say that its ever helped me with either hitting it longer or improving my game. The only thing It might help with for us amateurs, is maybe being able to carry your clubs and not be out of breath until you reach the halfway hut and Baconsville!. Possibly a bit on the core side of things, shoulder turn etc as well..... Or is it? Surely its all about technique, timing and an element of talent...?

We all hear about the youngsters pumping it up in the gym, including Rory, Adam, etc etc and lets be honest "he's" not playing any better now than he did a few years ago when he was willow the whisp! Tigers gone all "beefed up" and looks to be on Steroids but cant keep the thing straight and is def not any longer than he was. He can still spit and swear well enough though.... He really did look average over in Dubai by the way. :smirk:
So I switched on the TV yesterday to see Kevin Stadler win the Phoenix and Monty putting a decent run on things as well and think well these boys clearly have dodged a salad or two in their time and its not doing them any harm so... Well golf wise that is.... Even Steven Gallacher who won the Classic is carrying a nice little Tennants Super belly. You could read of a huge list of other porkers that have been successful. So is all the ranting and raving about being super fit really just a load of old hype to justify our beautiful game as a sport and golfers as athletes? And is it really gone to change your own personal golfing world if you can push 20 without having a cardiac arrest? What do you guys and gals think? :thup:

 

[bladeplayer]

Well dont forget the golfer is a sellable product now also , they are clothes horses for the fashion of the sponsor , clothes look and advertise better on fit people ..

Ive piled on the pounds in the last few years and need to get my ass in gear and lose weight , ironically as you state tho im at a lower handicap than i was when i was leaner & fitter ..

Dont know if its down to fitness as such as lowest guy in our club is 6'3 ish and weighs bout 9 stone , second best is 6'1 ish and heavy , i think we geta away with it at our level because we dont play a practice round and then hope to play 4 rounds in consecutive days thereafter ..

dont know the answer but i do think fitness helps concentration levels at the back end of a round ,

 

[StrangelyBrown]

What do you guys and gals think? :thup:

I lost two stone last year and went from shooting mid-low 90s to consistently shooting mid-high 80s. Not much else changed, I still played and practised the same amount.

No idea if there's a correlation, but it's my experience

 

[Spear-Chucker]

I think it depends on what benefits you want. Being trim and fit will (in most cases) help long term health, concentration, core stability for the swing and also being more capable for 36 holes a day events. If you want to hit it further, forget weights and get REALLY flexible. There's still no substitute for good, workable technique and that comes in all manner of shapes and sizes.

 

[Hobbit]

Very unfit. Very much overweight. Very dodgy ticker. Lots of arthritis and soft tissue problems. Walking 18 holes behind an electric trolley is painful, and carrying is nigh on impossible.... 2013; several rounds under and around level par. Picked up plenty of winnings. Had a fantastic year.

Wonder what sort of year I'd have had if I'd been an athlete?

 

[patricks148]

Wasn't there a Swedish guy on the PGA tour a couple of years ago that lost loads of Weight, counlnt hit the ball, so put it all back on again. Petterson or something like that?

 

[AmandaJR]

I finished Insanity last week and without doubt am hitting the ball further. Some of that is technique but also some from the "change" in my fitness levels. Always been a strong endurance type athlete but Insanity really improves explosive power, core strength, balance and agility which are areas I never really focussed on before.

Downside is my hams and glutes have been a bit sore and now appreciate how much I use those in a swing - especially with a driver - ouch!

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Wasn't there a Swedish guy on the PGA tour a couple of years ago that lost loads of Weight, counlnt hit the ball, so put it all back on again. Petterson or something like that?

Yup, Carl Petterson.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Not sure it makes a great of difference to us lot, unless playing multiple rounds in a day / many in a week.

Just a glance at the World Top 20 though leads you to thinking there must be something in it - at least 15 are 'in shape' with none of them being at the Stadler end of wobbly-ness ...

Dufner and Mickleson might not be supremely fit but probably do a bit of gym work and people like Westwood are massive dark-horses for fitness (there's a video of him do the 'plank' for much longer than Poults / McIlroy on YouTube).

 

[Foxholer]

Golf is a sport where you don't have to be totally athletic, but being 'fit' is almost certainly better than being 'unfit'.

Most modern Pros spend a lot of time in the gym, but don't necessarily focus on strength. Woods's game has always been primarily about Power - and making putts - so that's why, imo, he muscles up. Plenty of others focus on flexibility and stability rather than sheer strength.

Classic examples (though not in classic Golf) are Jamie Sadlowski and Joe Miller. 2 rather different shapes/styles but can both smack a golf ball a long way!

 

[pokerjoke]

I think overall its better to be fit and flexible,than overweight.
The season is long and taxing on the muscles and mind,being fit imo allows
you to handle a long season better.
Also they play in a lot of hot places,so imo the fitter guys will cope better.
A lot of bigger guys seem to start a tournament well,then fade for the latter rounds.
Yes you will get the odd winner who seems overweight,but I guarantee more tournament
winners will be fit and trim.
Just a point on Monty,christ he looked big.

 

[Jake O'Reilly]

Ok so Ive always been reasonably fit by nature and up bringing and run quite a bit (dull I know) at the moment but I cant honestly say that its ever helped me with either hitting it longer or improving my game. The only thing It might help with for us amateurs, is maybe being able to carry your clubs and not be out of breath until you reach the halfway hut and Baconsville!. Possibly a bit on the core side of things, shoulder turn etc as well..... Or is it? Surely its all about technique, timing and an element of talent...?

We all hear about the youngsters pumping it up in the gym, including Rory, Adam, etc etc and lets be honest "he's" not playing any better now than he did a few years ago when he was willow the whisp!

So is all the ranting and raving about being super fit really just a load of old hype to justify our beautiful game as a sport and golfers as athletes? And is it really gone to change your own personal golfing world if you can push 20 without having a cardiac arrest? What do you guys and gals think? :thup:

Personally, I think the right type of fitness can make a difference. While his all round game isn't as good, even Rory gained 15 yard from 2007-2012 on the PGA Tour's driving distance category, which makes finding greens that bit easier when you are playing well.

For the average club golfer aerobic fitness from running, swimming, cycling etc will help with fatigue on hot days and when playing 27+ holes. For anyone already comfortable with this, weight and flexibility work will help with the strength needed to produce an explosive coil, turn and downswing. Gaining power this way is definitely more advantageous to your control than swinging harder or faster.

Whether its worth it or not comes down to how much value you put on a few extra yards or feeling fresher on the back 9.

 

[One Planer]

Kiradech Aphibarnrat
Kevin Stadler
Colin Montgomery
Drendon Dejonge
Ángel Cabrera
Carl Petterson
John Daly
Mark Calcavecchia

Non of the above frequesnt the salad bar that often. All are pretty good golfers though.

 

[pokerjoke]

Kiradech Aphibarnrat
Kevin Stadler
Colin Montgomery
Drendon Dejonge
Ángel Cabrera
Carl Petterson
John Daly
Mark Calcavecchia

Non of the above frequesnt the salad bar that often. All are pretty good golfers though.

Pretty good but far from regular winners now,or even in contention.
Cabbrera obviously is but the others?
John Daly had two good rounds at Dubai however he tailed off,down to fitness?

 

[One Planer]

Pretty good but far from regular winners now,or even in contention.
Cabbrera obviously is but the others?
John Daly had two good rounds at Dubai however he tailed off,down to fitness?

I'll apologise for not making my point clearer now

In terms of wins, I agree, however they are all still more than capable of playing good, if not world class golf, despite their portly nature.

Take Cabrera giving the 'gym monkey' Adam Scott a run for his money at the Masters last year.

 

[AmandaJR]

It is possible those portly golfers would/could be more successful IF they were fitter??

On a slightly different note. Every once in a while I see a "Colin Montgomery" branded jumper or item of golf clothing and there is just no way I could buy it for HID! Not sure what statement it would make but, even in a size small, it wouldn't be a positive one Am I alone in thinking this way?!

 

[pokerjoke]

I'll apologise for not making my point clearer now

In terms of wins, I agree, however they are all still more than capable of playing good, if not world class golf, despite their portly nature.

Take Cabrera giving the 'gym monkey' Adam Scott a run for his money at the Masters last year.

I agree world class golf,but not for long periods.
That's why I mentioned Cabrera in particular.
I think you probably know heat is a strength sapper,so the fitter you are the more
likely you can handle it.

 

[One Planer]

It is possible those portly golfers would/could be more successful IF they were fitter??

Anything is possible Amanda for sure :thup:

However, If they thought that losing X amount of weight would make them better players, wouldn't they have done it by now? With Golf being their livelyhood and all?

Carl Petterson tried this and his game went backwards! He ended up putting his weight back on to stabalize his game.

 

[AmandaJR]

Anything is possible Amanda for sure :thup:

However, If they thought that losing X amount of weight would make them better players, wouldn't they have done it by now? With Golf being their livelyhood and all?

Carl Petterson tried this and his game went backwards! He ended up putting his weight back on to stabalize his game.

It's not easy to change diet and exercise regimes and perhaps they've got as far as they have in their current condition so not overly motivated to make the change. After all, human frailty being what it is, hospitals are full of ill folk who might not be there IF they made similar changes in their lifestyle - and their very lives depend on that.

 

[dufferman]

Since the new year, I have been 'working out' (an hour of weights almost every day) at home on a workout bench and some dumbells. Playing Saturday, I not only felt that I had a little bit more control over my swing, but I think I was getting a little more distant (hard to tell in the windy conditions). I'm a man with a beer belly, so getting fit is a long road, but I did notice a difference.

I guess the pros do it for different reasons - I'm only doing it because I'm getting married next year!!