I haven’t posted a progress update in a while, so I figured it was time. Well, I have the shanks. Just kidding. That’s a little karma joke dating back a couple of days.

You’ll notice that I haven’t updated my stats for some time. Don’t worry, I haven’t given up and I definitely haven’t slacked off. I’m working hard at the range, at the gym, and on my diet. When I get out to the course, right now it’s mostly for exercise and to be able to try out the stuff I’m working on at the range. My scores and stats aren’t good yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m not showing excellent progress so far. I’ll break it down in the following sections.

Diet/Weight Loss

I have a lot of weight to lose, but I’ve come to the realization that “diets” are recipes for failure. It almost sounds like a cliché, but I firmly believe that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is by changing my lifestyle. I know what’s healthy and what’s not. I just try to make better choices now. I also don’t say, “I can’t eat this or that”. I eat what I want, but realize that either I’ll have to pay for it with more exercise or eating less later on, or it’s just going to keep me from reaching my goal. Often, I find myself saying, “I’d like to have <something bad>” then I’ll realize it’s not worth it and just forget about it. That, coupled with increased exercise is my formula for success.

So far it’s working. I’ve been keeping stats for about a month, and I’m losing around a pound a week. A nice slow, steady weight loss, coupled with a lifestyle change will help make it permanent this time. I’ve only lost a few pounds, but I can already feel it.

Fitness

I’ve drastically changed up my fitness regimen. When I first started this, my routine consisted of some cardio at the gym followed by some weight lifting which hit the big stuff like biceps, pecs, etc. That was a waste of my time. I’ve since realized that flexibility and core strengthening are what I need. I burn a good amount of calories just walking nine holes a few times a week. That’s a nice conditioning workout.

After that, I’m doing exercises to keep my back in shape to combat my herniated disk as well as to provide strength and flexibility to the other parts of my body. I’ve switched from using heavy weights and machines to using an exercise ball, light weight dumbbells, a medicine ball, and a foam roller. I’ll be adding a balance board and some resistance bands shortly. I’m doing golf-specific exercises to target my weak areas which, right now, are my back, hips, and shoulders.

I do frequent stretching and I find that it’s like a miracle pill. This past Saturday, I had a 2 1/2 hour practice session in the morning, followed by a 13 hole walking round (up until dark). When I got home, I was completely beat. That night, I slept terribly and the next day I got up and thought there was no way I’d be able to play, like I had planned. I was sore all over, especially in my back, and just felt awful. After laying around for a while, I decided to dive into my stretching and exercise routine. It was rough at first, but after an hour or so, it was like I was a different person. I was able to go play 9, felt great that night, and even the next day. That’s proof to me that my new approach is working.

I visit the gym less frequently now and when I do it’s for cardio and to work the muscles in my legs with leg presses, leg raises, and leg curls. It’s not as easy for me to do these things at home, so that’s a perfect use for the gym.

Long Game/Full Swing

The full swing is finally coming around. I haven’t gotten myself on video for a few weeks to see if I got rid of the chicken wing, but it’s definitely improving. I had a nice breakthrough at the range on Saturday thanks to my friend Keith (think: “you’re gonna bogey it“). He noticed that at address, my feet were closed (aimed right of the target) while my shoulders were aimed left of the target, no doubt the result of subconscious compensations over time. Also, I was getting very quick at the top of the swing and getting out of sync. After patching those things up, I immediately hit the ball better. Like the very next shot. Unfortunately, it was at the end of the session, so I need to pick that up again at the range tomorrow. I’m hitting my driver well, but somewhat inconsistently. I’m shaping shots well with all my clubs. I’m definitely seeing a little more improvement after every session.

Short Game

My short game is really the weak link right now, because I’ve been preoccupied with exercise and with the long game. I need the long game to get to the point where I’m keeping the ball on my own hole and not topping it. Soon, I’m going to focus a lot of effort on my short game. My wedge play is decent right now, but under 30 yards, I’m having trouble getting my feel back. When I hit the ball solidly, most shots are going long, except when I start thinking about it and then flub the shot. I’m not worried about it right now. I know I need it to score well, but I really need to build up confidence on the course again. Getting the ball in the fairway and hitting a few greens is what I need most at this point in time.

Putting

My putting is coming along well. I’m getting a lot of benefit from the 100-putt drill. My confidence is high, even though statistically, I’m not doing great. I most certainly three-putt too much, but I’m rolling the ball well. It’s just a matter of getting my touch back and grooving a better stroke to give me more consistency.

Overall

So far, I’m quite happy with my overall progress. Obviously, I’m not where I want to be. Right now, that’s just back where I was. I’ve been rebuilding my body and my swing from the ground up. That’s going to be a slow process. I’m having trouble coming up with any negatives to report right now. My aim is to do something actively to work toward my goal every day of the week. So far I’ve done that.

I’m normally my toughest critic and I don’t have anything bad to say right now. That doesn’t mean that I couldn’t have done anything better over the last month. There’s always room for improvement. But right now, the results are good enough for me to savor a little happiness and get right back to work. But the time you read this, I’ll probably be back at it and complaining about more problems, but I’m going to enjoy it for the rest of the evening (20 minutes).

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