SchneeWRX- A Tradition Unlike Any Other

[Ty_Webb]

Great job on the weight loss Chris. That’s something to be proud of. I hope it reaps the benefits it should.

[GolfChannel]

> @Schnee said:

> > @"Ghost of Snead" said:

> > > @Schnee said:

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> > Great stuff Chris - how did you lose the 50 ? Keto/paleo/fast/Mickelson coffee drink ? Asking for a friend ...

>

> Intermittent fasting. I always used to eat breakfast. Decided to try IF. Last meal at 7-8pm, then don’t eat for at least 16 hours, usually more like 18. So lunch is my first meal of the day. I find Im Less hungry, despite it being a while since eating. So I eat a smaller portion. You have to show yourself you’re not eating that extra bit because you’re hungry. Skip it and you’ll be surprised at how you really don’t want it.

>

> Then the usual deal, lots of water, less carbs, smaller portions, exercise. For me, exercise is mostly walking 18 1-2 times a week often carrying my bag (since May I carried getting ready to caddy at the Open. Continued it after then), gym a few days a week with some cardio and weights.

>

> It’s been a slower weight loss progression about 1, sometimes 2 pounds a week, but it’s going to be sustainable.

>

> Think about it, all I have to do is skip breakfast and be active. I’m still eating what I like, but I’m learning moderation. That’s totally doable long term. I have an obsessive personality. Have to keep it in check.

>

> I’m almost down to the weight I was at pre-wrist injury. From there I’d like to lose another 20 or so, that would be ideal.

>

 

IF is basically all I ever use since I learned how to use it to safely make weight wrestling in college. I do the opposite (Breakfast and Lunch, no Dinner) and it tends to work better for me in terms of schedule and tendencies to make bad choices. So, I eat from 5:45-11:45 which leaves me in a fasted state 18 hours. My only exercise is golf (PlaneMate, SuperSpeed Golf, regular rounds) and I have lost 35lbs with no change in what I eat or how I live otherwise. It’s not a quick weight loss, but it’s steady.

[games]

Chris, the weight loss is fantastic and you look great! I spent too many years at your age mired in obesity, and glad to see the shape you're in.

 

With your "new to you" body, are you doing anything in your exercise or practice to "amp up" your speed? I know Monte's into "speed through technique" but I do think there is value in speed training when someone's physical limitation has put a "governor" on their progress...

[Ghost of Snead]

> @Schnee said:

 

> Intermittent fasting. I always used to eat breakfast. Decided to try IF. Last meal at 7-8pm, then don’t eat for at least 16 hours, usually more like 18. So lunch is my first meal of the day. I find Im Less hungry, despite it being a while since eating. So I eat a smaller portion. You have to show yourself you’re not eating that extra bit because you’re hungry. Skip it and you’ll be surprised at how you really don’t want it.

>

> Then the usual deal, lots of water, less carbs, smaller portions, exercise. For me, exercise is mostly walking 18 1-2 times a week often carrying my bag (since May I carried getting ready to caddy at the Open. Continued it after then), gym a few days a week with some cardio and weights.

>

> It’s been a slower weight loss progression about 1, sometimes 2 pounds a week, but it’s going to be sustainable.

>

> Think about it, all I have to do is skip breakfast and be active. I’m still eating what I like, but I’m learning moderation. That’s totally doable long term. I have an obsessive personality. Have to keep it in check.

>

> I’m almost down to the weight I was at pre-wrist injury. From there I’d like to lose another 20 or so, that would be ideal.

>

 

May have to try the fasting - did keto for about 3 months and lost 20 but got really tired of bacon/eggs/avocados/no sugar protein shakes. Milk carton says 175 but that ain't happening at 6"2".

 

Keep up the good work - swing looks great.

 

[ddetts]

Chris, congrats on the lifestyle changes and weight loss! That's a really big accomplishment and I wish you success in the changes becoming permanent. I've basically been intermittent fasting for 15 years, but not knowing I was. I just was never really a breakfast person, and thought I was dumb and had bad habits for not eating breakfast. So I essentially only eat between 12 and 6pm.

 

Swing is looking real nice and it must be working as evidenced by the -2 round! On the hard work paying off.

 

On the equipment front, did you do any testing on going from extra stiff to stiff? Notice any big changes in distance/spin/dispersion/etc? Glad you've found stuff that's working for you and you're sticking with it. Admittedly, I'm like the anti-ho, I usually play my stuff for 5 or more years, outside of wedges and driver. Look forward to seeing your tournament results in the future.

[GC70]

Your doing great, keep it up!

[Schnee]

> @ddetts said:

> Chris, congrats on the lifestyle changes and weight loss! That's a really big accomplishment and I wish you success in the changes becoming permanent. I've basically been intermittent fasting for 15 years, but not knowing I was. I just was never really a breakfast person, and thought I was dumb and had bad habits for not eating breakfast. So I essentially only eat between 12 and 6pm.

>

> Swing is looking real nice and it must be working as evidenced by the -2 round! On the hard work paying off.

>

> On the equipment front, did you do any testing on going from extra stiff to stiff? Notice any big changes in distance/spin/dispersion/etc? Glad you've found stuff that's working for you and you're sticking with it. Admittedly, I'm like the anti-ho, I usually play my stuff for 5 or more years, outside of wedges and driver. Look forward to seeing your tournament results in the future.

 

It’s been a gradual transition into stiff. No testing per se, just trial and error and some ho’ing in between. With driver, dispersion and misses are WAY tighter. Easily my best driving accuracy ever. Iron dispersion is way tighter too. I’m able to flight shots and hit partial shots much easier as well.

 

Overall, I’m just not having to fight the shafts so much. I can make a solid pass a the ball and know that I’m not going to have to yank on the club to get the shaft to load. The best thing I did was ditch the AD IZ 6X I was playing. My buddy is killing it but I’m so much better with an AD DI 6S.

[Schnee]

> @games said:

> Chris, the weight loss is fantastic and you look great! I spent too many years at your age mired in obesity, and glad to see the shape you're in.

>

> With your "new to you" body, are you doing anything in your exercise or practice to "amp up" your speed? I know Monte's into "speed through technique" but I do think there is value in speed training when someone's physical limitation has put a "governor" on their progress...

 

Thanks Games!

 

For me, I’m not trying to add speed right now. My goal the whole season has just been to hit it better. Most days I go out there and don’t feel like I’m stepping on it. Some days are “fast” days, some are average, some are slow, like colder days. I focus on swinging with a good rhythm, and whatever the distance is that day with driver, it is.

 

When I try and step on one, I tend to open up too soon, shift my left arm out, and hit either a pull draw or a block.

 

Over the winter, Id like to work on some Superspeed or some speed work to raise my swing speed threshold. If I can raise my max speed, then my average speed should jump as well.

 

I’m hitting the ball shorter than my historic max, but Like I said to Ddetts my driving accuracy is the best it’s ever been. I’m about 285-290 total distance right now, which is more than adequate.

[q-school]

Chris, how far is 7i going? Love the swing by the way. Congrats on the weight loss.

[Schnee]

7i is going 165-170. Can hit it further when needed but that distance is best for playing consistently.

[Dave D]

says 714 ap2 are here to stay yet no signature update :tongue:

[Schnee]

> @" Dave D" said:

> says 714 ap2 are here to stay yet no signature update :tongue:

 

There ?

 

 

[Atrayn]

Schnee....

 

Congrats man! Looking good.

[Schnee]

Deep In the Heart of Texas

Earlier this month I took a trip down to Texas to visit family and to work with Chase Cooper for two days at the Big Easy Ranch in Columbus, TX. Needless to say, it was an amazing trip. The weather was a bit chilly and rainy, but it beat snow back at home. We played two or three times on the course on property, did lots of swing work, and helped push my game to the next level.

I've played some great golf this year, but there's always room for improvement and to increase consistency. I want to play higher level tournaments and be more competitive in tournament golf. I finished the year at a 0.5 handicap with quite a few rounds under par, low round of the year 68 (bogey free and personal best).

 

I came in and Chase asked me what my goals were for the two days. I said:

1. Eliminate the left miss

2. Gain speed

Swing Work

We talked about my tendencies, reviewed old swing videos of mine and got to work. The main fault in my swing is right tilting way too early, left shoulder rises up and it goes to pot from there. When I do keep my left shoulder down long enough, I tend to glue it to my chin and my head and upper body move in front of the ball which either results in pulls or I back out and miss it right. After hitting on SwingCatalyst, Chase showed me that both my linear and vertical force in the swing are well within PGA Tour Averages, but my torque/rotational force numbers were almost nonexistent. I need to work on not moving too laterally in the downswing and getting more rotation by keeping my pivot more centered in the downswing and really allowing my hips to rotate.

I need to keep my left shoulder lower than my right longer in transition. From there, my left shoulder needs to work off my chin and around. That will allow me to release the club better, get more extension in the followthrough, and get more speed. It also neutralizes my path and increases angle of attack. I was putting up swings with paths 2-6* right, and 0 to +2 degrees AoA with a 7 iron! Way too shallow! After some work, we got my path to neutral to slightly left with an AoA of down 5 to 7 degrees with 7i. I couldn't believe how straight I was hitting it. Basically I've been hitting a semi-controlled hook and didn't realize it =). We worked on manipulating ballflight through setup changes, knockdowns in stiff winds, and choosing a stock ballflight.

With shorter clubs, I'll hit it very straight, basically aim a bit left and play a straight ball. As the club gets longer, it's going to cut more. Stock shot is straight to a slight fade. If I need to turn it over, I can make adjustments at setup to ensure it turns over. Other than that, the goal is aim left and cut it. When I play for the cut, it's so much easier to get my left shoulder off my chin and to avoid right tilting too early. I've been trying to keep my left arm in more at p5, but when trying to hit a draw, it shifts further and further out to the point that I'm backing out of it and flipping at it. Not a recipe for speed. Ironically, the more I try to cut it and get my path left, the more my left arm stays in and the more I rotate through impact.

Here's some video of my first range session back from Texas. It's honestly the best and most consistent I've ever hit it. The ball does not go left any more. The harder I go after it, the less left it goes.

 

https://youtu.be/BgD5xXHFtO0Thinking Differently On the Course

The real gains in my game are going to come from approaching rounds in a different, more thoughtful way. I tend to get over the ball and take a lot of setup and strategy options for granted. Chase showed me how I don't approach my preshot routine with enough care or thought, so when I finally get over the ball, I'm overly robotic and doubtful, something he pointed out the very first time we worked together two years ago. We discussed shot selection and working the ball, and how I can use those to my benefit. Chase had me vocalize my shot selection in a decisive manner, then commit and hit the shot. If I missed it, at least I committed to the shot and didn't waffle. When I do that, the big misses creep up. We also talked about choosing a target and allowing for misses. In the past, I would pick a target that would allow a perfect shot, then doubt myself and worry about potential misses. My shot selection, especially under pressure can be marked by fear and doubt. A more careful preshot routine will allow me to stick to my game plan and make a freer more confident swing.

One of the days, we played a game on the course to work on shot making. We hit two shots off every tee, but each one had to be hit with a different club. Toward the end of the round, we started playing that the clubs had to have a gap between them, i.e. 5 and 7 iron. It forced me to work the ball with soft cuts and hard draws and to pick smart targets. It's definitely going to be one I use going forward to practice.

We tweaked some of my short game shots just a touch, but short game and putting are a clear strength in my game.

Adding Distance

I got on trackman with Chase's assistant Will (who is a great player and fantastic ballstriker, but also a big time club nerd and fitter ) to see if my driver was a good fit for me and where I was distance wise. Quite frankly, it was a terrible fit. I was hitting my M6 with AD-DI 6s plenty straight, but my goodness was it short. On good hits, it was slightly high spin, but on mishits or hits a tiny bit off the sweet spot, it was spinning as much as 4900rpm!! The extra spin explains why I was hitting driver so straight this year, but wow, I was giving up so much distance. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but I was swinging about 106 with driver at first. Basically, Chase and Will told me, "Swing Harder." I was babying the ball and steering it from fear of the left. Once I went at it more, I was up to 112-113mph. Spin was again off the charts. We tried a bunch of different driver heads and shafts and were able to cut the spin significantly. I picked up 60 yards total. So, in the summer and on good hits, I had alright distance, but even marginal hits were severely punished. I'm going to wait until I go back sometime in the spring to get another shaft for my driver or a new driver altogether, but I'm probably going to need to go with less loft and a mid to low flight X flex shaft in order to get the spin under control.

Irons were a much better fit, and I just need to work on launching the ball a bit lower with more shaft lean. My s400's in my 714AP2 are a good fit overall.

In addition to a better fitting driver, I'm going to pick up distance by doing overspeed training over the winter. Will built me a speed stick that they use with lots of their juniors and Chase gave me some drills to work on. I do them when I go to the gym, and 3 weeks in, I can tell I'm picking up speed. I've reached 119 on flightscope before but to be 108-110 lately just aint cutting it. To be competitive on longer, more difficult setups, I need to get my driver distance out there. I can't be hitting so much club into some of these greens. I've been frustrated the past few years because I know I've got more speed on tap, but I feel handcuffed. Aiming further left and hitting a cut has freed me up so much because I'm not fearing the big left miss. Let's be honest, I've lost a ton of weight, but I'm still built to fade it. Trying to play a draw has made me slower, plain and simple.

 

Overall, it was an amazing trip to Texas. I have a clear plan for my swing and my game next season, and I'm more excited than ever to play golf. I feel like I've just started to reach my potential. I've been able to shoot low rounds in the past, but I've never been this consistent before. I finished the season at a 0.5 cap and I'm getting more and more confident over the ball. I'm doubting myself less and starting to believe that I'm a really good player. Chase is an excellent teacher and you guys should seriously consider seeing him if you're anywhere near Texas. His technical knowledge is insanely deep and he's a killer player himself. His facility is AMAZING as well, just a gorgeous setting, and all the tech you could ever want. Most of all, Chase is just a great dude. You'll have a ton of fun and learn so much. Just take a look at his social media and you'll see the caliber of player that he attracts.

I plan on going back sometime late Spring to get some more work in and gear up for a busy tournament season after I've had a few weeks of spring golf and had a chance to knock off the winter rust. I'm legitimately eyeing 8-10 bigger tournaments to enter next year, in addition to the usual club events. I've gotta get into bigger events with players better than me in order to get to the next level. Just spending two days with Chase and Will, who are way better than me, was enough to push me to work harder and to learn from players better than me.

Can't wait for next season!

 

[Schnee]

 

[Schnee]

 

Needless to say, my swing has changed a ton in the last 5 years!!

[ebrasmus21]

sounds like it was an awesome trip.

Here’s some key advice: get some single length irons and take over the mid amateur scene in the North East. ?

kidding, kind of. Cool recap and excited to see where this new vision of your swing and your game leads you.

[AndrewKaleta]

Hit me up when you go to T-stone next

[ALIF]

Looking good Chris!

[Divot License]

Watching your swing videos from inside the dome and my wife walks in, looks over my shoulder and says "that looks like the guy out of last Monte swing video's we watched, but this guys a little smaller" I said "I think it's one and the same" and she said "if it is, good for him as he looks a lot healthier now but less of a hustler" I wasn't really sure how to defend you on that one.

You do look great now and sounds like the trip the Chase was awesome.

[Schnee]

Hello out there golfwrx. With the change to WRX 2.0, I really didn’t find it enjoyable to visit here since it felt very empty. Hopefully WRX 3.0 is a welcome change and people come back. 

Since I’ve been gone, I’ve been working hard on my swing with Chase. As a result, my ballstriking is the best it’s ever been. I’m playing off scratch this season and my scores have been super consistent. My anticap has plummeted. Hopefully my handicap will start to drop soon. Low round of the year is 68. 
 

I’m flighting the ball significantly lower and as a result it’s flying flatter and further. Stock shot is a fade off the tee and draws with irons but for the first time ever I can move it both ways when I need to. 
 

I had a nice tournament schedule lined up, 12-13 tournaments, but Covid cancelled all of them. 
 

Going to keep using this as a building year and branch out into more tournament play when the world falls back into place. 

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Schnee

[Schnee]

[Hawkeye77]

Nice to see you posting!

[ebrasmus21]

Looking good, brah

[nitram]

Welcome Back Schnee. Sounds like you've made good use of your down time.

[Schnee]

With today's GHIN update, I'm officially at my lowest handicap ever, +0.4. I've had a bunch of rounds under par this year, and my anti-cap is so much lower that my score variance is significantly smaller. Overall, I'm playing the best golf I ever have, and its exciting. Hoping to get to +1 by the end of the season. I think I can get it done. 

[copperjeff]

Congrats!

[parmark]

Tip of the hat for your terrific results, and for sharing.  Both the swing and physical.

 

Nice to see you back here buddy. 

[ebrasmus21]

4 hours ago, copperjeff said:

Congrats!

Cccoooooppopppeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr jefffffffff!!!!!!

[copperjeff]

15 hours ago, ebrasmus21 said:

Cccoooooppopppeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr jefffffffff!!!!!!

Ive been found!