My experience caddying for Monte at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open

[toc]

Really glad Monte qualified this year, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have watched a minute of the tournament.  This US senior has been infinitely more entertaining than the rocket mortgage, or even the us open in LA for that matter. 

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, mshills said:

Thoughts on the golf course (independent of the setup) and the setup? The obvious point is the rough is off the hook.

I thought it was great.  I have zero complaints about the layout or setup.

[_Hawk3y3_]

Best moments of Sunday...

 

Met up with Christian Raynor's group for his last 2 holes, then followed Mark Strickland's group for their last 2 holes. Both awesome guys, and it was great getting to know their families over the course of this week. Congratulations to Mark for winning low amateur honors.

 

Wanting to avoid the zombie hordes following the last 2 pairings, I spent most of the day camped out at a hospitality area for players and their guests located off the 13th fairway. There I met and got to have conversations with the wives of Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els. Don't get to do that every day.

 

 

Broken record here, but I can't send enough thanks to @MonteScheinblumfor everything this week. It sucks that I won't be able to attend the rescheduled Chicago clinic, but I would gladly trade that for the fantastic experience of this week. Counting the days until next years US Senior Open qualifying!

Edited July 3, 2023 by _Hawk3y3_

[Will29]

The Monte Militia is a good loyal bunch. Love it. 

[RoyalTroon]

On 6/30/2023 at 9:58 PM, _Hawk3y3_ said:

The little things he did this week...always trying to be entertaining whenever a decent sized gallery was present, having conversations with fans, giving autographs and golf balls to kids, thanking EVERY volunteer and worker he came across...Monte does it the right way, folks.

 

Sounds great.

 

On 6/30/2023 at 11:08 PM, _Hawk3y3_ said:

Best moments of today...

 

Don't remember which hole, but Monte badly misreads a putt, then does an impersonation of a blind man.

 

Monte hits his 4th shot on hole 10 (600 yd sweeping dogleg right) and it plugs in the lip of a greenside bunker. Stupid hard shot. After asking somebody from the crowd to hit his bunker shot, he plays a career and puts it to 3 feet. He then says loudly, "Everyone please pardon this" and flips the bird to the bunker. Priceless.

 

Oops.

[MonteScheinblum]

I said it earlier in the thread that I need to stop procrastinating and get in better physical shape.

 

This is a learning experience for me because I say something often and it’s correct.

 

Lack of fitness, strength and flexibility don’t prevent you from making a good swing……..that is absolutely correct and why I haven’t put enough emphasis on it.

 

HOOOOOOOOOWEVER, I also say being more fit, flexible and strong allows you to compensate better for your faults.

 

I am none of those things and under ideal conditions I can hit it as far, and play as well as anyone.  Last week proved that conditions are almost never ideal…and sometimes disastrous.  Because I was physically ill I reverted to decades old problems and was physically unable to overcome it half the time.  
 

The OP will vouch, I hit a bevy of magnificent shots.  I also didn’t hit near enough bad shots to shoot the horrific scores I did, even with the tough conditions, but the bad shots were really bad.
 

You will also notice that I collapsed badly at the end of both rounds.

 

Guess what, if I was 30-40 pounds lighter, more flexible and stronger, I would have been able to over come the physical liability and my bad shots wouldn’t have been as bad and I wouldn’t have collapsed so badly from fatigue.  
 

In other words, being fit and flexible doesn’t prevent you from having a bad swing or swing faults, but it’s like insurance doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but it protects you when they do.

 

PS-my hamstrings and calves hurt so bad…….lol

[Trippels]

3 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I said it earlier in the thread that I need to stop procrastinating and get in better physical shape.

 

This is a learning experience for me because I say something often and it’s correct.

 

Lack of fitness, strength and flexibility don’t prevent you from making a good swing……..that is absolutely correct and why I haven’t put enough emphasis on it.

 

HOOOOOOOOOWEVER, I also say being more fit, flexible and strong allows you to compensate better for your faults.

 

I am none of those things and under ideal conditions I can hit it as far, and play as well as anyone.  Last week proved that conditions are almost never ideal…and sometimes disastrous.  Because I was physically ill I reverted to decades old problems and was physically unable to overcome it half the time.  
 

The OP will vouch, I hit a bevy of magnificent shots.  I also didn’t hit near enough bad shots to shoot the horrific scores I did, even with the tough conditions, but the bad shots were really bad.
 

You will also notice that I collapsed badly at the end of both rounds.

 

Guess what, if I was 30-40 pounds lighter, more flexible and stronger, I would have been able to over come the physical liability and my bad shots wouldn’t have been as bad and I wouldn’t have collapsed so badly from fatigue.  
 

In other words, being fit and flexible doesn’t prevent you from having a bad swing or swing faults, but it’s like insurance doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but it protects you when they do.

 

PS-my hamstrings and calves hurt so bad…….lol

You should reach out to that Fit for golf guy Mike Carroll.

[_Hawk3y3_]

On 7/3/2023 at 6:44 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

I said it earlier in the thread that I need to stop procrastinating and get in better physical shape.

 

This is a learning experience for me because I say something often and it’s correct.

 

Lack of fitness, strength and flexibility don’t prevent you from making a good swing……..that is absolutely correct and why I haven’t put enough emphasis on it.

 

HOOOOOOOOOWEVER, I also say being more fit, flexible and strong allows you to compensate better for your faults.

 

I am none of those things and under ideal conditions I can hit it as far, and play as well as anyone.  Last week proved that conditions are almost never ideal…and sometimes disastrous.  Because I was physically ill I reverted to decades old problems and was physically unable to overcome it half the time.  
 

The OP will vouch, I hit a bevy of magnificent shots.  I also didn’t hit near enough bad shots to shoot the horrific scores I did, even with the tough conditions, but the bad shots were really bad.
 

You will also notice that I collapsed badly at the end of both rounds.

 

Guess what, if I was 30-40 pounds lighter, more flexible and stronger, I would have been able to over come the physical liability and my bad shots wouldn’t have been as bad and I wouldn’t have collapsed so badly from fatigue.  
 

In other words, being fit and flexible doesn’t prevent you from having a bad swing or swing faults, but it’s like insurance doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but it protects you when they do.

 

PS-my hamstrings and calves hurt so bad…….lol

Full disclosure, one of the very first things Monte and I talked about when we were together last week was that he felt like he needed to drop 30-40 lbs and that he was planning to start dieting as soon as the Open was over. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He then proceeded to have 3 cookies with lunch. 🤣

[MonteScheinblum]

51 minutes ago, _Hawk3y3_ said:

Full disclosure, one of the very first things Monte and I talked about when we were together last week was that he felt like he needed to drop 30-40 lbs and that he was planning to start dieting as soon as the Open was over. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He then proceeded to have 3 cookies with lunch. 🤣

I treat my fitness the same way people treat their golf games.  😁

[getitdaily]

25 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I treat my fitness the same way people treat their golf games.  😁

It'll suck for 6 to 8 weeks because you'll lose strength and speed until your body adapts but...

 

Keto. You're 56, I'm 45. As we get older our bodies become less efficient (or able) to handle glucose well. I've been keto for 8 months and I've been able to maintain my weight easily now. Last several years it was a struggle to not gain weight if I wasn't going hard hiit in the gym.

 

5 days of keto and 2 days of zero fat or carbs every week and you'll lose weight. 

 

Added benefit...MUCH more even energy levels all day, and especially on the course.

 

Just don't go heavy saturated fat of you venture down this road.

Edited July 5, 2023 by getitdaily

[golfarb1]

Recent studies have related longevity more to exercise  and activity than to genes .

I moved to the Bay Area 5 years ago and then to Northern Colorado a year ago . I was shocked that even in sunny California and outdoor oriented Colorado , that there were large numbers of overweight people. 
The army has even started a program to help young people who failed its basic training tests to try again . 
You can even use the word fat , because someone’s feelings may  be hurt 

The secret to stating fit is NOT to consider it a short term goal , but one which you are going to follow the rest of your life . There have been many flavors of the month in term of diets . They all probably work IF you stay on them . 

Be logical . It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that certain foods are junk. 
Cut out the fast foods  and eat salads . 
Eliminate the bagel with cream cheese and have some yogurt. 
Take the stairs 

Combine aerobics with resistance training .

Walk when you play golf . 
Losing weight and becoming more fit may or may not improve your golf game . None of us will ever play like John Daly or Tim Herron .

 

[mshills]

Despite the above, which I’m not sure is meant to be advice or just a lecture 🙄, losing weight and keeping it off is not so easy. Habits are hard to change, and what your body is used to ingesting is hard to change. 
 

I don’t recommend a sudden switch. Cutting over to complete keto overnight can be effective in the short term but it is hard to stay on the wagon. Regardless of how you want to change your diet (lo carb, no carb, Mediterranean, more veggies / less meat, no booze, lo salt, etc….), recommend a timeline with stages, for both intake (diet) and output (exercise), and you will need people close to you to help support you. Or at least not bust your balls too much when you won’t  drink the quad IPA or eat the brownie 🙂. 

[DaveMc82]

8 hours ago, getitdaily said:

It'll suck for 6 to 8 weeks because you'll lose strength and speed until your body adapts but...

 

Keto. You're 56, I'm 45. As we get older our bodies become less efficient (or able) to handle glucose well. I've been keto for 8 months and I've been able to maintain my weight easily now. Last several years it was a struggle to not gain weight if I wasn't going hard hiit in the gym.

 

5 days of keto and 2 days of zero fat or carbs every week and you'll lose weight. 

 

Added benefit...MUCH more even energy levels all day, and especially on the course.

 

Just don't go heavy saturated fat of you venture down this road.

 

5 hours ago, mshills said:

Despite the above, which I’m not sure is meant to be advice or just a lecture 🙄, losing weight and keeping it off is not so easy. Habits are hard to change, and what your body is used to ingesting is hard to change. 
 

I don’t recommend a sudden switch. Cutting over to complete keto overnight can be effective in the short term but it is hard to stay on the wagon. Regardless of how you want to change your diet (lo carb, no carb, Mediterranean, more veggies / less meat, no booze, lo salt, etc….), recommend a timeline with stages, for both intake (diet) and output (exercise), and you will need people close to you to help support you. Or at least not bust your balls too much when you won’t  drink the quad IPA or eat the brownie 🙂. 

Keto can work really well but it can be extremely hard for some people depending on their tastes and dependency on carbs for satiety. If you can’t commit to being all-in on it, the slip ups keep you out of ketosis and you lose the benefits. I’ve never done it for longer than a 30 day cycle at 6 month intervals for this reason. That and my partner gets WAY too crabby about the split cooking as she lives for carbs. Oh and I can’t shake my dogs in the kitchen eating that much cheese and meat. 
 

Satiety is the key thing for getting the weight off from my experience. I’ve lost 58lbs since July 2021 (now 181lb @ 5’10) and tricking myself into feeling full is the key. That and proper exercise to build muscle. I would recommend doing 5x CrossFit per week like I do but like I said earlier in the thread, building muscle will burn more calories at rest and you can achieve this with moderate, sensible lifting.  
 

Replacing rubbish with good protein and knowing how to snack without sabotaging is key. There’s plenty on YouTube and Instagram to get food ideas and calorie tracker apps are great for learning how good/bad a meal or snack is. You don’t need to actually track to get in shape. It’s time consuming and counter productive in my opinion. Just be aware by learning what a meal accounts for in % terms of your daily requirement. 
 

You could also have intolerances that make you bloat and/or gain fat. I have to minimize gluten which SUCKS, but I don’t have the inflated belly when I stay away from it. It’s easy and cheap to get tested for intolerances. 
 

Lastly, it’s not easy to get weight off and you will plateau. Cortisol from stress massively messes with the process and so does irregular or a lack of quality sleep. Stick with it and be the tortoise winning the race rather than the hare burning and dying. I wish you all the best with achieving it as the satellite benefits from getting back in shape via healthy, sustainable methods are huge. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

8 hours ago, DaveMc82 said:

 

Satiety is the key thing for getting the weight off from my experience. I’ve lost 58lbs since July 2021 (now 181lb @ 5’10) and tricking myself into feeling full is the key. That and proper exercise to build muscle. I would recommend doing 5x CrossFit per week like I do but like I said earlier in the thread, building muscle will burn more calories at rest and you can achieve this with moderate, sensible lifting.  
. 

 

I think the exercise bit is one of the hardest for everyone. I personally had a gym membership that was 0.9 mi away from home, worked from home, and had a bunch of flexibility in my schedule due to my job. Guess how often I went to the gym? (If you said "basically never", you win the daily prize!)

 

For me the problem was threefold (not including stretching/flexibility, which I was ignoring completely):

1. Cardio in a gym setting is boring as hell. Mindlessly working away on a treadmill or elliptical, with headphones in and watching the vapid closed-captioned hanging TVs, is soul-crushing.
2. I had no idea what I was doing w/ strength training. I'd do a couple sets on a couple machines, but there was no rhyme or reason to it, because I didn't have a clue. 
3. Motivation. In order to work out, I had to have an hour+ open time, because I need to change into my workout clothes, drive over there, do a little strength and then some cardio, drive home, etc. It's one of those things that if you can't do all of it, it's easy to do none of it. 

The first two are obviously fixed in a Crossfit setting. You have an instructor who is engaging and is doing the class programming so you always know what to do. But it relies on having both the time and motivation to show up, and you've got to fit around *their* schedule, not have the workout fit around your own. 

 

The best exercise anyone can do is the exercise they'll actually do. I would think that Monte might have a motivation issue (as he's all but alluded to), but I think on top of that he's probably got a hectic schedule with lessons and a kid. Add that to traveling for clinics and other golf-related things which would take him away from a Crossfit gym. If he wants to commit to something like Crossfit, that's a great thing. But if it becomes something he's paying for and not using... Not so much. 

 

For me the answer was Peloton. It fixed all three issues:

1. The cardio is engaging. I'll pick classes based on music with instructors I like. They'll program the rides to vary what you're doing and keep talking to keep you mentally involved. Some of them can be entertaining enough that you almost forget you're working hard as hell. 
2. The strength classes are all programmed for you. They are mostly dumbbell-based, so this isn't powerlifting, but you know what to do because you just have to follow the instructor. And this also applies to stretching, which is available. 
3. It's bite-sized and I don't have to leave the house (or if I'm traveling, I can do strength/stretching on the app, and/or take an iPad down to a hotel gym to do something on a bike or treadmill). But from a scheduling perspective, if I have 30 minutes, I can hop on the bike and do a ride. Later in the day, if I've got 20 minutes to do a strength workout, I can do it in a little chunk. If I'm feeling stiff and need a 10 minute stretch, I can do it. I don't need to block out an hour of time to do an hour of working out during the day... I can do each one individually when I have time. 

In the first year, I went from exercising "never" to doing about 220 rides, 150 stretches, and 100 strength (about 80 of those between Feb and today, as I started strength in earnest later). I went from hating to exercise to actually looking forward to it. And I'm feeling better physically than I have in at least 20 years. 

 

People may say "Peloton is expensive" and for their equipment, that's true. But the app is cheap (much cheaper monthly than most gyms and/or things like Crossfit) and gives you access to all their workouts without any capital investment. If you happen to have a bike/treadmill/rowing machine gathering dust (or can buy one cheap online), you can take their cardio classes on your own equipment. And bike/strength/stretching is only a small subset of what they offer, so there's a lot more there. 

 

All of this isn't to advise Monte to go Peloton... Just saying that it's worked for me, and if he has any of the similar problems with his relationship with fitness that I did, that it was a game-changer for me.

 

Alternatively, "golf fitness" is something that could probably be massively improved by hiking. And where we live, there are TONS of amazing hiking trails that will help with the level of cardio endurance and strength that it takes to walk 18 holes. Monte, I'm sure you know the area as well or better than I do as I didn't grow up here, but if you have any questions on good hiking trails in Orange County, let me know... I've done quite a few of them. 

[Soloman1]

Executive Summary

Eat less. Exercise more.

 

Halfway Diet

Eat half of what’s on your plate. Leave the rest.

No special food, lose weight, builds willpower.

No kale or rabbit food.

[dfeldss]

15 hours ago, mshills said:

Despite the above, which I’m not sure is meant to be advice or just a lecture 🙄, losing weight and keeping it off is not so easy. Habits are hard to change, and what your body is used to ingesting is hard to change. 
 

I don’t recommend a sudden switch. Cutting over to complete keto overnight can be effective in the short term but it is hard to stay on the wagon. Regardless of how you want to change your diet (lo carb, no carb, Mediterranean, more veggies / less meat, no booze, lo salt, etc….), recommend a timeline with stages, for both intake (diet) and output (exercise), and you will need people close to you to help support you. Or at least not bust your balls too much when you won’t  drink the quad IPA or eat the brownie 🙂. 

 

I always like to say It's not easy, but it is simple. 

 

You do have to be diligent and put in the effort, but at the most basic level it's cals in/cals out.  If you're not losing weight, you're consuming more than you burn. 

 

I've always had the most success doing incremental changes. ie. start by building some walking or light cardio into your daily routine for a few weeks, then start adding some weight training or running, so on and so forth. If you don't know anything about lifting, hop on a treadmill and observe and/or find a program to follow online. Find some fitness activity that you enjoy doing or can at least see yourself being able to learn to enjoy it.

 

Same goes for diet/nutrition. You'll never to stick to something if you just completely change it up overnight. Not going to pretend i'm some fitness guru, but that's what has always worked for me

 

Do something hard every day. Get some little victories to start adding up. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by dfeldss

[RSinSG]

2 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

Executive Summary

Eat less. Exercise more.

 

Halfway Diet

Eat half of what’s on your plate. Leave the rest.

No special food, lose weight, builds willpower.

No kale or rabbit food.

The science behind weight loss is a very simple one- expend more calories than you consume. All of the differences of opinions and plans come from trying to find the best way to do it. I've never been obese but I've needed to lose 20-30 pounds at several different times after hitting 40 and I've tried many different diets. For me, no "diet" worked long term. (Did you know there is a cabbage soup diet? That one lasted one day.) What has worked was changing my entire mindset. After retiring I had to get more active so I walked instead of rode when playing golf; I spent time tending to my wife's horses; I bought an elliptical and after using it for a clothes rack for 5 years I started small and got to where I am using it 40+ minutes first thing in the AM when I'm not playing golf. The only dietary change I made was to make smaller portions and include vegetables in all meals, cut out all diet soft drinks (bought a Sodastream and just drink fizzy water for my soda fix) and I cut out all unhealthy snacks and sweets. No desserts, no potato chips, no candy etc. 

 

Trying a specific diet for me was not a long term solution. I liken myself to an alcoholic who cannot have just one social drink. One sweet soft drink or handful of cookies sometimes leads to a lost weekend.

[Mike_C]

I've gained and lost weight several times in my adult life, did it different ways.

 

First time was very simple, counted calories, tried to keep it at 2000 or less.  That was almost 40 years ago, lost 35 pounds got down to about 190, then joined a gym and started lifting weights, gained about 5-8 pounds, but took two inches off my waist and put two inches on my chest.  Probably was in the best shape of my life, then got married and it all went down hill.

 

Several years later tried Slimfast diet, worked well to lose weight, until I stopped doing it then it came right back, not a long-term solution.  Gained it all back and then some....

 

About 20 years ago after having some gallbladder issues went on a low fat/max 2000 calorie diet and really started working out.  I was over 260 pounds, got all the say down to 175, which was probably a bit low for me. But more life changes came and it came back, up to 200 again fairly quickly then slowly higher and higher.

 

Fast forward to 2017, again over 260, tried Keto/low carb.  This was the best IMO.   Never felt hungry really, and the pounds just sort of melted off.   Went pretty hard core keto for about six months then stayed on a lower carb diet and it did maintain my weight pretty well.  I got down to around 200 pounds then stayed around 205-210 for a couple years.  

 

Had a big setback October 2020, had a pretty bad heart attack, 99% blockage in the "widow maker" artery, hit me while walking on the golf course.  Luckily was playing with an MD, he talked me into heading right in.   Was in the OR within an hour having stents put it.  Right after the heart attack had to change my diet, don't know if the keto/low carb might have contributed to my heart problems, as it does run in the family.  I did OK weight wise for the first year, but as I went back to eating more carbs I have now gained 15+ pounds back, most of that the past 12 months.   Probably just need to work out more and cut some calories, I think if I could cut bread and potatoes it would do wonders, but they are again my weakness.........

 

 

[vernon]

Bread and potatoes might be worse than ice cream for weight gain since so many people eat them at virtually every meal and in such large quantities.

 

AND they provide zilch nutrition wise.

 

Maybe the ultimate empty calorie food source.

 

I got my brother to give them up for about six months and he lost twenty five pounds without changing anything else.

 

Of course then he started eating them again as his wife kept including them in every meal (she's a lazy fatass) and he gained it all back in about two months.

 

I'll have a burger and fries at Culver's once every two or three weeks but that's about it for my bread and potatoes consumption.

 

I haven't had a soda in probably thirty years, don't eat cookies, candy, ice cream or cake except for at Christmas when I treat myself to cheesecake which is about the only sweet type food that I  tend to crave (although if I ever were to indulge in the others I would eat them until I popped so I just stay away from them).

 

Over time, little changes can make a big difference and are very easily achieved compared to major lifestyle changes but everybody wants a quick fix that usually ends up on the roller coaster ride.

 

Although all that being said if I didn't love beer and bourbon so much I could probably lose twenty pounds sitting at the computer!

 

I guess I kinda choose my weaknesses and then try and work around them as best I can.

 

Nonetheless good luck Monte - I'm sure you have some considerable resources at your disposal if you just make up your mind to take advantage of a couple of them.

[RSinSG]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:15 AM, vernon said:

“she's a lazy fatass”

That’s really funny. Haven’t heard the saying in years.

[golfarb1]

On 7/7/2023 at 8:15 AM, vernon said:

Bread and potatoes might be worse than ice cream for weight gain since so many people eat them at virtually every meal and in such large quantities.

 

AND they provide zilch nutrition wise.

 

Maybe the ultimate empty calorie food source.

 

I got my brother to give them up for about six months and he lost twenty five pounds without changing anything else.

 

Of course then he started eating them again as his wife kept including them in every meal (she's a lazy fatass) and he gained it all back in about two months.

 

I'll have a burger and fries at Culver's once every two or three weeks but that's about it for my bread and potatoes consumption.

 

I haven't had a soda in probably thirty years, don't eat cookies, candy, ice cream or cake except for at Christmas when I treat myself to cheesecake which is about the only sweet type food that I  tend to crave (although if I ever were to indulge in the others I would eat them until I popped so I just stay away from them).

 

Over time, little changes can make a big difference and are very easily achieved compared to major lifestyle changes but everybody wants a quick fix that usually ends up on the roller coaster ride.

 

Although all that being said if I didn't love beer and bourbon so much I could probably lose twenty pounds sitting at the computer!

 

I guess I kinda choose my weaknesses and then try and work around them as best I can.

 

Nonetheless good luck Monte - I'm sure you have some considerable resources at your disposal if you just make up your mind to take advantage of a couple of them.

You are incredibly disciplined !

I do not look upon what I eat as a diet , but something that I will follow the rest of my life . Most regress back to bad habits when the cravings become too high . My solution to this is to give in to my cravings  in small amounts about twice a week  . For example I will share a small chocolate cupcake ( 110 calories each) with my wife . I also eat a small amount of 78% chocolate  every day . 
I will eat a salad as a main course about twice/ week and rarely eat fast food . 

[Nels55]

Burn more calories then you consume:

https://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

[CasualLie]

On 7/3/2023 at 4:44 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

I said it earlier in the thread that I need to stop procrastinating and get in better physical shape.

 

This is a learning experience for me because I say something often and it’s correct.

 

Lack of fitness, strength and flexibility don’t prevent you from making a good swing……..that is absolutely correct and why I haven’t put enough emphasis on it.

 

HOOOOOOOOOWEVER, I also say being more fit, flexible and strong allows you to compensate better for your faults.

 

I am none of those things and under ideal conditions I can hit it as far, and play as well as anyone.  Last week proved that conditions are almost never ideal…and sometimes disastrous.  Because I was physically ill I reverted to decades old problems and was physically unable to overcome it half the time.  
 

The OP will vouch, I hit a bevy of magnificent shots.  I also didn’t hit near enough bad shots to shoot the horrific scores I did, even with the tough conditions, but the bad shots were really bad.
 

You will also notice that I collapsed badly at the end of both rounds.

 

Guess what, if I was 30-40 pounds lighter, more flexible and stronger, I would have been able to over come the physical liability and my bad shots wouldn’t have been as bad and I wouldn’t have collapsed so badly from fatigue.  
 

In other words, being fit and flexible doesn’t prevent you from having a bad swing or swing faults, but it’s like insurance doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but it protects you when they do.

 

PS-my hamstrings and calves hurt so bad…….lol

 

All the good intention / road to hell posts aside, what really matters is your post - you have already taken step one.  Kudos.

 

You are one of the best instructors around and you pretty much got there forging your own path, doing your own research, and dedication.  So you have it in you; you really don't need our advice nor any blueprints.

 

You just need that one catalyst, the one you arrive at yourself.  Maybe it's to play better tournament golf, maybe it's to be an even bigger inspiration to your kids... Maybe it's something else?  Whatever it is, I'm 100% confident you will get there precisely at the moment you decide you really want to be there.  It's that simple.