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Radiman's Ramblings. My Life, My Game, and My Grandaddy Prep

KEV;n8898280 said:
Dude, that stretch of cold between the end of September/October until the event was brutal! I completely feel for you, all I wanted to do was be outside somewhere practicing. Luckily we have simulators in town that allowed me to at least get some swings in but I'm similar to you in that they sometimes goof my swing up. I will say that I spent a ton of time practice putting and I think it really helped during the event and even this whole season.
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I may have to go in for a session just to make contact with a full swing leading up to the event. I developed some really bad habits that I'm still not completely free from this past winter. Adjusted my swing to maximize my score in the simulator for our league and paid the price once the snow melted.
 
So, I am adding a new aspect to my "prep" work. Not that I feel this necessary to compete and have a blast at the Grandaddy. But, I am more using the Grandaddy as the extra kick in the pants to get going on something I have been putting off. My new additional goal is to drop 15-20lbs by the event. Will be doing this by logging and tracking what I eat in addition to getting my rear end back in the gym. Plan is to go 4-5 days a week with a combo of strength training and cardio. Now that my daughter is back in school I don't have to go home every day at lunch. So, I will be hitting the closest Anytime Fitness for about 45 minutes a day.

It's been a few months since I have lifted and I am not looking forward to the soreness I will undoubtedly endure starting up again. I went in today and planned on jogging but after a mile, my lower back (arthritis) was not liking the impact nor was my foot (also arthritis). Switched over to a bike and went another 6 miles. Legs are a little wobbly but I feel pretty good about finally getting back in there.

I will try to plan the lifting around what little golf I have left this year. Playing tomorrow so I will probably start lifting on Friday. It really helps to have something to drive me. Again, not doing this specifically for the Grandaddy, but using it as motivation has really kicked me into gear.
 
The grandaddy is a great motivator to just improve yourself in general. Thanks for the updates my man!
 
Man oh man. My body was not ready to get back into an exercise routine. A little slow and stiff today. My back (which is historically an issue) is kind of sore. I went in again today and hit the bike for 30 minutes just to loosen up my legs for tonights league play. Feeling pretty good.

On a side note, I picked up a dozen CSX TT to give the alignment tech another try. McLovin swears by it. So, I figured I would give it one last shot before the season wraps up.
 
I'm trying out the TT as well (just on the ERC). I'm intrigued.
 
radiman;n8899995 said:
Man oh man. My body was not ready to get back into an exercise routine. A little slow and stiff today. My back (which is historically an issue) is kind of sore. I went in again today and hit the bike for 30 minutes just to loosen up my legs for tonights league play. Feeling pretty good.

On a side note, I picked up a dozen CSX TT to give the alignment tech another try. McLovin swears by it. So, I figured I would give it one last shot before the season wraps up.
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fun convo last night among the group about triple track, and also performance of csxtt vs cs vs erc. maybe we should post a question in the thp championship thread and get JasonFinleyCG to clear up some of our confusion?
 
Week 2 of motivating my out of shape butt to go to the gym began yesterday. Eased into some leg work. A little sore. But, not quite as bad as I was expecting. Going again at lunch today. Starting to feel like I have some more energy now and just a better overall mood.

As far as eating better, the first week sucked. Already feeling like I am getting more used to limiting my portions. Cutting down on carbs too which is always tough when the staples I was raised on was bread and potatoes. At least I can still eat red meat :)
 
As someone who is currently plagued with back issues (herniated and bulging discs), I am interested in following along with your ramblings regarding your workouts.
 
Bernoulli;n8904905 said:
As someone who is currently plagued with back issues (herniated and bulging discs), I am interested in following along with your ramblings regarding your workouts.
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My biggest benefit so far has been seeing a quality chiro. I went the medical route and ended up getting cortisone and a radio frequency ablation on my facet joints. Neither of those helped for more than couple weeks. What I learned with the chiro is that the discs need compression to get fluids. Without meaningful motion and compression on the disc, it would not heal. I still need to be careful in what I do. But, the best thing for me was more exercise and movement, not nursing it and avoiding any pressure on it.

I had one disc, and it sounds like you have a few. Mine is the L5 S1 disc. My recommendation would be to find a professional that you are comfortable with. Don't be afraid to say, "this isn't working." It may mean bouncing around a bit. Just know that it can get better if you are willing to put the work in.

I am light years ahead of where I was this time last year. Very little restriction. As my chiro said, I am probably at 95% about 95% of the time. I still have a bad day here and there. But, it is far from a debilitating issue anymore.
 
I have been dealing with back issues for more than 15 years. Last year, I made it through golf season without any problems. This year I was not fortunate. I took 7 weeks off in July and August and I recently decided to shut it down for the year. And golf didn't cause the pain. In July, I reached down to grab a pair of pants that were hung on a hanger on a doorknob and my back acted up to the point where I was crooked for around a week straight. I wear a tie to work and it pointed at my left foot. Since returning to golf in mid August, I played 3 nine hole rounds. During the last round, my back started to bother me again.

The one big difference between last year and this year was that I worked out and stretched through the winter of 2017-2018. This last winter I didn't. I'm planning on resuming workouts once I am able.

Thanks for responding back (no pun intended).
 
It's been too crappy out to golf lately. That trend looks to continue on to tomorrow so I doubt I'll be playing my usual Thursday 9. High of 59 and a 90% chance of rain.

So, more of a life post tonight. My two daughters both tried out for a play. My oldest had been in them before so it's no big deal for her. But, my youngest is so shy and timid Having her ask if she could try out too was a shock. She's stepping out of her comfort zone and growing up a little bit more each day. With no plans of adding to the family, she's our baby. My last anchor into my youth. Admitting that she's getting big is admitting that I'm getting older too. Proud as a parent that she took this big step.

Also, just sold their play set from the back yard. They've outgrown it. Ugh, time is flying by.
 
radiman ;n8906296 said:
Proud as a parent that she took this big step.
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I love seeing the times when they totally surprise you with what they want to get involved in.
 
Alright. One of the last times out for the season more than likely. Thought I'd take the opportunity to do something I've been meaning to so for a while.

Come join me for hole #9, blue tees, at my home course.

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I've been lifting the last few weeks so I'm pretty stiff and feel kind of limited in my motions. But, the other side of the equation is that it's cool, I'm sore and stiff, but I'm not losing distance.

 
Love it, Mike. It’s nice to hear your thoughts, real time.
 
Fall is officially upon us. That means my golfing opportunities are severely limited due to available daylight and weather. Had a tournament scheduled for yesterday. A two man best ball. I was excited just to get out. This same tournament marked my last round of the year last season. Well, it was about 50 degrees with a 15-20mph wind and a forecast of rain. It wasn't raining in the morning so I decided to make my way to the course and see what the turnout was. Turns out there was no one there. I walked in and the pro said looks like the tourney wasn't going to happen. They were predicting a pretty solid rain all day throughout the week. Turns out it didn't rain until about 4pm. A few more groups meandered in and we decided to do a little money game.

I remember why I don't like playing in cold weather. Lol, it was a bit of a dumpster fire playing in all of those layers. Back never really loosened up. But, I came upon a realization part way through the round. The pro mentioned something about my stance being open at address. Not by much, but none the less, my shoulders were open to my target line. Light bulb moment. That would explain a lot of the issues I have had throughout the year. I started putting myself in a position that felt closed at address. Had my buddy eyeball it for me and he said it was lined up dead straight. The backswing felt a lot more on plane and I didn't have to manipulate the club to get into position in the downswing. Last night, I got out the old orange whip and swung drivers in my living room. Felt so more fluid through the impact zone. Felt like a better turn.

So, I have this epiphany just in time for the season to end and not really get a chance to prove the concept. A little disheartened that my season is almost over, I was researching a sports facility in town. Turns out they have partnered with an area pro and he give lessons throughout the winter. Uses video and LM data. Contacted him and we are going to work out a series of lessons throughout the month of November to keep me in golf shape and make sure my fundamentals are sound. Grandaddy aside, I have been wanting to do something like this for some time. I have taken lessons from our pro at my home course a couple of times. But, he is old school. No tech utilized. Just the old fashioned eyeball test. In fact I had a lesson earlier this season when things were at their worst and he said nothing to me about my alignment. In his defense, I told him about some pretty specific issues that he was trying to address.

So, long story short. My season is fizzling fast, but I have some golf related stuff to look forward to in the months leading up to the greatest amateur event in golf!
 
radiman said:
So, I have this epiphany just in time for the season to end and not really get a chance to prove the concept. A little disheartened that my season is almost over, I was researching a sports facility in town. Turns out they have partnered with an area pro and he give lessons throughout the winter. Uses video and LM data. Contacted him and we are going to work out a series of lessons throughout the month of November to keep me in golf shape and make sure my fundamentals are sound. Grandaddy aside, I have been wanting to do something like this for some time. I have taken lessons from our pro at my home course a couple of times. But, he is old school. No tech utilized. Just the old fashioned eyeball test. In fact I had a lesson earlier this season when things were at their worst and he said nothing to me about my alignment. In his defense, I told him about some pretty specific issues that he was trying to address.

So, long story short. My season is fizzling fast, but I have some golf related stuff to look forward to in the months leading up to the greatest amateur event in golf!
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Love the enthusiasm. BTW, I enjoyed virtually playing a hole with you. Chuckled with the phone/camera tilted. That would totally happen to me. Anyway, I am piggybacking on you GD players to stay motivated to keep the game going this winter. I have had a great couple of months and don't want to lose the momentum. IJust hearing what you are doing with indoor lessons gives me a good dose of "right on." Just added a to-do item to call the Titleist tech guy/pga teaching pro I met a few weeks back. He has a Trackman and an indoor hitting area.

Ps. You guys are going to win this one. You got this.
 
Haven't seen the sun in Fargo in something like 8 or 9 days. It has been cold and raining forever. So, no golf updates to be had at the moment.

But, I continue to try and lose some weight and get stronger. I lost like 6 pounds in a hurry the first couple of weeks and now I am kind of stalled out. I was getting a little discouraged. But, just telling myself that what the scale says doesn't matter. Do I feel stronger? Yes. Do I feel more energetic? Yes. So, I continue to plod along. I weighed myself this morning and no surprise to find that I am the same weight that I have been for the last two weeks. But, I notice something once I get to work. My pants are struggling to stay up. I am having to pull them up constantly. I have pictures that I am using to compare my body from the start to now. I will spare you from seeing those :) But, I am most definitely slimming down. Things are going well.

So, I will continue working out, eating right and swinging clubs when I get a chance. Granted I am not hitting balls, but the swing is feeling powerful. I actually had to add about 9 grams of weight to my driver head to get a better feel for it. I am hoping to get it in play. That thing is going to be a hammer.
 
Whoa....9g! Our weather here in NY is starting to turn cold too. Not looking forward to it.

Good stuff on the working out, eating healthy....I need to follow your lead there.
 
Well, had a pretty good day off yesterday. Knowing that we were going to hit 70 degrees for probably the last time this year, I decided that it would be prudent to take off of work and try to get some golf in. I stopped in to hit a bucket of balls on Monday night and mentioned to the pro that I was not working to play some golf. He told me that I was going to play with him at 8:30 then. At 8:30 and in the 40's with 15-20mph wind, it was not my idea of taking advantage of the warm weather. Had 3 shirts on couldn't loosen up until the second nine. Kind of played like garbage on the front with a couple of doubles but managed a 42. Made the turn and the sun started to warm us up and I was able to shed a layer. Finished the back with a 39 to post an 81.

Hanging out in the clubhouse for a bit with nothing else going on. Decided to jump in a cart and get around the course as fast as I could before going home to do some yard work. Played a lot better this time with an even par 36 on the front and another 39 on the back. Hit the ball pretty well off the tee. But, my bread and butter yesterday was this nicely flighted trap draw that I was hitting into the wind with my irons. Putting was meh, but not terrible.

All in all, I feel like yesterday was a proper send off of the season. Snow in the forecast this week. Highs in the 30's. Time to shift into golf swing maintenance mode.

As a bonus, we got the last team THP member announced yesterday. So, I am just beyond excited to see this shift into planning mode. Arrangements will be made and it will get even more real.
 
radiman said:
Well, had a pretty good day off yesterday. Knowing that we were going to hit 70 degrees for probably the last time this year, I decided that it would be prudent to take off of work and try to get some golf in. I stopped in to hit a bucket of balls on Monday night and mentioned to the pro that I was not working to play some golf. He told me that I was going to play with him at 8:30 then. At 8:30 and in the 40's with 15-20mph wind, it was not my idea of taking advantage of the warm weather. Had 3 shirts on couldn't loosen up until the second nine. Kind of played like garbage on the front with a couple of doubles but managed a 42. Made the turn and the sun started to warm us up and I was able to shed a layer. Finished the back with a 39 to post an 81.

Hanging out in the clubhouse for a bit with nothing else going on. Decided to jump in a cart and get around the course as fast as I could before going home to do some yard work. Played a lot better this time with an even par 36 on the front and another 39 on the back. Hit the ball pretty well off the tee. But, my bread and butter yesterday was this nicely flighted trap draw that I was hitting into the wind with my irons. Putting was meh, but not terrible.

All in all, I feel like yesterday was a proper send off of the season. Snow in the forecast this week. Highs in the 30's. Time to shift into golf swing maintenance mode.

As a bonus, we got the last team THP member announced yesterday. So, I am just beyond excited to see this shift into planning mode. Arrangements will be made and it will get even more real.
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Always prudent to take a day off for golf! Ha!
 
10:30pm isn't my ideal time to be doing this. But, hey, gotta keep on it.

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Tonight's playlist
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Soooo, hit a little bit of a set back this past Saturday night. For those that may not know, I have a troublesome disc (L5-S1). It has been pretty much under control all summer. My back has been as good as it's been in years. I noticed a few instances where I got sore back there. But, since it seemed to go away pretty quickly, I didn't think anything of it.

Saturday night, I was at the gym doing some leg work. Barbell squats were going really well. I was able to push some decent weight for me. I was finishing up the last lift on my second to last set. Was almost completely upright when I felt a tweak. Put the weight back up and could tell something wasn't right. It didn't hurt right away. But, I could feel it gradually getting more and more pressure. Did some stretching and went home. Sunday morning saw me not being able to stand completely upright. Did the ice/heat rotation and went into the walk in clinic in the hopes that I could get a taper of Prednisone prescribed as I have in the past. I got the scrip and have been trying to manage it ever since.

I am on day 3 of the taper and I can feel things are improving. But, not as fast as they have in the past. So, my prep work has shifted from gym work and trying to clean up my swing to now just trying to rehab my back again. Have a chiro appointment for tomorrow and hope this can get resolved soon enough for me to start swinging a club again. If there was any golf left in the season, it is out the window for me at this point.

I have almost two months to get this under control, so I am not too concerned that my back will be an issue at the event. It has just caused me to shift my focus a little bit. I am still hoping to get to the point where I can work with an instructor indoors and get some LM data on my swing. Time will tell.
 
Back is feeling pretty good. I'd say 80% if I had to assign a value. Went to the gym for the first time since my incident last Saturday.

Barbell squats are out. Too risky because apparently my form is too sloppy. Don't want to take chances. Goblet squats are replacing them. Which is fine as it seems to work my core more anyways. Eased in some trap bar deadlifts which felt amazing.

Shifting gears to do more of this lower impact leg stuff more often. Going to shoot for 3 times a week of this with some cardio and 1 day of pushing and 1 day of pulling in there.

Back on track baby! Had a call with an instructor this past week. Going to get in for a swing analysis with gcquad and kvest. Get some much needed numbers on my current launch conditions as well as a few things that could save my back some stress while golfing. No wholesale changes. This will be a first for me. Even more excited that I can fit it in before the event.
 
radiman said:
Back is feeling pretty good. I'd say 80% if I had to assign a value. Went to the gym for the first time since my incident last Saturday.

Barbell squats are out. Too risky because apparently my form is too sloppy. Don't want to take chances. Goblet squats are replacing them. Which is fine as it seems to work my core more anyways. Eased in some trap bar deadlifts which felt amazing.

Shifting gears to do more of this lower impact leg stuff more often. Going to shoot for 3 times a week of this with some cardio and 1 day of pushing and 1 day of pulling in there.

Back on track baby! Had a call with an instructor this past week. Going to get in for a swing analysis with gcquad and kvest. Get some much needed numbers on my current launch conditions as well as a few things that could save my back some stress while golfing. No wholesale changes. This will be a first for me. Even more excited that I can fit it in before the event.
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Good stuff! Keep it easy and simple with your back. Looking forward to hearing about your numbers.
 
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