Golfers as Athletes

[BCowan]

Vijay Singh had a great run in his 40's and I'd bet he would attribute it to working out

[Steve Lang]

  Where's Julius Boros when we need him?


Mr swing easy, hit it hard


https://youtu.be/W3QQZcScbmg

[Peter Pallotta]

Where's Julius Boros when we need him?


Mr swing easy, hit it hard


https://youtu.be/W3QQZcScbmg

Spot on. The golf swing 'works' like no other athletic/sporting motion.
Tiger won because he was Tiger, not because he was built like Tiger..
Oh where have you gone, Julius Boros, a forlon golfer turns his eyes to you...

[BCowan]

Tiger was the 2nd strongest pound for pound athlete at Stanford.  I beg to differ.  He went off the rails later in life.  Rory has had great success since working out.  Trevino spoke highly of Tigers fitness as a big strength. 

[Peter Pallotta]

Ben - maybe you're right but do you remember the Tiger in 1996, winning as a gangly kid long before he put on 30 pounds of muscle? And I'd been hearing about how good Rory was since when he was still 15 on looked like he was subsisting on a bowl of french fries a day. Beng fit is of course a good thing; I'm just suggesting that the modern day hyper focus on training is not only not necessary for the game of golf, but actually counterproductive in the long run. Of course I'm not a doctor, but it's clear to me that Tiger's natural body/frame was never meant to carry so much extra muscle.

[BCowan]

Peter,

   I think Tiger developed a weight lifting sickness, such as a drinker who starts drinking too much.  Supposedly Tiger doesn't really drink, everyone has a vice..  Around 2012-2015 I noticed him getting too big.  I think we agree more then disagree.   

[Ronald Montesano]

Using Watson, Norman and Langer as examples to the contrary of the Doak argument is a poor effort at contradiction.


Tom is describing training regimens of world-class athletes in other sports. Currently, a guy like Jason Day is my next candidate for Tiger syndrome. These are guys built like Hogan (either in height or frame) who want to be bigger, stronger, faster.


Balance and moderation are the keys. I agree with the Tiger sickness. David Duval tried to ramp up his frail frame, admitted that he fell in love with his look, and injured himself as a consequence.


If the guys were to train like the ladies, they would do just fine. The series that Ron Kaspriske does with Belen Mozo on Golf Digest' web site is outstanding.


If you were to ask any old focker out there what element of his youth he most missed, my suspicion is that equilibrium/balance would be the response.

[Jason Thurman]

Brandon Roy is 13 days younger than me, and he was forced out of basketball a few years ago because the physical toil of being a professional athlete was destroying his knees. If he had just been following my workout routine all along, he probably wouldn't have had that problem. If I had followed his, I might not be sitting in an office right now.


Yeah, Tiger worked out really hard and probably shortened his brilliant career. On the other hand, I'd still rather have Tiger's career than Brendon de Jonge's.

[Ben Hollerbach]

 Wide Receivers and Offensive Linemen both play the same game and train in similar manors but they have very different goals they're trying to achieve through their training and focus on such. The same can be said for comparing players pre Tiger and post Tiger. The fact that older guys have been able to embrace fitness as a tool to prolong their career has little to do with how Tiger and the younger generation have taken to fitness training and is not applicable when assessing the comments Tom's rugby friend made.  The focus of the younger players have been on building explosion & power, which when applied to the body during physical activity has the potential to add heightened levels of strain. No only can this contribute to shorter competitive longevity, but I believe we're currently seeing it manifest itself in higher preponderance towards injury. Guys like Jason Day and Rory seem to be struggling with this effect. The professional game has become one where you need to get what you can while you can, because the odds of your career lasting decades upon decades have greatly diminished.

[MCirba]

In reading this thread, I would now concur that I've gotten much too YUGE to be a dominating factor in competitive golf now that I'm approaching 59.   

Believe me, I'm YUGE.   Everybody says so.   Even Ben Cowan noticed. 

[John Kavanaugh]

The professional game has become one where you need to get what you can while you can, because the odds of your career lasting decades upon decades have greatly diminished.

The millennial mission statement no matter what career.

[BCowan]

The professional game has become one where you need to get what you can while you can, because the odds of your career lasting decades upon decades have greatly diminished.

The millennial mission statement no matter what career.

I don't think I agree with you, I don't see many Rake N Runner on the PGA tour.  Lots of rain delays out there

[jeffwarne]

Vijay Singh had a great run in his 40's and I'd bet he would contribute it to working out

or speech therapy...

[BCowan]

Vijay Singh had a great run in his 40's and I'd bet he would contribute it to working out

or speech therapy...

Thanks Grammar Nazi, I attribute this post to you 

[Steve Lang]

   Where's Ernie Els today, other than family business, i thought he had a swing for longevity, but perhaps not the putter?

[Thomas Dai]

  Where's Ernie Els today, other than family business, i thought he had a swing for longevity, but perhaps not the putter?

Knackered his knee at one stage and needed some ops as I recall.


Good initial post and topic though. Players not being able to play due to injuries didn't seem to happen decades ago, or maybe we just didn't get to hear of it?
Atb

[Jerry Kluger]

Tiger was unique as he was intent on building up his body and he considered joining the military to continue his pursuit of being bigger and stronger and leave behind his golf career.  Professional golfers certainly work on strength but their primary concern is flexibility and stamina since the game is geared to clubhead speed and staying strong and focused during incredibly long and insufferable rounds of golf. 

[Ira Fishman]

This may sound like a stretch, but other than the ego factor of wanting to look like Tiger and be in the Top 10 in driving distance, the shortcomings of modern golf course architecture explain a lot because those shortcomings create an economic incentive for younger players to "over invest" in exercise routines that may (or may not) produce more distance in the short term but are likely to lead to stress on one's body that is long term detrimental. Bombing it off the tee is the smart play to maximize earnings because virtually all modern courses reward it and virtually all tournament courses are set up to do the same.  This particularly is true in the US where wind is seldom a big factor so hitting it high and far carries low risk and big reward.


Touring pros are already world class athletes (ask any pro in another sport how difficult they think golf is). The concept of regimented exercise and nutrition, however, is relatively new compared to other sports. One can hope that as players see more data and have more experience with the pros and cons of particular exercise regimes that they will do what has happened in other sports--design approaches that are best suited to their bodies, swing, avoidance of injury, and longevity.

[Carl Rogers]

I am surprised that Sam Snead has not been mentioned.  Incredibly long career.  Did he do anything special conditioning wise?

[John McCarthy]

If Gary Player can submit an amicus, on motion Bob Murphy would like to address the court:.


http://www.tourtalent.com/Images/BM%202011%20Champions%20Tour%201.jpg


Backs are all different.  Fat guys destroy their backs, thin guys destroy their backs.  Smoking really does not help. 


Rolling back the ball so 4 mph on the high end does not matter so much would help the game.

[Garland Bayley]

If Gary Player can submit an amicus, on motion Bob Murphy would like to address the court:.


http://www.tourtalent.com/Images/BM%202011%20Champions%20Tour%201.jpg


Backs are all different.  Fat guys destroy their backs, thin guys destroy their backs.  Smoking really does not help. 


Rolling back the ball so 4 mph on the high end does not matter so much would help the game.

Gary Player demonstrates that wise conditioning can extend a career IMO. Tiger demonstrates that stupid conditioning can shorten a career IMO.

Put the spin back into the ball. Make the players play with finesse, not with brute strength. Young kids now compete, because they have strength without the required finesse of the by gone era, IMO.

[Steve Lang]

I am surprised that Sam Snead has not been mentioned.  Incredibly long career.  Did he do anything special conditioning wise?

Carl,


I believe smooth swinging Sammy Snead  was very flexible and I remember a tale that he'd kick his feet up above his head and try to touch top of a door frame... I'd bet on good genes and coordination at play with him.

[Jim Nugent]

Tiger was the 2nd strongest pound for pound athlete at Stanford.   

Can you give me some proof of that? 

[jeffwarne]

Tiger was the 2nd strongest pound for pound athlete at Stanford.   

Can you give me some proof of that?

320 yard drives with a balata ball and 43 inch metal driver

[BCowan]

Tiger was the 2nd strongest pound for pound athlete at Stanford.   

Can you give me some proof of that?

Jim,  I have this for now,   ''

Stanford's former weight-room supervisor told golf coach Wally
Goodwin that ``pound for pound, Tiger's one of the strongest
athletes on campus.''

http://www.si.com/vault/1995/03/27/8093046/goodness-gracious-hes-a-great-ball-of-fire-only-19-amateur-sensation-tiger-woods-has-the-golf-world-shaking-its-head-in-awe