Can fat people swing properly?

[scotee]

As a plus sized golf model my swing theory has always been turn the mass. If I could figure a way to complicate it more than that maybe I could write a book or sell a video

[Krt22]

[quote name='oiler45' timestamp='1410656401' post='10113475']
My wife is just over 5'1" and weighs 105 lbs. dripping wet. She has a great swing and can hit the ball 175 - 185 yards.
You wanna know when she played her best and hit the ball the farthest? When she was 7 months pregnant! Her belly looked like a pylon - it was weird.
We got paired up with an older gent at Port Ludlow in Washington years ago - the old dude asked me "You sure she can play golf like that?"
She then stepped up to the women's tee and bashed one about 225 yards - he just about fell down with surprise!

She wasn't "fat" - but yeah people with big bellies can play golf.
[/quote]

Built in chuck martin smart ball, nice!

[Gen2]

I have my first golf lesson, (first time ever even holding a club) this coming Friday. I will let you know if fat people can golf. I am a chesty 175 pound female.

[Sannguine]

Obviously all shapes and sizes can golf to all sorts of degrees of success. With that being said from personal experience playing golf between 200-335lbs the bigger I got the more difficult it was to fight a slice. When I was lighter it was much easier to get in to out and at 335 almost impossible without very strange setups. Needless to say the general unhealthy and inactive lifestyle that leads to 335 pounds caused a massive drop off in yardage. At a decent shape 200 I could drive 320 on a good one at 335 I would be lucky to hit 270. YMMV of course. 

[Mych]

I don't have as much belly as most guys my size, but I'm built like a fire hydrant. 6'0", 48L coat size, 40" waist, XXL shirt with a  19.5" collar. Pretty broad in the shoulders/chest/back, and have always been thicker than most in the butt/legs. 

 

My chest and shoulders are really the place where I find a lot of "normal" instruction not working for me. The "V" of my arms is a much broader V. I've noticed that it's difficult to start with a neutral grip and get to the transition point with the clubface in a neutral position. There's something about the angle from my shoulders to the hands at address that doesn't translate well to other positions in the swing. I spend quite a bit of time watching videos of John Rahm since his reduced hip turn and shorter backswing seems to accommodate some of the body limitations I've experienced. 

[Barfolomew]

6'1" 280lbs Fatso reppin the chunkies, we can play a little.  Playin today w/ the boys for free sushi dinner tonight..... all the sushi 🐟🐠 I'm paired with a skinny dude vs another fat and skinny dude... so its all even.  We dont wanna be seen as non-equal opportunity fatsos and get cancelled by some on course Karens or something 🦃

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Barfolomew

[mikpga]

Yes…

[kwcsports]

I can, haha.

[jonsnow]

2 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

6'1" 280lbs Fatso reppin the chunkies, we can play a little.  Playin today w/ the boys for free sushi dinner tonight..... all the sushi 🐟🐠 I'm paired with a skinny dude vs another fat and skinny dude... so its all even.  We dont wanna be seen as non-equal opportunity fatsos and get cancelled by some on course Karens or something 🦃

 

 

I would never guess you weigh 280. I would have guessed 240-250 max. Our builds are similar, you are a little thicker through the chest & I've got a more prominent belly. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by jonsnow

[chigolfer1]

If it makes anyone feel better, I'm "skinny" and can't swing properly either.  😂

[Wham49]

as a fat person I would say that athletic, coordinated, good balanced, people; whether fat, short, tall,  skinny can swing the club and find a swing that works for them , thus a proper swing

 

Im 6-4 335 and I swing well, not flat; upright and dynamic

[rd1959]

On 9/11/2014 at 3:38 PM, highscoreinky said:

Can a skinny person swing improperly?

All the time

[tatertot]

Obviously John Daly figured something out.

[Zitlow]

Before I started the P90 workout program I was a 140lb weakling and couldn't hit the ball anywhere, after the P90 workout program I'm a 190lb weakling and still can't hit the ball anywhere. 

[rgk5]

Someone should ask Colt Knost or Craig Stadler.

[phizzy30]

JD is a good example.  He's borderline obese right now and still plays on the Champions Tour.  I have a client who's 6'2, 280.  He's not long by any means but he's an 8 cap.  Strong as an ox, but lacks flexibility and balance which we're working on. 

[Rapidcat]

Depends on how strict the club is on who they let in.

[bigmacdog]

The key for the big belly player is this:  You must have enough clearance in the downswing so that the trail elbow does not run into the belly while entering the impact zone. 

 

Why?  Because if the elbow hits the abdomen, the release happens too early - ball exits stage left. 

 

Having that sort of physique, I found it very helpful to find impact with a cleared trail elbow in a preview.  (In other words setup in impact) Then swing back to half, then 3/4, then full swing and swing back to that impact position.  It trains you to   feel the posture and motion needed to get to that impact position.  

 

It turned out I had to place my trail elbow sort of on top of by abdomen and take a more bent over address posture to get the arm clearance. 

 

If I setup with the Trail elbow behind the abdomen, then that's where it would return in the swing and presto, chango, el-hoooko!

 

One side benefit of putting the trail elbow on top of the abdomen at address is that it is a perfect place to chip and short pitch from.  It forces the short swing to have arm swing and body swing coordinated.  (Thank you Kevin Kisner, you are a gosh darn genius!)

 

All the guys who have a big belly can now breathe easier and play much better with this advice.  It is guaranteed foolproof. 

 

You're welcome.

 

Big Mac Dog

 

 

 

 

[Zitlow]

Don't know if Babe Ruth would be considered fat but he could hit a golf ball a long way. 

[Jeselnik]

Fat Perez, warning alcohol and stupidity.

 

JNIK

Edited March 1, 2023 by Jeselnik

[iacas]

One of my players is a 425-pound, 6'3" golfer. Won a city title, a conference championship, a few other college events… spent some time as a +2 while working full-time.

 

So… I'm going to have to say "yes."

[bigmacdog]

iacas, can you post video of his swing please?  I can learn from him. 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, bigmacdog said:

iacas, can you post video of his swing please?  I can learn from him. 

 

I checked with him, and he said sure.

 

 

7I clubhead speed is around 91 MPH. Driver 115.

 

These are older swings that neither of us love, but they're "okay."

[jonsnow]

36 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

I checked with him, and he said sure.

 

 

7I clubhead speed is around 91 MPH. Driver 115.

 

These are older swings that neither of us love, but they're "okay."

Wow! That's a pretty impressive display of athleticism to be able to make a move like that at his size.

[MPStrat]

Another big man - Canadian tour player Tom McLaughlin

 

 

 

 

[tthomasgolfer605]

Of course. 

[tthomasgolfer605]

28 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

Wow! That's a pretty impressive display of athleticism to be able to make a move like that at his size.

His crack angle should be perpendicular to the shaft plane. 

[iacas]

31 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

Wow! That's a pretty impressive display of athleticism to be able to make a move like that at his size.

 

Yep. He played hockey at a decently high level as well. Talented fella.

[tthomasgolfer605]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

 

I checked with him, and he said sure.

 

 

7I clubhead speed is around 91 MPH. Driver 115.

 

These are older swings that neither of us love, but they're "okay."

Does he know his butt crack is on youtube for all to see? Mercy.

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, tthomasgolfer605 said:

Does he know his butt crack is on youtube for all to see? Mercy.

 

As I said…

 

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I checked with him, and he said sure.

 

He is who he is and he's comfortable with it. More so than most people, IMO.

 

You're the one who seems to be obsessed with it. 😉😄

Edited March 1, 2023 by iacas