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Shane Lowry - 2019 Champion Golfer of The Year (note first post please for posting guidance)

Trampas

With Shane going to be starting his first full year on the tour what does he need to do to make him a better golfer?

I see he is 121st in scrambling so I guess his short game needs a touch up.

I say fitness is a key also.

Thankfully he has exemptions which should take some pressure of his game to allow his improve areas of his game he feels need strengthening.

MOD EDIT: Zero discussions around Shane's weight or body shape, any such posts will result in warnings, thank you

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slave1

Up to 57 in the official world rankings, cmon Shane a few more and ironically you'll be off to the states

Speak Now

slave1 wrote: »

Up to 57 in the official world rankings, cmon Shane a few more and ironically you'll be off to the states

This day last year he was 212

nice rise.

Bluefoam

slave1 wrote: »

Up to 57 in the official world rankings, cmon Shane a few more and ironically you'll be off to the states

I fail to see the irony...?

tippman26

How long is it since harrington wasn't the south's highest ranked golfer?

[Deleted User]

Bluefoam wrote: »

I fail to see the irony...?

think he means skipping the pga q school so if you get into top 50 you can play pga events anyways.

rrpc

ForeRight wrote: »

I've no doubt shane would be a slightly better player if he was fitter.

Standing still taking shots means athletic ability is not required but after a 4-5 hour walk fitness would and does in no doubt play a part. As the body gets tired the mind gets tired. When the mind gets tired the odd mistake might be made.

Concentration level might drop which is so punishing at the top level.

He is doing fantastic though so let's just congratulate him for that.

Rory was a bit of a pudding when he arrived on scene first. He is in good shape now. Has this helped his game???

Impossible to know.

A number of things come in to play with levels of fitness. Those who say a golfer's heart beat will be close to rest levels are kidding themselves. Ask Martin Kaymer what his heart rate was when he took that putt for the Ryder Cup. This is the most draining part of top level sport; the concentration levels and stress levels are extremely high. I remember seeing a video of Olympic air pistol shooters (just standing there with an air pistol, no real exertion

) and their heart rates went up to 140 as they were taking their shots. The best guy's heart rate went to 120.

Rory McIlroy has started doing weight sessions and he's attributing that to greater distance and accuracy off the tee.

RikkFlair

tippman26 wrote: »

How long is it since harrington wasn't the south's highest ranked golfer?

Not sure but my guess is around 1996/97 when maybe Philip Walton/Paul McGinley might have been higher.

Speak Now

glasso wrote: »

think he means skipping the pga q school so if you get into top 50 you can play pga events anyways.

Is that correct about playing PGA events?
All i can see it guarantees is all the majors and 3 of the WGC events.

Speak Now

tippman26 wrote: »

How long is it since harrington wasn't the south's highest ranked golfer?

McGinley 1996 but it might have chopped and changed outside the top 100 before Harrington really took off around 1999.

At the end of 1998 Clarke was the only Irishman in the top 100.

This year we've had 6 different Irishmen in top 100 (Only 4 currently).

Jimdagym

tippman26 wrote: »

How long is it since harrington wasn't the south's highest ranked golfer?

@IrishGolfDesk: After forensic examination, Harrington was top Rep of Ireland pro for 13y 6m & 4d. Could have been 15y 3m 9d but McGinley had 1wk in Apr 99.

GreeBo

Mungoman wrote: »

Sure, his body weight is probably a bit above what it should be (if he wanted to excel as a runner or a swimmer).

Is there any evidence that ultra lean golfers shoot better scores ?

In golf, a player is just standing up when addressing a ball, his heart beat would never go above 70 or 80 during a round. Being thin might not be a huge advantage.

He doesnt need to be like Nicholas Roche or Alistair Cragg in the Body Mass Index stakes.

Whatever formula he has at the moment is paying dividends, his progression as a pro is really good.

is there any evidence that golf is the one sport where being overweight is a good thing?

arguing that golf is not an athletic sport is silly.

I'm almost positive there is a middle ground between ultra lean and seriously overweight.
before morbid obesity became acceptable Lowry would have been considered very overweight, now he isn't for some reason.
i doubt the man knows what colour his shoes are. with his natural talent he should slim down, build up his core and give himself a chance at being the best he can be. no reason why he couldn't be challenging Rory every week, he has the skills.

cornerboy

GreeBo wrote: »

Again I disagree, how can you say that he wouldnt have performed better if he was fitter and carrying less weight? Maybe he would have won today and won by more last time?
I'd be pretty sure that, if asked, his preference would not be to be overweight.

The guy has lost 2 to 3 stones since turning Pro.....he's a heavy lad he's not going to turn into twiggy overnight.

Su Campu

cornerboy wrote: »

The guy has lost 2 to 3 stones since turning Pro.....he's a heavy lad he's not going to turn into twiggy overnight.

Could you imagine what size he'd be if he wasn't playing golf!

Neeson

MungoMan wrote: »

He doesnt need to be like Nicholas Roche or Alistair Cragg in the Body Mass Index stakes.

Whatever formula he has at the moment is paying dividends, his progression as a pro is really good.

I wouldn't bother about BMI's. Sure wouldn't most rugby players be morbidly obese if you were to go on that. It's more to do with the amount of unhealthy fats he's taking in and the layers packed around his vital organs.

Goldenjohn

Jerry Seinfeld wrote: »

Is that correct about playing PGA events?
All i can see it guarantees is all the majors and 3 of the WGC events.

He gets into all the WBC and majors if he is in top 50, from these entries he has to finish in the top 115 or 125 on the money list to get a full PGA card.

Goldenjohn

cornerboy wrote: »

The guy has lost 2 to 3 stones since turning Pro.....he's a heavy lad he's not going to turn into twiggy overnight.

He did a Petterson on it...lost stones in weight, found it didn't suit him or his game and went back to been overweight...if you look at his Irish open win he was thinner then than he is now.

Jaysoose

Goldenjohn wrote: »

He did a Petterson on it...lost stones in weight, found it didn't suit him or his game and went back to been overweight...if you look at his Irish open win he was thinner then than he is now.

So carrying an extra 4-5 stone around is conducive to his good play?

pull the other one.

cornerboy

Goldenjohn wrote: »

He did a Petterson on it...lost stones in weight, found it didn't suit him or his game and went back to been overweight...if you look at his Irish open win he was thinner then than he is now.

No he wasnt....he was 2-3 stones heavier when he won the Irish Open.
He's probably still overweight but he looks more comfortable on the course. I guess if his management felt he would benefit from further weight loss in the immediate future they would guide him in that direction. He is in a rich vein of form so nobody's going to do anything to upset that. You will find that further weight loss will be a more gradual process for our Shane.

Neeson

Alonets wrote: »

Someone answer me here please! [/URL]
Thank you!

Anytime these sort of things are posted just hover over it to see that it's not a board.ie page but some other sh1te.

GreeBo

Neeson wrote: »

Anytime these sort of things are posted just hover over it to see that it's not a board.ie page but some other sh1te.

Please do not quote these posts.
Report them and mods will deal with them.

heavyballs

Jaysoose wrote: »

So carrying an extra 4-5 stone around is conducive to his good play?

pull the other one.

I think 4-5 stone is a bit of an exaggeration but the point re Petterson was that he felt when he lost weight he struggled with his swing due to weight transfer etc.

abff

This thread seems to have been (almost) totally taken over by a discussion of Shane's weight. There have been lots of opinions expressed by various posters, many of then presented as incontrovertible facts.

I would tend to agree with the assertion that being fitter would help a golfer to keep his form towards the end of a long tournament, particularly if playing in extreme weather conditions. However, it does not necessarily follow that Shane would play better golf if he lost weight. I think it's a bit presumptuous to think that we know better than he does what's best for him, well meaning as the advice undoubtedly is.

I think it would be great if this discussion went back to celebrating how well he has been performing of late.

ssbob

abff wrote: »

I think it would be great if this discussion went back to celebrating how well he has been performing of late.

While I agree with you in most of what you are saying, this is an open forum for people to discuss there opinions and if their opinion is that Shane is overweight then they are entitled to make that opinion.

My opinion however is that he is a truly gifted golfer that can produce shots that you don't see on the PGA Tour, this is simply because he grew up playing in the wind. If he does get on the PGA Tour for a couple of events, I expect him to do well and the Americans will love him as he is a "Pin Seeker" and has a great attitude about him!

I remember how excited those 30,000 people were on that infamous day in Baltray, was there myself and it was great for Irish Sport!

Jaysoose

ssbob wrote: »

While I agree with you in most of what you are saying, this is an open forum for people to discuss there opinions and if their opinion is that Shane is overweight then they are entitled to make that opinion.

My opinion however is that he is a truly gifted golfer that can produce shots that you don't see on the PGA Tour, this is simply because he grew up playing in the wind. If he does get on the PGA Tour for a couple of events, I expect him to do well and the Americans will love him as he is a "Pin Seeker" and has a great attitude about him!

I remember how excited those 30,000 people were on that infamous day in Baltray, was there myself and it was great for Irish Sport!

No doubt that guy has good potential but i think we need to slow down a touch and the bit in bold is baffling to me..do you honestly think there are no guys on the pga tour that have been brought up in similar conditions and can play every shot in the book?

I also think the debate about his weight is very valid as there have to be some underlying reasons why he is overweight, be it overeating, drinking to much etc and these are not conducive to a long career. If we truly want the best for him and his career then surely making excuses for carrying 4 stones or more is not a good thing.

ssbob

Jaysoose wrote: »

the bit in bold is baffling to me..do you honestly think there are no guys on the pga tour that have been brought up in similar conditions and can play every shot in the book?

I didn't say you never see it on the PGA Tour, but how many PGA Tour events this season has wind been a serious factor, I can only remember 1/2. (Pebble beach & Tournament of Champions) I am just saying that most PGA Tour events are very "samey" now with length and speedy greens being the key to most courses! The European Tour is more diverse than the PGA Tour as it mixes links and parkland & seaside parkland alike!

When Kyle Stanley threw away that tournament at the start of the year, he hit a wedge and got too much spin, someone with Shane's ability would have choked down a 9/8 iron there to limit the spin.

Jaysoose

ssbob wrote: »

I didn't say you never see it on the PGA Tour, but how many PGA Tour events this season has wind been a serious factor, I can only remember 1/2. (Pebble beach & Tournament of Champions) I am just saying that most PGA Tour events are very "samey" now with length and speedy greens being the key to most courses! The European Tour is more diverse than the PGA Tour as it mixes links and parkland & seaside parkland alike!

When Kyle Stanley threw away that tournament at the start of the year, he hit a wedge and got too much spin, someone with Shane's ability would have choked down a 9/8 iron there to limit the spin.

Huh thats exactly what you said. Not trying to be funny and we are all on the same page hoping he does well but cmon now lets not go nuts.

My opinion however is that he is a truly gifted golfer that can produce shots that you don't see on the PGA Tour

ssbob

Jaysoose wrote: »

Huh thats exactly what you said. Not trying to be funny and we are all on the same page hoping he does well but cmon now lets not go nuts.

My opinion however is that he is a truly gifted golfer that can produce shots that you don't see on the PGA Tour

Fair enough dude.

GreeBo

ssbob wrote: »

When Kyle Stanley threw away that tournament at the start of the year, he hit a wedge and got too much spin, someone with Shane's ability would have choked down a 9/8 iron there to limit the spin.

Are you honestly trying to say that Kyle Stanley doesnt have the ability to take spin off his wedges if he wants to?

ssbob

GreeBo wrote: »

Are you honestly trying to say that Kyle Stanley doesnt have the ability to take spin off his wedges if he wants to?

Not saying that at all but wasn't able to hit a half shot with a higher club! If he was then why didn't he do it?

Shane Lowry's hole out in the Portugal masters was a 7 iron from about 130 yards!!

GreeBo

ssbob wrote: »

Not saying that at all but wasn't able to hit a half shot with a higher club! If he was then why didn't he do it?

Shane Lowry's hole out in the Portugal masters was a 7 iron from about 130 yards!!

Because maybe he thought the wedge was a better shot but just didnt hit it how he wanted?

And what do you think that proves? That he can hit a half shot?
I can hit a half shot, week in week out you see players hitting shots that are not full shots, under trees, around trees. I think you are misguided if you think Lowry has some magical ability that the rest of them dont have. They play the shots according to the conditions they face at the time and what shot they feel will give the best result.