Gary Woodland lost 27 pounds by cutting out these 2 things

Gary Woodland looks much different than he did earlier this year.

Getty Images

Gary Woodland, at 6-1 and 195 pounds, is the prototypical athlete — indeed, he was a collegiate golfer in college and a high school basketball player.

But more recently, the reigning U.S. Open champ felt his game needed a tune up. With his current coach, Pete Cowen, unable to travel during the pandemic, Woodland began working with Justin Parsons to sharpen-up his swing and, along the way, decided to shed some weight.

“I knew I had a significant amount of time off. It’s probably something I should have done a long time ago, take care of my body a little bit,” he said. “I’m getting a little older, being out here, hanging around Justin Thomas and all these young guys, I need to take care of myself if I want to be here for a lot longer.”

And so, he put himself on a simple diet, and in a couple of months, he’s down 27 pounds.

“I feel I’m in a pretty good spot where I want to be right now,” he said. “I feel better when I get done walking after the round.”

Woodland lost 27 pounds during the PGA Tour pause. Getty Images

No Fried Food, Less Sugar

Woodland’s diet wasn’t a diet, per se. It was more of an adjustment. He says he cut out fried food and sugar — it was that simple.

“I would say my 3-year-old probably eats better than I used to,” he said.

He’ll still eat those things as a treat, of course, but the key is eating them in moderation. Cutting down on those simple things meant he started burning more calories than he was taking in — also known as a calorie deficit, which is the key to losing weight. Woodland’s 27 pounds shed is proof of that, and he feels much better for it.

Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.