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.”
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.
