John Daly once said, "You can pull a muscle, but you can’t pull fat." And at 59, he stood by that when he appeared on the Like a Farmer Podcast in February last year.

Daly talked about golfers losing flexibility over time and becoming too mechanical, which can limit how far they are able to take the club back compared to players who can move more freely.

“They work hard on the game and try to get their swing exactly the way they want it, but I think working out hurts a lot of these guys. I really do.”

Daly hasn't been a fan of the gym or traditional workouts when it comes to golf. While Gary Player and Tiger Woods became infamous for their intense gym sessions, Daly took a different route. In fact, he even joked with Tiger Woods about how their three-later recreational activities were different. Woods was going to the gym, while Daly was headed to the bar.

That said, when off-course training is done correctly under proper guidance, it can improve distance, flexibility, and stamina while reducing injury risk. In other words, it’s more nuanced than just lifting weights or bench-pressing.

In Daly's view, spending hours on wedges, chipping, and putting kept him sharp and tournament-ready.

What Was John Daly’s Workout Regimen During His Season

During the podcast, when asked about his go-to workout routine during his best years, Daly said he didn’t rely on the gym.

Instead, Daly said, “Mine was just practice wedges, chip, and putt all day long. I could do that all day long. That’s all I did. People say, ‘I don’t practice a lot,’ but they don’t know.”

Looking ahead, Daly said he hopes to help younger players improve their short games once he retires, explaining,

“I’d love to help these kids with short game because I feel like I’ve got the feel for it, and I can work on mechanics with it too.”

What do you think? Do golfers need regular gym workouts?

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar