I meet golfers who want to improve the core of my work, but there is a real difference between them loving to become better and to be ready to do the work necessary to improve. My student Tim Watts certainly falls into the latter camp.
When he walked into one of our Ocean Reef Club camps last August, he wasn’t looking for some advice or a quick fix. He had just retired after a career in the military and had goals, a timeline and the kind of mission-oriented mindset you don’t always see in a practice group.
Tim came to us as an 18-handicapper who fought for it break 90. He also had some significant physical limitations – damaged sacroiliac joints on both sides, three bulging discs in his lower back, a history of ankle surgery and about 40 extra pounds. He was in real pain. You simply can’t build a better golf swing on a body that can’t support it.
What makes Tim’s story worth telling is that there was nothing heroic or complicated about what he did, that is, other than his admirable commitment and work ethic. Before he even touched a golf club with us, he went to his doctor, got a meal plan, and committed to it. daily aerobic exercise. He managed his back pain through a pain clinic and underwent debulking procedures in June and August of 2025. Over the course of the year, he lost 40 pounds, moved better, and had significantly less pain. The movement that he couldn’t do at 230 pounds with an injured back became one that we could actually develop.
The golf plan had a simple theme: work on every part of the game, every day, with purpose. Tim built a daily routine that combined aerobic exercise, functional strength training with bands and kettlebells, and golf-specific work that he could do whether or not he could go outside.
When it was too cold or wet, he worked inside. He used Rotating Dewsweeper Package with a resistance band across the chest and a larger band across the knees, rotating back and through to train the sequencing pattern. He also worked through my friend Kolby Tullier and Morgan Hale’s resistance band rotation workouts. Below is the video that describes some of the exercises used by Tim. The moves are specifically designed to help you build the body mechanics you need swing for, not just general fitness. If you’re spending time at the gym, these exercises can make that time count for your golf game, too.
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When Tim was able to go outside, he followed a structured routine: first he did prescribed drills, then slow swings with and without the ball, then half-speed swings, and finally full swings. He even practiced with his eyes closed to develop a feel for the sequence. This wasn’t a guy who squeezed in string sessions twice a week. This was a seven-day-a-week commitment.
For the full movement, we focused on balance, foot pressure, and proper alignment to get Tim moving on his left side. He had the usual pattern of sideslipping and poor alignment that plagues most recreational players – the body working against itself rather than in the right order.
The drills we gave him were designed to train the swing pattern and get him to feel what it looks like to shift pressure and shoot through the ball correctly. The results became measurable quickly. His driving distance went from about 210 yards to 240. He started breaking 80. He was posting nine-hole scores in the mid-to-high 30s. The swing we were building was showing up in real terms.
I’ve said for years that the players who make the biggest handicap jumps in the shortest time are almost always the ones who take the short game seriously. Tim understood this. He worked through the putt, putt, chip and bunkers with the same focus that delivered the full swing.
In shooting, Tim ran into one of the most common putting problems I see – standing too far off the ball, where your eyes go off the target line. Former tournament player Wayne Flint caught this right away during a session and took Tim back to basics: closer to the ball, eyes directly over the line. Wayne also installed a solid pre-shoot routine, and that’s where a lot of real improvement happened. Tim reads the putt from five to ten yards away while keeping the putter lying up parallel, then letting it fall parallel to feel the weight of the head. He chooses a target line and an aiming point as close to the ball as he can see at address. He steps in, directs the shooter, puts his right foot first — square on the line and a foot away — then brings his left foot inside. He takes a look at the target, a look behind the ball and spins it by moving his left shoulder down and back up through the shot.
One thing I will say about Tim is that he is honest with himself. It will tell you that its copy is still a work in progress. Controlling distance from the green circle is something he is still developing. This kind of awareness is a real asset to a player. He knows where the gaps are and doesn’t pretend the job is done.
A year after entering that camp at Ocean Reef, Tim is on a handicap of 8. He has lost 40 pounds. He has broken 80. He aims to drop under 5 by this July and eventually wants to compete in his club championship from the tip to nearly 7,000 yards. These are not the goals of someone going through the motions. These are the goals of someone who decided to play attack in retirement.
What Tim’s story really shows is that a ten-fold improvement in one year doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen by working on just one thing. It happens when someone addresses their fitness, builds a training routine they can stick to, and pays real attention to every part of the game – including the parts they prefer to skip. The plan should cover everything. Lose any part of it and you will leave improvements on the table. It also shows that physical issues should not be limitations.
If you do this work, it’s for you too.
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