7:25 am —

8:57 am — new level of skill. Clumping is occurring. It was just packaged together so nicely. To have that shot there.

Be open to it and in process it’s super clear and connected.

Broke the flow but I know we found a new level.

This is art of learning stuff. With the wedge.

And then bringing it inside. Into the office. This whiteboard. It’s perfect size. It’s flat. It’s on layers of fabric. High contrast. With colour variations. Design I put in. Took just a few seconds. Using longer lines. No dots. Two strips. Force left and right swing paths. The eraser on the club Ive got four now.

Taking what I’m doing in the garage. Those swings to get the ball to do what I want. As I learn what works.

Now feeling what that looks like on the whiteboard. Get reps in here with no ball. Just mastering the practice swing.

Building strength. This board is a workout. Let’s you experiment too. And allows you to see what does what. Where it goes. Easy course correct.

Building it on the board now. Confidence. Allows you to overlay when hitting the ball. And have confidence you hit the right low spot.

So that when over top of a ball. You can pick the low spot. And hit the low spot.

Right now it’s tough to know where you’re actually hitting the ground. But blading the ball. Pretty clear you hit too far behind the ball. But getting closer and closer is tough. You keep reverting. I have fought the scared to hit too close to the ball. For fear of blading it or chunking. But then blade it. That’s the yips.

It’s just because it’s so hard to get feedback on it. So it’s all mental.

But when you can build reps on the whiteboard. Then also using the strobes.

Both those allow you freedom to hit closer to the ball. To pin point the low point overcome anxiety and break down the barrier. Keep doing that to keep climbing skill mountain.

If you take some time off. You’ll likely revert back to old habits. The live strong within you. This is a way to get organized.

This is going to be the greatest off season training regiment to level up wedge skill of all time.

I’ve already got some consistency getting a session in per day. I’ve noticed in the evenings taking out the trash. Recycle or compost. I have been taking a few extra minutes in the garage to get a session in.

Of course. After dinner and bedtime and cleanup and lunch making. Will I take out the trash. Will I get a practice session in.

But now. During the day. With this whiteboard. When I’m working from home. I can get an extra session in. In the morning. At lunch. And right after work. That’s three extra sessions.

I can usually get a session in, in the morning.

Before work regardless if I work from home or go to the office.

On work from home days I can get an extra bunch of extra sessions.

Then evening i can get a session and a recoded challenge.

All the times I go hit a ball. Or hit the whiteboard. Per day. High intensity. In short sessions. Build that momentum. When you can get a web of reps across a day. And then stack your days.

The evening session a couple days ago. A legit workout in the lower back. Glutes.

And turns out. It showed up in muscle. It’s the such and such muscle. connects lower to upper.

Mine is super strong.

Turns out. Really good for long distance running. Holding form for hours on end. Pretty useful.

So a nice cross training I was doing. Doing the reps there. I went a stretch being super consistent with golf practice. Especially right before first games outside. Runs not as much. But then now I’m seeing. That was also training for running. I was legit building that muscle. So that’s cool. Hindsight.

Hindsight would’ve also said. Get more km in earlier. So you can pound your joints and muscles. Earlier. Get the recovery go again. Scale that up more gradually. Super gradually.

I survived tho. But training a little messy at times. Figuring it out. But ultimately. Accomplishing my goal. 50k and. I was told. Made it look easy.

The impossible golf shot.

The impossible push-up.

The impossible ultra marathon.

Those happen to be my keystone habits for 2026.

Does that mean I sign up for another impossible run? Argggg. My resistance. Means I likely should. The discomfort. Means I likely need to.

I am kind of forced to pick a different race tho. The grizzly is amazing. But it’s thanksgiving. And harvest.

And then the question is. I could just do the Calgary marathon. Or Regina. But then was like. The pavement pounding. Do not love. And the static run. Put your headphones on. The trail run was insane compared to that. Epic compared to the half road race.

But do I really want to sign up for something again that’s beyond my reach currently? I know I could do the marathon. Ive done the half. I know I could complete the grizzly again. But do it faster. Maybe. If all five legs of the race are in play it would be a different beast. But still something I believe I’m able to prepare for. So what’s next. Now that I’ve done this?

Just basically continued the journal on gpt.

I’m looking for the next run race that scares me. I completed the grizzly ultra 50km solo. I’m not going to run it next year because timing will not work. But I loved having that big scary race day. On my calendar for a year. Got me into incredible shape, learnt a lot about nutrition, runnng related injuries and prevention and then so much more. Such a fun challenge and problem to solve. And test myself on race day. But now Ive done that. And feel comfortable. I’m looking for the next challenge.

For golf I believe that challenge is going to be club championships. Road to champ. Halo ffa. Lone wolves. Style.

But having that physical scary thing. Gives me serious motivation. Requirement. To get after it. Which makes me a better golfer tho.

RESPONSE.

Love this. You want a “big scary anchor” that forces the work and feeds the golf. Here are 6 legit-scary (but sane) 2026 options you can circle on the calendar—Western Canada heavy so travel’s not insane:

1) Canadian Death Race — 118 km (Aug 1–2, 2026, Grande Cache, AB)

Iconic river crossing, ~5,181 m / 17,000′ gain, 24-hour limit. Western States qualifier. A massive jump from 50 k without going full 100-mile. 

2) Sinister 7 — 100 mile (July 11–12, 2026, Crowsnest Pass, AB)

6,692 m vert, 30-hour cutoff. Seven brutal stages. If you want “truly scary,” this is it. (They also have 50 mi/50 k.) 

3) Squamish 50/50 — 50 mi Saturday + 50 k Sunday (Aug 15–16, 2026, BC)

Technical, steep, and legendary. Registration opens Nov 14—back-to-back days is a mental hammer. 

4) Lost Soul Ultra — 100 km (Sept 11–12, 2026, Lethbridge, AB)

Hot coulees, relentless rollers; WSER 100 k qualifier (≤21 h). Prairie “grand canyon” vibes. 

5) Blackfoot Ultra — 100 km (May 30, 2026, near Edmonton)

“Death by 100 hills.” Great early-season stepping-stone to a big summer mountain race. 

6) Actif Epica (WINTER) — 50 k / 115 k / 100 mi (Feb 13–15, 2026, MB)

Self-supported winter ultra on Crow Wing Trail. Cold-weather logistics = next-level toughness. (Fast turnaround from today, but very “scary.”) 

Pick a path (fast take)

Go Huge: Sinister 7 100 M (July) —> build with Blackfoot 50–100 k (May).  Iconic Mountain: Death Race 118 k (Aug) —> use Blackfoot or a long training weekend as prep.  Technical Back-to-Back: Squamish 50/50 (Aug) —> stack vert all summer; treat as your “Lone Wolves” test.  Prairie Heat Engine: Lost Soul 100 k (Sept) —> emphasizes durability & fueling under heat—perfect golf-carryover for focus under fatigue. 

Why this helps your golf

Long hills + back-to-backs = glute/foot stability, breath control under pressure, and late-round focus. Think “Road to Champ” transfer: tempo on climbs → tempo in the swing; footwork on descents → balance through impact.

If you want, I can pop a reminder for Squamish reg (Nov 14) or any of these reg-open dates. Which vibe grabs you—mountain epic, back-to-back tech, winter sufferfest, or prairie heat?

12:07pm — all that sounds so exhausting. Haha.

Part of me thinks taking on the death race would be legit. But I’m seeing it would probably overlap the club championship objective.

I would have more time and freedom to work on golf this year if I’m not signed up for an insane race.

BUT. What I could do is aim for that race. Or the grizzly ultra in 2027. A pretty wild longer term 2 year goal. But. If I’m not signed up officially. There is an out. So what I could do instead. Is say it on my instagram / YouTube. And have the ‘sign up’ experience. To be held accountable.

Would maybe help me continue to build my base obviously. But wouldn’t have to be going crazy. Just gradually keep increasing. / getting in running and strength. Which helps the golf. That’s a big reason. Would mean only really needing to get out for a couple runs per week would be solid. And then in 2027 would kick it up into full training mode.

I would be 39. Run 100km race before the age of 40.

12:26pm — oh my. Working on the whiteboard in my office is toughhh. Shockingly a legit workout. That ties directly to golf skill tho. Strengthens your muscles. Your base and core and back and glutes etc. allows you to rotate and drop into the low point that you’re aiming at. Getting feedback on that. Mentally you can train it. So that on hitting the ball you can see what that means. On the board. I’m trying to pretend. I’m behind at start. But imagine what the path looks like. And at the ball. I’m knowing how tricky. How the old pattern and hesitation means you’re hitting behind.

This setup Ive got in my office now is insane

Such a good workout. And what I can. And should do with this. Is add weight to it. The goal here is to build it up and understand it so deeply. That it moved itself.

I forgot about that experience. The hand of god. It’s insane. This circuit. In office. And garage hitting balls into the box. And then the challenge into the pipe. Plus the strobe. But if I weight the club in office for these reps. When I go hit the 60 in garage. It will start to become effortless. Suppperrrrr excited to experience that. To remember that that’s coming.

1:07pm — left hand only. Normal grip. But the experience there. Low point more lined with left shoulder. When just one handed and doing the gravity drill. Trying to control its low point is tough. But then feel that with two hands. More control but then also experience. How to shift that low point. Using left shoulder vision. This is what I need to grind on. Strengthen. It’s so tough to identify and to work on. Versus other stuff like maybe coding or body building or drawing or sculpting. Where it’s all there in front of you. Low point skill is sooo tricky.

Most instagram etc. teaching tips and tricks. But fundamentally. You’ve got to own low point. And there’s infinite depth here. Go forever just this and then naturally organically discover different shots when you’ve got such supreme control of low point.

Just there using the whiteboard in my office. Able to strategically workout what I need to work on.

So when I go hit golf balls in garage I’ve got more awareness of low point. That Im desiring and can pull limited feedback make useable. strobes help with that further. Yes. And course correct and discover new levels. Breakthroughs guaranteed each session. Stack those in a day. And connecting stacked days. Makes you into an absolute weapon. Precision strength and conditioning.

So stoked.

2:29 — adding weight to the club not too crazy. Can’t find both weights I normally use. so trying a different one. A rod. Which I attached to the shaft. Which I think does a better job of not flopping around. I secured it pretty well. Probably would’ve wanted a layer between shaft and metal. It rattles a bit when you hit the board too hard. The shaft flexes but rod does not. I want it to be ok to hit a bit harder without concern. Anyways.

Seems legit. I’m legit tired after just doing a handful of several minutes. Full body left side needs a massage. Hah. It’s an actual muscle building exercise. The small swings. With precision. It’s tough!

My body is sore! And adding weight ads more strength progressive overload.

I love that effect after hitting weight club. Getting used to it. Adapting. And then going back to regular club. So insane. Makes you so much stronger throughout the entire range of motion. Makes it effortless.

These things Im now stacking into this. Coming back and realizing the whiteboard in office. Allows me to work on stuff that I identified when hitting balls. Makes me more equipped to solve the puzzle hitting balls. When I’m tuned and consistently hitting where I’m aiming on the whiteboard in the office. Without a golf ball. Just getting high feedback practice swings. This is I guess the full deal here. These are practice swings inside. On the whiteboard. I erase the dry erase marker lines. With felt pads on the bottom of the wedge. You see right away if you’re hitting too far being or too far forward. Or too up or down. Etc etc. and then lets you build confidence. So that you can master the practice swing. So that when you step up to hitting a ball. That one practice swing you take. Gets your system calibrated. Super fast. So that you can step up to the ball. And know exactly what’s going to happen. The practice swing is the biggest cheat code in golf. You literally get to do a dry run. Dress rehearsal. If you can use the practice swing effectively. It’s how you can never miss a shot. Gives you the best chance at it. If you can master the practice swing in such a way that you’re fully primed and ready to hit the ball exactly as you imagine.

I’m doing that here with this board in my office. Mastering the practice swing. Getting all the data and feedback. So that when I step into garage and hit golf balls no more guessing. I have confidence. And then so excited to swing without weighted club because always such great contrast and feeling of mastery and progression when you do shots normal weight. Practically swings itself.