John Daly could be the perfect embodiment of the phrase “Exercise. You mean extra fries.”  All in good fun though! The Arkansas native does not like a healthy lifestyle. We are not saying this, he himself has said this many times, in one way or another. He even once said that he is not “scared to die or anything.” Good for Long John!

To play college golf, he lost 67 pounds in two and a half months, thanks to the time-tested diet of Jack Daniels and popcorn. At that time as well, he didn’t pay much attention to working out, and he did not until a few years ago as well.

John Daly’s warm-ups, diet, and exercise routines explored

John Daly’s dislike for working out was humorously evident when, in 2013, during an interview with David Feherty on his show, David noticed that Daly’s home gym did not have any equipment. The 2x major winner then disclosed that he donated his home gym equipment to a nearby high school.

Feherty jokingly commented that Daly had trucks come over to pick up the stuff because if the golfer had taken it to the school himself, “that would’ve been exercise.” In turn, the 58-year-old admitted that he was relieved when the gym equipment was gone. Daly admitted that he had thrown up enough when he used to drink, and further revealed that he “threw up” every time he tried to exercise, claiming it to be “just not right” for him.

“I’m ready to go, baby,” said Daly after his short yet catchy warm-up routine at the 2022 PNC Championship. Do you know what he did to get ready for his title defense? He dispensed a cigarette, poured a couple of Diet Cokes into his go-to cup, and that’s it! He was good to go. The golfer has also been very vocal about his rather short warm-up routine. He says that his sticks and coke coupled with the physical exertion of getting out of his golf cart are enough. The golf’s bad boy has gone out to party before tournaments, often returning at 7-7:30 when the tee time is 8. He revealed this in an interview with Graham Bensinger.

The ultimate example of his warm-up is posted as a YouTube short on the Country Club Adjacent channel, titled “How to properly warm up with John Daly.” Daly gets out of his golf cart, audibly exhales while pulling his pants up, and makes one full rotation with his arms. He then swigs a beer, goes for his pack of cigarettes, and asks nonchalantly, “What’s the course record?” After receiving a response from the cameraman, Daly nods in acknowledgment and says, “I’m ready.” and walks off. Talk about being Daly-level cool, right?

Daly’s lifestyle certainly consisting of unhealthy dietary habits such as fast food, Diet Coke, and beer had taken a toll on him. He has had plenty of health-related troubles in the past.

Daly has had plenty of health problems in the past

It comes as no surprise that Daly has struggled with losing weight. So much so that in February of 2009, he underwent lap-band surgery to reduce his weight. He affirmed this decision as“the best decision I ever made for my health.” He also added, “I am close to being down 50 pounds and eating better.”

Daly has also stated in his interview with Graham Bennett that his fellow golfers call him camel because he does not drink water. He shared that he likes to drink Diet Coke with ice which is basically water. Well, can’t argue there! There was once a phase in 2021 when he replaced his Diet Coke with whole milk, and he used to consume around 4-4.5 gallons of it weekly, and to talk about his consumption of chocolate syrup, he left it at “a lot.”

In 2020, he had surgery for bladder cancer, and although the cancer was removed, doctors warned him of an 85% reoccurrence in the future. He is now cancer-free though, but he has still decided to take a proactive approach to his health, which included changing his diet and trying to quit smoking – including cutting back on his beloved Diet Coke. He also suffers from arthritis, sleep apnea, and gastrointestinal issues.

We wish John Daly good health and hope to see him play golf for many more years. What do you think of John Daly? Let us know in the comments!