No sport in the world of athletics is changing like golf. Just a few years ago golf courses were littered with mostly overweight and underdeveloped hackers out playing the links on a sunny afternoon. Today that is no longer the case. Today's top golfers are carrying physiques that are muscular, generally much leaner and do not have a beer belly hanging over their waist line.

The golf world may be one of the last sports to generally accept the benefits of strength training and conditioning, but they are quickly making up for lost time. Today's PGA Tour has two large mobile semi-trucks that follow the major tour events. Inside the semis, pros will find a state-of-the art conditioning center and an athletic training/rehab facility staffed by qualified therapists and training personnel. Equipment includes: treadmill, stair climber, elliptical trainer, upright bike and recumbent bike and an assortment of strength training equipment.

One needs to only look at the physique of Michael Jordan from when he left the University of North Carolina to his over powering playing days with the Chicago Bulls. He quickly learned that in order to compete game after game at a high level he needed to transform his body into a powerful, explosive machine. During his first playoff experience vs. the Detroit Pistons, Jordan quickly realized that he needed to add more muscle to his thin body frame. He quickly hired a personal trainer and added a complete home strength training center and full court basketball gym at his home. The rest is history! Jordan's new commitment to fitness and conditioning, to go along with his awesome playing ability made him the legend that he is today.

Top PGA pro David Duval says" "Becoming a fitter, stronger athlete benefits my golf game. I have seen improved endurance, strength and stamina on the course."

Duval who has dropped about 40 pounds off of his ripped physique since 1997 has seen his game sore to the top of the leader list. Today Duval trains in the gym about six days a week for about an hour of cardio and strength training.

Top money leader Tiger Woods also is an avid fitness guru. While Tiger has played around with or changed his clubs, hitting instructor and caddie; but he has not changed the way he physically prepares for a PGA season. He is a regular visitor to the PGA Training Center and logs in a few miles of road work before he hits the fairways and likes to pump the iron.

Even top female golfer Annika Sorenstam is found pushing the iron and running on the treadmills to get ready for an upcoming LPGA tour. This year even teen sensation Michelle Wie has hired a personal trainer to strengthen up her game.

Today there are more 24 million golfers out hacking up the courses of America - and the number is growing each year. Because of the body mechanics are so unnatural and are a very demanding movement, 75 percent of golfers will experience at one golf-related injury. Dimity McDowell reported in a recent Men's Fitness article that…"the Golf swing is one of the most physically unnatural and demanding sequences in sports; one study estimates that the compression on the spine is the equivalent of eight times a person's body weight. Another finds that most amateurs drive with 90 percent of their peak muscle activity - the same intensity you'd use to lift a weight four times until failure." Obviously it is becoming clearer to today's pro's, college and top high school golfers that to be on top of your golf game you need to also be in top physical condition.

With spring just around the corner, it is time to dust off your driver and putter to get your golf game up to par. It would be to your advantage to take a few minutes (as little as 30 -45 minutes) and invest into some fitness time at your local gym, health club, YMCA or home gym training center to get your body into shape before you hit the links in full force.

Golf Fitness Overview

BASIC SKILLS	MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
1. Driving Power	Lower Back, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Buttocks
2. Hip Rotation	Lower Back, Hip Flexors
3. Impact Velocity	Latissimus Dorsi, Triceps
4. Club Extension	Deltoids, Triceps
5. Clubhead Control	Triceps, Biceps, Forearm and Hand Flexors
6. Walking	Buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings, Lower Back

PROBLEM AREAS:

AREAS TO EMPHASIZE:

1. Development of hand, forearm and wrist muscles for injury prevent and club control.
2. Develop the musculature used in the golf swing to control golf swing and delay or prevent muscle fatigue.
3. Warm-up properly before game.
4. Perform flexibility and stretching program regularly.
5. Develop aerobic conditioning system.
6. Develop skills necessary to relax, concentration and focus on mental game.

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIOING:

A. 5.0 Kilocalories Expended Per Minute of Activity
B. Recommended Training Methods for Golf
· Acceleration sprints
· Sprint training
· Continuous running
· Jogging
C. 90% aerobic activity
D. 10% anaerobic activity

SAMPLE GOLF STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUT

References:
1. Peterson, James, Ph.D., Conditioning for a Purpose - The West Point Way, Leisure Press, 1977
2. McDowell, Dimity, Fitness for Your Golf Game, from Men's Fitness, April 2000