Fitness for You

 

Several years ago just prior to winning the 1972 PGA Championship some genius from the New York Times opined that Gary Player could not compete anymore because he had to work out too much to make up for his lack of natural size and strength. Player was renowned for his dedication to nutrition and his disciplined work out regiment. (remember the one handed push-up?) The writer claimed that Player lost natural rhythm as a result of his daily calisthenics and weight lifting and therefore could not play with the fluid action necessary to maintain competitiveness. Well he won that year and the British Open in 1974. So much for passive fitness-and the New York Times.

It"s not Just Tiger! It"s just that he has shown us how much we can improve with dedication to our health. What was once the exception is becoming the rule, especially as we see the success of players who practice fitness training. It used to be that the bar was the bar and that"s where you went after the round. The bar on tour has now been raised and its in the trailer with Versaclimber, stationary bicycle, and Frankenslide slide board for aerobic conditioning. A single multistation resistance machine and a variety of dumbbells, medicine balls, and rehabilitation equipment are the new toys on tour.

The staff on tour is professional and is there to lend constant guidance to the players. You don"t have that so we are going to help you design a program to use your own golfer"s own body weight, elastic tubing, and stabilization balls and other handy devices so that you can get fit in the privacy of your own environment whether it be your car, office, train or plane.

On tour the smallest edge makes a big difference. The difference between the number 2 (leave Tiger out of it he distorts the variance) scoring average on tour (Ernie Els 69.29) and the average tour score over all 80 tournaments is less than 1.8 strokes per round!

The difference between Ernie at number 2 and missing a spot in the Players Championship is 8 tenths of a stroke per round! No wonder these guys are getting serious about their health.

Golfers, whether on tour or on vacation with the guys, have not been known to be too fitness conscious relative to other classes of athletes. Times are a changin and you can change too. Fitness training can expand your physical potential and help you attain a consistent swing pattern. It will also help you avoid injuries resulting from the unnatural twisting and turning, often from uneven and unpredictable lies, that normal in any round of golf. The old notion of muscle bound stiffness has been replaced by strength, stretching and nutrition. You should not be overwhelmed when emulating the practices of the great players. Tiger may be great. Excuse me, he is great. He is also 30, works out 2.5 hours per day, is 6"2" and weighs 180 pounds with a 30 inch waist. And oh by the way, he is a pretty darn good athlete to start.

The encouraging news is that by comparison the improvement you will see will be more than just an edge. On average we all have more to gain than the refinements of already well practiced professionals in the prime of their careers.

Warning! Whenever you find yourself falling into the morass of self pity and possibly losing your fitness resolve, look at Tiger to restore your ambitions. It"s not his drive for success that will necessarily stir you. That super-human aura might be so out of your realm that it might have the reverse effect. You should look to all of his accomplishments and wonder how he might fare playing with your body instead of his own. That vision may make you feel better about yourself and what you can accomplish.

Throughout this site you will be focusing on tailoring a program to fit you and your schedule.