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Now when most people think of golf, physical exertion hardly comes to mind. But we all know that a round of 18 holes can really take its toll on the body and the mind. While I am no expert on golf fitness, just looking at how most top professionals train will show you the amount of importance they place on their physical conditioning.

Improving your fitness could potentially help improve your control over the club, your concentration and consistency, your balance plus the power of your swing.

However, I’m guessing that a lot of you really aren’t very interested in starting a full-on fitness program in the hope that it will help your golf game. But here’s just a few simple ways that any player, regardless of their current physical condition, can get in shape for their next round, with really no effort at all.

Strength

Sure you can go to the gym and bulk yourself up to crush the life out of the ball, but that’s not always necessary. If you’re looking to improve your strength specifically for golf, it would be best to stick
with exercises relating to the movements of your swing. Such things as rotational exercises with weights in different positions will only take a few minutes of your time each day, but will improve your core strength as well as your flexibility, balance and control.

Flexibility

It’s one of the main areas people need to work on. There are a range of different stretches that you can do that will help your movement when you swing, but one thing most players ignore is performing a proper warm up. A few light stretches and a couple of swings with a heavy club (or two clubs) will help loosen up your joints and muscles for the round. Doing it often will help keep your golfing muscles loose all of the time.
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A Swordfish on deck
It’s all about fishing. The dark side gladiator of the ocean. The swordfish. Have you ever tried landing a big swordfish on deck? After a 5-6 hours fight with a 1000 pound swordfish that had no intention of giving up without a fight. This great fish is a legend living in its own time.

Killing a record fish.
How many of you would cut the line because you knew you had a large female breeder on the line of any fish? I guess you would cut the line because you would feel bad if you caught and killed it; even though you were allowed to catch it. How about a record swordfish weighing more than a 1000 pounds, and it was hanging at the end of your line. Would you kill it then? Even if it was a female breeder? Well some would and some wouldn’t. Myself, I couldn’t do it.

An old swordfish fisher ones told me, that the only difference between a commercial fisherman and a sport fisherman is that one of them takes pictures of his catch. I have come to realize that he was wrong and that some sport fisherman will kill for records, pictures and sponsors.
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Fit for golf is a term you should have heard by now. It’s all over the television and now becoming mainstream with amateur golfers wanting to reach their full potential. Golfers are now realizing there is a fitness component to golf, and are seriously considering getting fit for golf.

It may sound like an oxymoron, but tell me if you’ve ever hurt yourself playing golf. How about a strained lower back? Or, a sore shoulder after playing? The list of injuries from swinging a golf club is a mile long.

This would defend the point that getting fit for golf is NOT an oxymoron, but in fact a necessity, if you want to end the frustration, and play like you know you are capable of.

Golf is a ‘physical’ game that puts a tremendous amount of stress on the body. Muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints pay the price if your golf muscles are not strong enough to withstand the forces from swing at up to 100 mph.

Think about that!

You swing a 3 foot implement at up to 100 mph, while maintaining a very dynamic body position. That’s physically impossible unless you’ve got the muscular strength and flexibility to achieve these swing mechanics.

Look at putting! How often have you practiced for only 5-10 minutes and your lower back was killing you? You know what the culprit was? Tight hamstrings and a weak lower back. Golfers who are fit for golf don’t experience this. They can practice putting for an hour and not feel it.
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One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is the ability to use hip rotation as a way to generate power and speed for maximum impact.

Martial artists know that the hips are where the body’s ‘center of gravity’ is located. It lends balance and stability to every move. The lower body is designed for power- the upper body for finesse.

If you can translate this knowledge into a better golf swing, you will be blessed with both power and accuracy.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Hip rotation holds the key to a powerful swing. Do you want to turn easily from the hip and get more yards out of your swing? It’s not hard when you know the proven secrets of golf pros.

The first thing you need to know about turning, is that you won’t get a flawless turn till you develop stabilization and strength in the lower body.

To get your upper body in sync, make sure you stand straight with your shoulders pulled back, to facilitate that perfect swinging motion from the shoulder- instead of the elbow. Practice turning your shoulders as far back as possible, with your trunk acting as the pivot. If you are right handed, you can see your left shoulder aligned with your chin.

Strong shoulders and well-conditioned abs are a must to maximize torque, while minimizing the distorting forces at the hip- which can lead to imbalances and injury.

Top players initiate their downswing with the powerful muscles of the abs and hips. Once the desired momentum is generated by the lower body, they use their arm muscles to effectively “fine tune” the swing.

Recreational players, on the other hand, use their arm muscles right at the outset. As a result, they are unable to recruit the latent muscle-power in their lower body, while the arm muscles work extra hard both to power and guide the club. No wonder it leads to a shaky, inconsistent swing!
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