Time for golf pros to hit the gym

Unfortunately, golf gives the impression of being a very laid-back sport. Most golfers walk down the fairways looking relaxed and casual even though each shot means money, which could sometimes count towards a mortgage that needs to be paid. While an ideal sportsman is lean and fit, the only obvious bulge golfers have been observed sporting is often a `beer belly’. After walking around in the heat for the better half of the day, some head for a chilled beer and a heavy meal.

Until a few years ago, one would not have been wrong in assuming that the only physical exertion that these guys undergo is when they’re warned for slow play and have to quicken their pace to make up for the gaps between the various matches out on the course.

Even though golf is no aerobic exercise, it does require the person to walk continuously for over four hours. Every golfer will at some stage have been handed down the popular advice that "golf is played within six inches" — the brain. Therefore, a tired body will have adverse effects on the mind as well. As a result, more and more golfers on various tours around the world are experimenting with yoga, aerobics and body pump exercises to ensure maximum fitness and low scores.

Lifestyles play an important role too. A lot of the rookies — as well as some of the tour veterans — utilise their energy partying or checking out the hot spots in the cities they visit. They can handle the late nights and early morning tee offs for short periods of time, but on a long haul the exhaustion will catch up with them. An evening spent drinking is bound to tell on the golf course the next day. And the same goes for tobacco. An odd cigarette on the course may take the pressure off that three-footer, but a golfer who wheezes his way around the golf course only invokes pity.

Until a few years ago, it was difficult for golfers to get the correct exercises. Some left them too stiff, causing horrendous shanks and inconsistent swings, while others were uneffective.

However, today all this is changing as there is awareness and exposure regarding adequate fitness for golf. Most golfers live by a regular routine, a morning warm up and some form of toning up before hitting the golf course. In addition to that, most of the men and women professionals on any tour work out to get that extra yardage on the ball. Jeev and Arjun Atwal are among those who are hooked onto the benefits of yoga.

Probably the toughest of the lot is Nick Faldo, whose level of fitness has been measured to equal that of an Olympic athlete. The chubby looking Colin Montgomerie also lost nearly 35 stones, because "it makes him feel good about himself." And the mighty Tiger — although blessed with immense talent — still spends a lot of his time in the gym making sure he utilises it to the utmost.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

PGA: Honda Classic.

Winner: Dudley Hart

EPGA:Qatar Masters

Winner: Rolf Muntz

LPGA:Welch’s/Circle K Classic

Winner: Annika Sorenstam

COMING UP:

PGA: The Players Championship

EPGA: Brazil Rio de Janeiro 500 Years Open

APGA: No Tournament scheduled till May

LPG: Nabisco Championship

SPGA: Emerald Coast Classic

South African PGA: Zambia Open

GOLFER OF THE WEEK:Annika Sorenstam

After losing in a playoff to Karrie Webb, Annika learnt her lesson well and won the Welsh’s/Circle K Classic on the second play off hole the very next week. This win also qualifies her for the `LPGA Hall of Fame’ and the `World Golf Hall of Fame’.