Golf Exercise And Diet

Can you manage to walk up two or three flights of stairs without gasping for breath, or play a round of golf without your energy or concentration flagging? No? Read on.

Golfers are rarely fitness freaks. In fact W C Fields' famous line - 'whenever I have the urge to exercise, I lie down until it passes' -could well be applied to many amateur players. But eating well and being fit can really keep your game in shape, as top professionals have shown.

Sending a golf ball consistently straight at the flag demands split second timing - a task beyond ill-conditioned bodies. You can have all the lessons you like, but unless your body is fit enough to put technique into practice the chances of playing to a high standard are almost nil.

The stars have come to realize this - mushrooming prize money and a longer season have persuaded many pros to take better care of their prize-winning apparatus: their bodies.

Bernhard Langer has invested in a home gym, Sandy Lyle tones his muscular frame with a rowing machine and Tommy Nakajima builds up endurance by running up hills. Gary Player - the ultimate fitness fanatic - has such a complex exercise program that he needs a wall chart in his kitchen to keep track.

Avoid wear and tear
Although lack of strenuous physical demands is one of golf's benefits -many players go on playing well into old age - muscular wear and tear does happen. Hacking divots from the ground can damage the shoulder and elbow joints. And as Nick Faldo discovered on sunbaked UK courses in 1990, fragile wrists can be jarred into injury.

Golf can have a destructive effect on vertebrae discs, while knee joints often disintegrate painfully under the strain of balancing two halves of a fast twisting body.

Taking steps to avoid these problems is a simple enough process. If you are in reasonably good health there are several exercises you can perform - and none of them requires you to invest in a singlet or leotard.

Trying out exercises
Concentrate on building up your back, forearms, thigh muscles and calves -these are the vital muscles you use in the swing. Your biceps and chest are less important.

Striking a dozen balls with your left arm only and hitting an old tyre - Henry Cotton's famous tip - are effective forearm builders. Sit-ups build the stomach area and strengthen the lower back.

Rabbit jumps are good for the legs. For these you leap high in the air from a starting position, bringing both legs under your chin. But don't ever spring into too strenuous a form of exercise. Remember to take it gently at first and always warm up properly.

Feed to succeed
If you're concerned that your weight may be affecting your golf, consider changing your diet - there's no point caring for the engine if you don't fill up with the proper fuel. An over generous bulk leads to poor posture. Either the player leans too far forward, or makes extra room by resting on his heels. Both positions lead to a bad strike.

Follow a healthy, balanced diet to give yourself the best chance of swinging fluently over 18 holes. And never sit down to a large meal before play. Neither the mind nor the body is agile after, say, a heavy lunch. Make sure that you finish dessert at least 90 minutes before teeing off. But don't go on to the course hungry or your energy will flag.

Gary Player's name comes up again -he cites his diet as part of the reason for his continuing success on the US Senior Tour. UK professional John Morgan has also made a study of foods suitable for golfers - apart from a well balanced diet he recommends pasta as an excellent slow release energy food. Dishes based on spaghetti or lasagna help to keep you going and aid concentration over a long period. Diet and exercise alone won't give you the metronomic swing of Faldo or the dynamism of Ballesteros, but you may be surprised at their positive effects.

Gary Player says that the cartoon character Popeye possesses the perfect male golf physique - flat chest, narrow waist, tiny biceps and strong forearms. But bear in mind that vast amounts of spinach probably won't help you break 80. Keep your practice up as well as staying fit and eating healthily - there's no short cut to good striking.