Greg Norman, "The Shark," the PGA predator, steps up to the tee box, calmly stares down the 500 yards of fairway toward the flag, and takes his stance over the ball. As a hush falls over the gallery, in one smooth, strong stroke, he draws his club back, turning slowly away from the target, then whips his body, taking the club from his shoulder, through the ball, sending it soaring, nearly 300 yards toward the pin. He has worked for years on the course and practice tee to perfect that graceful, powerful swing, but Norman, like many other pro and amateur golfers, have discovered that there is more to a good golf game than a nice swing. Six years ago, Norman hired a physical therapist to oversee his strength, conditioning and rehabilitation program, and now credits much of his recent success to the physical conditioning he has done in the gym.

In the book Complete Conditioning for Golf, Pete Draovitch, Norman's trainer, and sports medicine maven Dr. Wayne Westcott, break down the components needed to improve the body to improve the golf game, as sports specific training, functional flexibility, dynamic postural balance, and segmental sequencing. That sounds like a pretty lofty approach to fitness training, but if it worked for The Shark, it can work for you!

Building a stronger golf game takes more than just building muscles. "Muscles can overpower the golf club," says PGA National Fitness Director Randy Myers, "I encourage suppleness over strength--to have power, you must have range of motion," he adds. Myers incorporates fitness evaluation, flexibility and strength training into programs for many amateur golfers and pros at the West Palm Beach, Florida, PGA resort, including LPGA pro Michelle McGann. "I wanted to be in better shape," she explains, "I tried doing a lot of heavy weights and I just got tight--it didn't work." Then McGann enlisted Myers' aid, who stressed stretching, and cardiovascular work, in addition to a weight training program that focused on the muscles she needed most for golf--legs, back, and abdominals. McGann now does an hour of cardio per day, legs one day and upper body on another day, working more on cardiovascular training during the season and on strength training in the off-season. As a diabetic, McGann is acutely aware of the importance of good heath, "When I work out, I hardly need insulin, plus, I don't get fatigued," she states, "I'm a golfer, not a weight lifter, but when you see your body shaping up, it feels great!"

That sentiment is echoed by fellow LPGA player, Cindy McCurdy, who two years ago, adopted an Olympic lifting workout for explosive strength. McCurdy does power cleans, snatches, clean and jerks, squats and plyometrics, and added 20 yards to her drives. Though she has always been "into" fitness, like many golfers, McCurdy got serious in her training after an injury and has reaped the benefits of a continual cardiovascular and strength building program.

The rigors of the pro golf schedule and the havoc that the golf swing's constant torquing and twisting reeks on the body, many golfers, like Norman, Fred Couples, and Beth Daniel, spend significant time rehabilitating injuries to shoulders, backs, wrists and elbows, and have found fitness training makes them less susceptible to stress injuries. "Nobody thinks about golf as a strength sport," says PGA Tour pro Franklin Langham, "But look at our schedule--Tuesday is a practice round, Wednesday is a pro-am, Thursday, the tournament starts, you play two rounds, make the cut, then play on Saturday and Sunday. Plus, you add on the stress of traveling--it's a full week!" Langham notes that he used to feel tired at the end of the week--and the end of the year. Considering that the golf season includes 40 events, even if players don't compete every week, it is still an extensive schedule that includes being on their feet for over five hours and walking four to five miles per day. "My workout has really helped me stay fresh and feel like I'm more at peak performance throughout the year," Langham states, "And I still have energy to spend with my kids when I get home!" Langham has also accomplished another feat, moving up 41 slots on the money list over the past year. His trainer attributes the progress largely to his dedication to his fitness program and has slated the top 30 for next year's goal.

Langham trains with Kelly Blackburn, who has developed golf-specific training programs for many tour players, including top ranked money-winner, David Duval. Previously a personal trainer for baseball, basketball and football players, Blackburn studied the game of golf to understand its specific demands on the body, wrote a book, Exercises for Elite Golf Performance, and produced golf fitness manuals for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Her workouts stress flexibility, building a solid base, then adding strength and power. Though most trainers recommend cardiovascular training for their clients, Blackburn takes it one step further in golf specificity. "I firmly believe that running is a terrible strain on hips and knees, which already take a lot of stress in golf. Instead, I promote interval training on a bike or treadmill, taking levels high and low, with some anaerobic periods," she states, "Since most of the courses players walk have elevation changes, by doing this type of cardiovascular training, they don't have to stop, catch their breath and recover when they walk up a hill to the tee--they have enough on their minds at that point."

Blackburn even packs nutritious lunch bags for the players she accompanies on tour. "My first stop when I get in town is GNC--and hope it's my Gold Card day!" she laughs. "I stock up on high-protein, low-sugar energy bars and dried fruit and nut mixes." Blackburn also packs fresh fruit, and plenty of water.

Hydration is essential for golfers, who can lose several pounds of perspiration in a round. In addition to bottles of water, McGurdy adds protein drinks to her regime, one mid-morning and one in the early afternoon, and also uses electrolyte replacement drinks to help keep hydrated and energized.

"You have to fuel up--keep gas in the tank," says dietitian Nancy Clark, author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guide Book. "Golf takes a long time and you get hungry, so pack water, fruit, juice, peanut butter sandwiches or energy bars," she recommends. McGann is experimenting with different protein bars to see which ratio of carbohydrates and proteins work best for her. "On hot, long days, I may eat a bigger bar at lunch," she says, "When I burn up sugars, I get weak and go 'out of it,' so I really watch my carbos to stay level."

Though most trainers agree that stretching and flexibility are paramount to the game, many put equal stress on balance and stability. "You can't fire a canon from a canoe," states sports training expert Paul Chek, author of The Golf Biomechanic's Manual and founder of the C.H.E.K. Institute in Encinitas, California. Calling his concept "Whole in One Golf Conditioning," Chek outlines a comprehensive training plan because "few golfers associate the need for improved physical conditioning with their quest for improved performance." "The golf club head can travel over 100 mph. Plus, amateur golfers achieve 90% of their peak muscle activity when driving a golf ball--that's like lifting a weight four times to total fatigue--and golfers do that 30-40 times in a game! Take a guy off the golf course and have him squat 40 times and you'll have to call 911!" Chek exclaims, "And squats are safer than the golf swing!"

To prevent trauma to joints, Chek stresses that "Stability in the body must precede force generation." His system focuses on flexibility, maintaining the center of gravity, and good static and dynamic posture, while developing a motor program using exercises that complement the golf swing. "Flexibility, stability, strength, and power progression" are featured in Chek's workbook, which shows over 200 illustrations of detailed exercises, using a large Swiss ball, dowel rods, medicine balls, and cables. He is adamantly against using machines for weight training because they do not duplicate the movement needed, or foster the stability required to execute sports action.

Abdominals are a major concentration point for golfers, since stability comes from the abs and lower back, which are also intrinsically tied to the hamstrings and glutes. Therefore, hip, trunk and back rotator exercises, crunches and lunges are routinely a part of a golf work out. The flexibility is important as the body rotates through the swing, but likewise, the core strength is what keeps the body stable through the impact and follow-through.

"The goal is not muscle, the goal is an effective motion," states Paul Juris, Director of the Equinox Training Institute in New York. Like Chek, Juris stresses stability and movement for golf training, "You can lay on your back and do leg presses on a machine, but isolated leg strength won't help your swing. Leg strength, together with balance and coordination will help your body move through the phases of the swing and achieve the desired effect on the course." He also emphasizes that deceleration is as important as acceleration in the swing, "As the body moves faster, the torso and upper body have to deal with a greater force being generated by the legs. The more force you produce, the more force you have to absorb. If you can't control the force of a harder swing, you will lose stability and end up with a bad shot--or worse--an injury."

Juris has clients work on the proper timing of body movements from the take away to the follow-through to generate velocity. Then, he focuses on training the trunk, hips and lead leg to handle the slow down in body rotation after the club strikes the ball. His new golf training program for Equinox, includes basic lower body strengthening moves, like free standing half squats, one-legged squats for additional balance, step ups, hip abduction and extensions, and heel raises, all done in standing position similar to the golf stance. Core strengthening exercises, especially those that focus on rotation and replicate the golf swing, are added to build postural support, and balanced tension between the lumbar and abdominal muscles. More advanced exercises utilize balance boards and rotating disks, incorporated with cable column and heavy ball work. "These specific exercises improve hip stability, which minimizes hip slide during the downswing--a common problem for golfers," Juris explains.

Though many current golf magazine ads, internet sites and infomercials hype high-priced, high technology equipment and gadgets, such gear and gimmicks have been shown to have little effect on lowering golf scores. "The golfer plays the game, not the club," says Chek, "You're only as good as your body."
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Complete Conditioning for Golf by Pete Draovitch and Wayne Wescott. Learn some of Greg Norman's secrets to success from this full spectrum of golf fitness training exercises. A 15-minute Golf Fitness Program is also provided. $15.95 Call 800-747-4457 or www.humankinetics.com.

Exercises for Elite Golf Performance by Kelly Blackburn, $17.99, highlights the fitness program used by David Duval and provides a fitness analyzer and training for all levels. The "Fitness for Golf" video , $29.95, is for beginners while "Fitness for Golf" Manuals are available for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Each provides an 8-week workout for flexibility and strength training at $24.95. Call 800-315-2329. For fitness tips, a fitness analyzer, links to locate Elite Personal Fitness Trainers, Pro Spotlights and Ask Kelly Q&A's, visit www.golffitnesscenter.com or email Kelly at KBonTOUR@aol.com.

Flexi-Grip Ball - Comes with a video and flexibility and strength conditioning program for upper and lower body and balance, using the inflatable handled ball. Randy Myers, PGA Fitness Director at PGA National Resort & Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida demonstrates floor, stability and resistance exercises. $35 Call 800-528-2545 or email rjmyerspga@aol.com.

Golf Biomechanic's Manual - Whole In One Golf Conditioning by Paul Chek, MMS, HHP, NMT a concise, complete guide to golf specific training, filled with exercise illustrations that are applicable to other sports and total fitness. Endorsed by Bob Cisco, PGA Tour Instructor. $79.95 Call 800-552-8789 or www.paulchekseminars.com.

Sport Fit Card - This pocket-sized golf training guide by LA personal fitness trainer, Christopher Drozd, provides tips for better squats, crunches, shoulder joint integrity. Drozd advocates traditional strength training exercises to build better body mechanics and avoid injury. $19.95 www.sportfit.com

Sport FitKit for Golf - Three latex rubber devices (for light, medium and heavy resistance), a door attachment and an illustrated manual, show exercises to target injury prone areas and the muscles used in golf. $45 Call 888-283-0292 or www.simplefitnesssolutions.com.

Michelle McGann working out at PGA National (slides enclosed)

Cindy McGurdy promo photos (doubt that you'd want to use these, but prints enclosed)

Flexi-Grip Ball workout by Randy Myers - a ball, photo instruction program and photos being sent directly to you

Sport Fit Card for Golf (actual copy and slide of it enclosed) and slides of Christopher Drozd demonstrating various exercises (they did not come labeled, if you want to use, I can contact Chris about which ones you like and get exercise descriptions. I didn't quote him or use his exercises in the article, because he was the only one who suggested that pure strength training was good for golf--if you're stronger, you'll hit it longer philosophy. However, the card provides good core exercises and is a convenient, inexpensive guide for golfers who want to do basic strength training.)

Illustrations from The Golf Biomechanic's Manual showing key stabilization exercises (to be sent from Paul Chek's office to you as Tif files, via email)

Exercise for Elite Golf Performance by Kelly Blackburn, plus 2 photos of Kelly doing medicine ball rotational work with PGA golfer Franklin Langham.