The key to playing par golf is to focus on more than just golf techniques, and pay attention to your entire body. Fitness is key to any sport, whether youre running up and down a basketball court, throwing the pigskin or playing the links. Without a proper fitness routine, your body is not going to be able to deliver the results you need.

When it comes to golf, there are four basic elements to good fitness: balance, flexibility, strength and endurance. You will want to assess how well you currently perform in each of these categories to determine how you should plan your fitness routine. If you find that one area poses difficulties for you, you will want to begin slowly in that area and work up to harder exercises and stretches. As with any new fitness routine, make sure your doctor has cleared you to begin.

Balance is essential in golf. Golfers who have exceptional balance will have more efficient reaction times and movement speed, because improved balance allows them to execute weight transfer and hip rotation without jeopardizing a stable address position.

Flexibility allows your muscles to extend through their full range of motion when you swing; it is actually the single most important physical characteristic likely to influence your golf swing. If your body is tight in any one area, your swing is going to be hindered and swing alterations begin.

Strength is what provides you with power behind your swing and distance to your drive. In addition, adding strength to your golf muscles will help prevent injury. In golf, focus on your go muscles and not your show muscles.

Finally, endurance is what keeps your game in peak performance whether you are teeing off on the first hole or sinking a putt on the last hole. If you have stamina and endurance, you can count on a good performance throughout your game and not worry about fatigue setting in midway through.

All of these areas can be addressed through exercises and stretches incorporated into a fitness routine. Once your body can meet the demands of your golf game, you have a basis to build upon by perfecting techniques and skills. Together, these tasks will turn you into a par golfer.

Susan Hill

Susan Hill is the President of Fitness for Golf, a website dedicated to helping golfers improve through golf specific programs.

Susan has earned national certifications as a fitness trainer with several organizations including the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the International Sports Science Association, and the American Council on Exercise. She currently trains golfers of all levels at the Sunriver Resort, a top U.S. golf destination resort in Sunriver, Oregon.

As a Chek certified Golf Biomechanic and Sports Performance Nutritionist, she is now among an elite group of golf fitness experts nationwide. Susan has worked with hundreds of golfers ranging in skills from beginners just taking up the game of golf to collegiate, amateur and tour players looking for a more competitive edge.

She is a contributing writer to Golf Illustrated, a guest speaker at private and public golf clubs, and a published writer on topics of health, fitness and golf. She was selected as one of the top three trainers as the Trainer of the Year 2003, having been chosen among over 85,000 trainers across the country.

Her work has also been featured in SELF magazine and on ESPN radio.