Ultimate springtime golf fitness tips for "real" golfers

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

For those of you unfortunate enough to live in the North, you must be salivating at the thought of the spring golf season.

Hold on, Tiger. You ain't the man you used to be. You can't just jump up and go straight to the golf course after a long winter of sloth and mold.

Now, you will find any number of charlatans willing to sell you their total golf fitness regimens. These sleazoids always assume you're a golfer interested in a cleaner, healthier way of living and golfing. I've seen you out on the course, and I know that's not the sort of thing you're "into."

So here is my total golf fitness regimen for the "real" golfer:

• For God's sake, you have to strengthen your core! This involves eating really hard food, like jawbreakers. Eat a bag of those and have your neighbor punch you in the gut to see if your core is all it can be.

Options: Month-old fudge, Purina Dog Chow, pine bark.

• You also have to really work your obliques, I mean really work the hell out of them. Here's the perfect exercise for that. Lie flat on your back with knees bent slightly wider than your hips. If you have really fat hips, you're either going to have to really stretch your knees like in a cartoon, like The Elastic Man from India, or just skip this exercise. In fact, if you have really fat hips, just skip playing golf, nobody wants to see you out on the course.

Now, you slim-hipped people reach your hands to the ceiling like you're crying out for the Lord Jesus Christ to spare you from your miserable existence. You can hold light hand-weights, or not. What do I care? Lift your head and chest toward the ceiling and rotate to reach both hands just outside of your fat, right knee. Repeat on the left side. Now, take a breather. Ask Christ for forgiveness.

• Breathing exercises: Breathing properly and deeply is critical, especially for those tense moments on the course when normally you would start crying.
This deep-breathing exercise involves attending your local adult movie house, or calling up one of those sites on your Internet browser. Follow your instincts. It's either that or follow mine, and then you're looking at jail time.
• Horizontal abduction/adduction: I can't give you much help here, because I always get "horizontal" confused with "vertical," and I have no idea what adduction is. Who came up with that word, anyway? It's a stupid word and should be eliminated from the English language, if it's even English.

• Standing hip rotation: Don't do this. It makes you look like a girl.

• Alcohol fitness: How many times have you lost $2 Nassaus because while you were getting hamboned, your playing partners were just holding up that bottle of Jack Black pretending to drink?

Well, no need to waste good liquor. You can still drink and maintain your competitive edge. You just need to build up a tolerance. Stand upright in a dark closet, with a wide stance, and suck it down. Keep drinking until your wife leaves you.

• Aerobics: Ha! Don't make me laugh. This is golf!

• Putting: Don't bother to practice putting. Putting in golf is overrated. I play golf maybe 200 times a year and I've yet to meet anyone who can putt. You either make it or you don't. If you miss, just keep putting until the ball goes in the hole. Simple.

• Seniors: As we age, our bodies react differently, so seniors must prepare for golf differently than young punks. An important thing to remember is that there is an inverse relationship of increased ear hair to laughably short drives off the tee.

So keep those ear hairs trim and neat. If you're proud of your thick mane of ear hair, don't sweat it. If you're short off the tee, you're probably small in other areas, and I think you know what I'm talking about.

• Excuses: A healthy psychological outlook is a must for Better Golf. If you can convince yourself that the snap hook you hit into the weeds over there is not your doing at all, you'll retain the confidence needed to excel in the game.

The first time you smack one of your all-too-typical lousy shots, turn to your playing partner and snarl," "Will you stop that!" Look at him, looking all hurt and everything. Who would have thought golf fitness could be so much fun?

• Torque development in the downswing: This is so important, I can barely contain myself. This is vital to any golfer who has ever wanted to improve his score. You could even say it is absolutely critical in terms of reaching your full potential as a golfer and knowing what it is to be truly human.

• Alignment and posture: Face the target squarely and stand erect, with your rump jutting out slightly. Feels a little silly, doesn't it? Can you think of another situation in life where you would position yourself in such an odd manner? I can't.

Big 12 Golfers of the Month Named for March

April 9, 2008

IRVING, Texas -- Trent Leon (Oklahoma State) and Nacho Elvira (Texas A&M) has been named the Big 12 Men's Golfers of the Month while Pennapa Pulsawath (Iowa State) has been chosen as the Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Month for tournament play in the month of March, the conference office announced.

Trent Leon, Oklahoma State, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Leon recorded two top-20 finishes and fired three rounds below 70 during the month of March. The junior claimed his first career win at the U.S. Collegiate Championship with his three-round score of 8-under 208 (69-69-70). The honor marked his sixth career top-10 finish. Leon was named the Southern Golf Association's National Amateur of the Month following his victory. The Dallas, Texas native also tied for 17th at the Puerto Rico Classic.

Nacho Elvira, Texas A&M, Fr., Santander, Spain
Elvira earned three top-13 finishes including two top-six performances while shooting par or better in seven of nine rounds played in March. The freshman captured the individual title at the Barona Collegiate Cup with a 12-under 204 (67-71-66), just one stroke off the school record for 54 holes. He led his team to a first place finish and received National Player of the Week honors from Golfweek and Golf World. Elvira tied for sixth at the U.S. Collegiate Championship with a one-under 215 and opened up the month with a tie for 13th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

Seniors Drive OU to Tie for Third

NORMAN, Okla. - Seniors Heather Wright and Kelly Jacques led the way for the No. 40 University of Oklahoma women's golf team Sunday as the Sooners finished in a tie for third place with Texas Tech at the 17-team MountainView Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz. It marked the best finish of the spring season for OU, which posted a final-round 302 at the 6,178-yard, par-72 MountainView Golf Course.

"We worked real hard today, but couldn't get anything going," said OU head coach Carol Ludvigson, whose team was tied for the lead heading into Sunday. "I am excited about Heather and Kelly's finishes, and Ryanne (Elmer) did awesome today. We will take this and use it to know that we can put ourselves in the position to win. Now we just have to close the deal."

Wright fired a final-round 73 (+1) to finish alone in third place at 218 (+2), the best tournament finish of her career. She finished three shots behind medalist Lauren Harling of Indiana.

Jacques carded a matching 73 to vault into an 11th-place tie with a three-round score of 221 (+5). It is her 18th career top-20 finish, and marks the sixth time in eight events this season that she has finished in the top 12.

Junior Kendall Dye shot a 79, good enough for her 10th career top 20. She tied for 20th place at 224 (+8).

Sophomore Ryanne Elmer had the round of the day for the Sooners en route to a career-best 18-hole score. Her final-round 72 made it two consecutive days that she posted her career-low. She tied for 31st place at 226 (+10) competing as an individual.

Freshman Ellen Mueller shot a 77 (+5) to tie for 43rd place at 228 (+12), and junior Staci Smoot finished in a tie for 85th at 241 (+25) after a final-round 83.

OU finished 11 strokes behind tournament champion Indiana, but just two shots back of second-place San Jose State. Of the nine Big 12 teams competing in the event, the Sooners and Texas Tech were tops.

"The pressure of this tournament will help us going into next week and the Big 12 Championship," Coach Ludvigson said. "This week we will be working hard on putting and knockdown shots."

OU now prepares to host its home tournament, the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, April 6-7 at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Club.

"We are excited to play at our home event," Ludvigson said. "We look forward to a team and individual win."

Action begins in Norman next Sunday at 8 a.m. CT.

Team Standings
1. Indiana - 294-295-291=880 (+16)
2. San Jose State - 287-308-294=889 (+25)
T3. Oklahoma - 287-302-302=891 (+27)
T3. Texas Tech - 293-301-297=891 (+27)
5. Missouri - 290-301-301=892 (+28)
T6. Nebraska - 296-299-300=895 (+31)
T6. Louisville - 294-301-300=895 (+31)
8. East Carolina - 299-297-305=901 (+37)
9. Iowa State - 304-295-304=903 (+39)
10. Michigan - 305-298-304=907 (+43)
11. Kansas - 299-308-302=909 (+45)
12. Colorado - 300-304-306=910 (+46)
13. Kansas State - 306-299-307=912 (+48)
14. Northwestern - 302-303-310=915 (+51)
15. Colorado State - 310-305-307=922 (+58)
16. Baylor - 307-309-314=930 (+66)
17. Boise State - 310-317-312=939 (+75)

Individual Standings
1. Lauren Harling, Indiana - 73-70-72=215 (-1)
2. Erica Moston, San Jose State - 68-72-76=216 (E)
3. Heather Wright, Oklahoma - 69-76-73=218 (+2)
T4. Pennapa Pulsawath, Iowa State - 74-71-74=219 (+3)
T4. Laura Nochta, Indiana - 70-73-76=219 (+3)
T4. Gloriana Soto, Texas Tech (Individual) - 73-77-69=219 (+3)

OU Individual Standings
3. Heather Wright - 69-76-73=218 (+2)
T11. Kelly Jacques - 72-76-73=221 (+5)
T20. Kendall Dye - 70-75-79=224 (+8)
T31. Ryanne Elmer (Individual) - 78-76-72=226 (+10)
T43. Ellen Mueller - 76-75-77=228 (+12)
T85. Staci Smoot - 79-79-83=241 (+25)

Oklahoma State Ranked #6

NCAA Men's: Division I Teams

Division II - Division III

                                   Adjusted   Avg.            
                        Division   Scoring   Drop   Versus#  
   Team                  *Record   Average  Score   Top 25    Wins@
  1 Alabama, U. of        289-  0    71.32   76.99    23- 0      5
 2 Georgia, U. of        288-  1    71.35   76.45    19- 1      2
 3 UCLA                  287-  2    72.24   76.57    13- 2      2
 4 Charlotte             286-  3    71.34   75.37    16- 3      4
 5 Southern California   285-  4    72.64   76.80    15- 4      1
 6 Oklahoma State U.     281-  8    72.64   76.72    13- 6      1
 7 Georgia Tech          281-  8    72.09   77.98    11- 8      0
 8 Florida, U. of        280-  9    72.67   77.65    14- 9      1
 9 Stanford University   280-  9    72.41   76.88     8- 8      1
10 Tennessee, Univ. of   279- 10    72.25   77.01    12-10      2
11 Duke University       278- 11    72.70   76.99    11- 9      1
12 Florida State Univ.   277- 12    73.16   76.94    10-11      2
13 Auburn University     275- 14    71.88   76.17    10- 8      1
14 Wake Forest Univ.     275- 14    72.69   77.66     9-11      1
15 South Carolina        275- 14    72.61   77.51     9-12      1
16 Clemson University    271- 18    72.77   77.51     3-14      0
17 Mississippi, U. of    269- 20    72.50   78.53     4-10      4
18 UCF                   269- 20    73.04   78.55     5-18      1
19 Tenn.-Chattanooga     269- 20    71.92   76.40     2-13      2
20 UNLV                  269- 20    71.71   75.96     3-13      2
21 Indiana University    268- 21    73.39   77.62     4-13      1
22 UAB                   266- 23    72.69   77.87     6-11      1
23 Texas Tech Univ.      266- 23    72.69   77.31     3-15      3
24 Louisville, U. of     265- 24    72.92   77.42     6-10      1
25 Michigan State U.     264- 25    73.64   77.60     3-13      1 

Oklahoma Christian Remains No. 1 Men's Golf Fall Rating

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma Christian men's golf team earned all 13 first place votes and remained No. 1 in the 2008 National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men's Golf Rating. The Eagles received 325 total points.

The next four spots also stayed the same from the fall rating. British Columbia claimed the second spot with 307 total points while Oklahoma City occupied No. 3 spot with 295 points. No. 4 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and No. 5 Texas Wesleyan rounded out the Top-5 with 284 and 263 total points respectively.

The next rating will be released on March 28, 2008.

2007 NAIA Men's Golf Rating - Feb. 29

RANK	LAST WEEK	SCHOOL	1ST PLACE VOTES	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Oklahoma Christian University (VI)	13	325
2	2	University of British Columbia (I)		307
3	3	Oklahoma City University (VI)		295
4	4	Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) (II)		284
5	5	Texas Wesleyan University (VI)		263
6	8	Johnson & Wales University (Fla.) (XIV)		259
7	6	University of Victoria (B.C.) (I)		246
8	7	Berry College (Ga.) (XIII)		242
9	9	Lindenwood University (Mo.) (V)		211
10	10	Wayland Baptist University (Texas) (VI)		209
11	11	Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) (VII)		200
12	12	Campbellsville University (Ky.) (XI)		186
13	13	Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) (I)		147
14	15	California State University-East Bay (II)		143
15	14	Malone College (Ohio) (IX)		138
16	16	Davenport University (Mich.) (VIII)		135
17	19	University of Mobile (Ala.) (XIII)		93
18	17	Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) (XI)		88
19	20	Northwood University (Texas) (VI)		84
20	18	Concordia University (Ore.) (I)		72
21	22	William Woods University (Mo.) (V)		50
22	25	California State University-San Marcos (II)		45
23	24	Ohio Dominican University (IX)		34
24	RV	Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) (VI)		29
25	RV	Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) (XIV)		28

Others receiving votes: Lewis-Clark (Idaho) (I) 24; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (III) 23; Shorter (Ga.) (XIII) 14; Warner Southern (Fla.) (XIV) 13; Webber International (Fla.) (XIV) 8; Concordia (Calif.) (II) 6; Cedarville (Ohio) (IX) 5; Bethel (Ind.) (VIII) 5; Grand View (Iowa) (VII) 4; Thomas (Ga.) (XIV) 4; Indiana Wesleyan (VIII) 3; Midland Lutheran (Neb.) (III) 1; Lee (Tenn.) (XIII) 1; Tennessee Wesleyan (XII) 1.

Inexperience can lead to golf outing headaches

Helpful hints to aid the search

Keeping it fun

• Find a trusted co-worker or friend who knows his golf to lend a hand with the planning.
• Book a resort or venue that offers activities other than golf.
• Choose a course that is familiar with hosting events and tournaments.
• Don't group players by handicap.
• Plan a social event for before or after the golf outing.

Even on the sunniest of days, putting together a round of golf can be a challenge. For the business owner planning his first golfing event, the logistics can be overwhelming.

"No one realizes how much planning goes into your first golf outing," said Kenn Klarich, golf sales manager at Château Élan in Braselton.

Teaming up with a well-connected sales person at the right golf venue will ensure that a good time will be had by all.

Whether hosting a golf tournament for employees, clients, vendors or a mix, keeping the event low-key can avoid the stresses that come along with a competitive sport.

2008 Senior Open Can Boast Of Volunteers From All 50 States

Far Hills, N.J. - Ron Diltz and Mike Kelly first became acquainted when their sons began playing high school football in Anchorage, Alaska. They quickly discovered a mutual love for outdoor activities – hunting, fishing and even golf – and their friendship soon extended beyond Friday night games.

Even after Kelly moved back to his native Colorado in 1999, the two remained close. Last year, they went pheasant hunting in North Dakota.

This summer, the get-together will take place a little closer to Kelly’s backyard in Colorado Springs. With the U.S. Senior Open heading to The Broadmoor, Kelly signed up to be a volunteer for the championship. And he thought it would be a neat idea to bring his buddy down from Alaska to share in the activity.

“I sucked him in,” said Kelly. “I only live a couple of miles from [The Broadmoor], so it seemed like the right thing to do.”

Diltz will be one of many individuals making a long trek to Colorado Springs this July to be part of the 3,000-plus volunteer force for the Senior Open (July 31-Aug. 3). In fact, this year’s championship will have volunteers from all 50 states. It’s the first time that a volunteer from every state has participated in the same championship.

Colorado residents understandably make up 78.5 percent of the volunteers, but others have decided to travel considerable distances to help out. Diltz will journey 3,275 miles; Sandra Webb from Kailua Kona, Hawaii has the farthest hike, at 3,309 miles.

The USGA would have a difficult time conducting championships without volunteers' participation. (John Mummert/USGA)

The participation from near and far even had the management company that handles the U.S. Senior Open for the USGA pleasantly surprised.

“It’s very unusual [to have all 50 states represented],” said Jeff Yeager, the volunteer manager for Bruno Event Team. “I would say 40 to 45 states [is normal], but to get over the 45 mark, it’s something of a unique status.”

Part of the lure is this year’s site. The Broadmoor is a world-class resort located in an area where there are plenty of alternative activities when people are not on-site working. Yeager said The Broadmoor, which attracts guests from throughout the world, also solicited volunteers through various means of communication.

“We had started a waiting list of about 100 volunteers, but after looking at a few numbers, we have almost added all 100 of those [people] from our waiting list,” said Yeager. “So it’s been really terrific.”

Some people love being a part of the championship so much that they keep coming back. Arkansas residents Jack Cato and his brother-in-law Bill Foster will be making their fourth consecutive appearance at the Senior Open. They first volunteered at the 2005 event at the NCR Club outside of Dayton, Ohio.

“We’ve made the Senior Open part of our summer vacations so we can get out and see new parts of the country,” said Cato, who is retired. “This will be our first visit to Colorado and I am excited to see the state and the Rocky Mountains.”

In 2005, the two served on the transportation committee. Last year, they were walking scorers. Cato went with Jim Thorpe and R.W. Eaks in the final round. In ’05, Cato said he drove Gil Morgan, Fuzzy Zoeller and Thorpe. He also got to meet Tom Watson. This year, they will be on-course marshals, just like in 2006 at Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, Kan.

“Especially in transportation, you get to meet a lot of [contestants] because you are right there with them,” said Cato. “When you are working out on the course, you see them but you don’t necessarily get to talk with them.

“But we’ve enjoyed it and it’s been a good experience. We haven’t decided if we are going to do it next year [at Crooked Stick] or not. We’ll probably make that decision after this year’s tournament.”

Of course, having the championship in a smaller market like Colorado Springs, which does not have major sporting events on an annual basis, also adds an element of excitement not found in a major metropolis. The 1999 U.S. Senior Open in Des Moines, Iowa, drew some 50,000 spectators for the final round.

The retired Kelly moved back to Colorado Springs after a working in oil business in California and Alaska in the 1980s.

“You can get lost in places like Denver and Atlanta, but not here,” said Kelly. “An event like this is a pretty big deal for us.”

Just seeing a major golf event in person is a big opportunity for Diltz. Alaska is one state that has never hosted a USGA championship. Outside of the Iditarod dogsled race, the state is devoid of nationally recognized sporting events.

Diltz admitted that his outdoor activities of choice are hunting and fishing. But he does enjoy an occasional round of golf, including an indoor version played on a simulator. Alaska’s outdoor golf season is quite short, so many people play indoors during the harsh winters to keep their swings in rhythm.

“I’m just a weekend hacker,” said Diltz, a sales manager for an office supply company in Anchorage. “But I’m excited … to watch some of my idols. I still don’t know what we will be doing. It probably will be gallery control. No matter what it is, it will be fun.”