Even when it is rather obvious that leading names in the game like the legendary Tiger Woods heavily rely on staying in good shape for the game by having personal trainers and by being involved in golf specific exercises.

By far the main reason why most still fear and avoid exercise for golfers is the belief that they will develop muscles. Actually lifting weights are a very effective way of toning the golf-specific muscles for the game, by strengthening them. Strength training using weights will never increase the size of your muscles.

Nobody would loathe building big muscles more than most lady golfers. Yet many of them have dramatically improved their games by increasing their strength through golf-specific weight training.

Actually you need to be in the gym several hours a day lifting very heavy weights to develop a weight-lifters&’ muscles. The weight-lifting exercise regime for golf involves lifting lighter weights many more times over a very short period of time compared to a weightlifter looking for muscles with heavier weights lifted fewer times at a time but for longer hours daily.

The fact that many lady golfers have been able to dramatically improve their game by getting involved in exercises for a golfers, but have not build heavy stiff muscles, should be encouragement enough for many amateurs to seriously consider exercise for a golfer programs.

Apart from weights, most of the exercises for a golfer involve stretch exercises designed to improve a golf swing. Some of these stretch exercises for a golfer can easily be done form the comfort of an office or home when you have a moment to spare.

As many mature golfers anticipate the opportunity to play even more golf, they are confronted with the limitations of their failing bodies.

Driven to stay in the game, many are realizing the importance of golf conditioning.

With age comes a decrease in muscle mass, range of motion, body awareness (balance) and muscular endurance.

The good news is men and women older than the age of 50 can build strength and develop muscle at the same rate as adults much younger than them, according to a 1996 study conducted by Wayne Wescott, who co-wrote, “Strength Training Past 50″.

This is the time period that can make or break your future golfing life.

You may be surprised to learn that:

* More than 60 percent of amateur golfers sustained one or more golf-related injuries over the course of their playing years.

* The above number was higher for players over the age of fifty.

* The average injury kept the amateur golfer off the course for more than five weeks.

* The highest percentage was the lower back, then the elbow,wrist,shoulder and so on.

The bottom line…take care of the most important equipment you’ve got… YOU!

This article is a brief overview of what we believe you should evaluate and consider before forking out the cash for professional golf instruction. Before we get into the meat of it there are two things we want you to be sure to do before you begin shopping. The first is determining what it is you want to improve on, the second is setting your price limit for lessons. Without knowing what you want to improve on you can easily waste a lesson, and if you don’t know what you can afford to spend, well that’s for another article on budgeting but trust us it’s better to set a price ahead of time.

Private, Golf School, Or Videos

When looking for golf lessons the first thing you need to decide is how you want to learn. Do you want to enroll for private one-on-one lessons with an instructor? Enroll in a golf school where a pro teaches several people at once, or try your hand at golf instructional videos from home. All of these scenarios will improve your game pending you do the work necessary. There is no silver bullet for golf improvement.

Private lessons will be the most expensive, before you start shopping you should have a clear idea of your price point, and stick to that. Higher end courses and practice facilities will likely have a higher price for lessons. How ever that doesn’t always mean you’ll receive better quality instruction. Look for experienced instructors, again they will generally be higher priced, but they’ll be able to fix your troubles quicker. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can meet the instructor before agreeing to lessons, you’re going to be paying a premium dollar for their services so it only makes sense that you should feel comfortable in them as a person and their skills as a teacher.

If you’re more drawn to enroll in a golf school to improve your game be sure to ask what the average number of students per instructor is. Just like any school if there are too many students in a class you won’t be able to ask any questions or have one-on-one time with the teacher. One downfall to a golf school is that they often provide a ton of golf info in a short period of time, and generally don’t have follow up lessons. While this is great for beginner golfers to achieve a perfect foundation of the game, it can mean you’ll require additional instruction later on.

I want to say a quick bit about how golf videos are catching on as an instructional method. If you’re a intermediate or beginner golfer than this is a very viable option for you, especially if you want to get that over view of the entire mechanics and finer points of the game. For forty bucks or so you can purchase some excellent golf instructional videos that will allow you to learn at your own pace, and refer to if you don’t remember particular points. How ever, for advanced golfers videos will likely move to slow, and won’t offer the pin point information you need to cut those next 3-5 strokes from your handicap.

So to sum it up, if you’re a beginner or intermediate golfer consider videos, and/or a golf school to improve your game. There’s a possibility you’ll eventually take some one-on-one lessons once you feel your game has peaked but for now it will give you drills to practice and allow you to shoot more consistently. How ever if you’re already an advanced golfer and just trying to get under 80 maybe a couple of private golf lessons would be better served for the money.

Here are a few things to be careful of when booking your next golf trip.

1. Cart Fees.
Many courses will require you to rent a cart, even though your package deal never mentioned it. Make sure you know up front if cart fees are included and or required.

2. Course Surcharges
You may be offered to &’upgrade&’ to a better course when you arrive at your destination. This is a common practice in many areas. The fact is that the course you &’upgrade&’ to in many cases will not be any better than the course you are booked on.

3. Internet Deals
Many golf trips these days are sold by internet resellers. The price may be right, but they have no idea of the local market. They are selling a commodity and could care less what other events are happening in the area or what local conditions are. Dealing with local people in the area you plan to visit will eliminate many of these surprises.

4. Do you need a &’package&’ deal?

You will find that package deals sometimes will cost you more than just booking a hotel and a &’golf&’ market and winging it. Once you book your accommodations, the concierge or front desk will be able to direct you to the best deals. This works especially during the off peak times. So many people get involved in the package deals that the prices can be increased by 50-75% over what it would cost you to book it yourself.

To save a ton of money, call the local area Better Business Bureau (all the offices are online at bbb.com) and ask for information on the local public courses. In addition just Google &’Golf In &’), you will come up with a ton of options.

-Wearing improper or uncomfortable gear on the golf course. Improper gear such as, tee shirts with word phrases or sayings that have nothing to do with golf such as: &’I&’ve been married to my ball and chain for 20 years&’.HELP!&’ should not be worn on the course. When in doubt&’stick to plain golf shirts with neutral shades such as white, beige, red, black purple and grey.

Another big no-no is wearing a shirt and tie with slacks and your everyday office shoes is in appropriate gear and should be saved for your next corporate meeting, not a golf game.

-Good manners are not just for the dinning room table or your favorite restaurant.&’ Before your first day on the course, make sure that you eat healthy. Save the chili hotdogs for the Super Bowl. Stay away from foods that cause gas and other ailments.

Make sure that you do not skip your meals. It would be tragic if you fainted and had to be carried to the hospital in a stretcher.

Golf is a very quite yet intense game. Leave the following things at home: Your 1980&’s radio box. Many people feel that every sport should include music, including their golf game. Save the music boxes for your next family reunion but

-If you are a pet lover leave your pets at home. Pets are not permitted on the golf course&’it is not cute.

-Yelling and obnoxious talking is not permitted. Leave the talking for after the game. Whistling and singing are very poor etiquette.

-The ultimate don&’t is forgetting to place your cell phone on vibrate. The major don&’t is answering and making unnecessary phone calls while your opponent is putting.

-Practice truly does make perfection, especially during a golf game. Don&’t act as if you know everything there is to know about golf. If you do, you must have something to back it up like playing a good game.