The best thing about prolonging your golf career is that it goes hand in hand with an overall healthy lifestyle!

Until the emergence of Tiger Woods in the mid-1990s, golf aptitude was not taken too seriously. Tiger changed all that. By now everyone is aware of this. Last year there was a story about Rory Mcilroy’s fitness level. He said that after talking to Tiger in late 2010, he realized he wasn’t doing enough. If you look at the photos of Rory in 2010 compared to 2012 and now, there is a noticeable difference. It has been strengthened in a big way and is still incredibly flexible. Obviously, he worked really hard, and it certainly paid off (2-time main winner, # 1 in the World Golf Rankings, PGA Player of the Year, and European Tour Golfer of the Year). Rory’s trainer says he has gained 20 pounds of muscle mass since 2010. That’s a ton for a man who is just 5 feet 9 inches tall.

So this is the point where everyone thinks, “Sure, but he’s a professional athlete and all they have to think about is staying in shape,” etc. There are many excuses to go around. You can invent them all day and in the end you won’t get anywhere. Rory exercises 5 times a week for 90 minutes. I guarantee that you not only find time to exercise, but you also make time to exercise. He sees fitness as an extremely important part of his golf game and so should everyone. Not only will it make you a better player, it will prolong your playing career and improve all aspects of your life. It doesn’t have to be 90 minutes a day, even 30 minutes a day will do wonders for most people. And well, how many of you have to fly to different cities each week, talk to the press, film commercials, practice your game of golf (many tour professionals practice more than 8 hours a day) and play in grueling tournaments. If you are concerned about your golf game and your overall health, you should TAKE time to exercise and stay in shape.

I’ll get into some real golf drills another day as there are so many different opinions and ideas to talk about. But in general, do something. Find a show and go for it. Work some flexibility or stretching into your routine (yoga is great for golf) and you’ll feel much better in all aspects of life, much less on the golf course. Your game will improve and you will be able to play longer!

Forget the excuses and, as Rory and Tiger now say, “Do it!”