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.

PA Toyota Dealers agrees to major sponsorship

The Western Pennsylvania Toyota Dealers will be the presenting sponsor of four WPGA championships 2008-2010, two individual titles and two team competitions. They include the Amateur and Senior Amateur as individual titles and two foursomes championships-Fred Brand and Semple Brothers Century. Toyota's overall support of Association activities will be $10,000 annually.

"We're delighted with Toyota's support and the overall results of our first year in securing sponsors," commented WPGA Executive Director Jeff Rivard. Toyota has a history of supporting various golf competitions, including the Pennsylvania Toyota Dealers sponsorship of Pennsylvania Golf Association championships. Among programs at some of these WPGA events will be the display of Toyota vehicles by local Toyota auto dealers association.

The Amateur, along with the West Penn Open, is the area's oldest championship, starting in 1899. The defending champion is Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh, who won the 2003 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship. It will be played June 23-24 at Bedford Springs Resort's Old Course with qualifying sites at Cedarbrook, Iron Masters, Seven Oaks and Lakeview. The Senior Amateur, originated in 1929, is scheduled for Sinking Valley on June 11, north of Altoona. Don Erickson, III, DuBois, won last year's version. The Fred Brand Foursomes, started in 1954, has been played at Longue Vue Club in Verona since 1983, was won by Dave Ruffaner and Rob Voltz. It's scheduled for April 24.

The Semple Brothers, one of the Association's newest championships started in 2004 as a stand alone competition, started in 1996 in conjunction with the Brand. It began on its own at Allegheny in 2004. Last year's winners are Peter Dellovade and Eric Swart, who will defend their title on May 8.

BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Combining classic style with modern technology and agronomics, Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club will unveil this season its r

The Old Course at Bedford Springs Resort has been selected to host the 108th West Penn Amateur Championship, scheduled for June 23-24, 2008. The tournament starts with a field of 78 playing 36 holes the first day, with a cut to the low 32 and ties (or within seven shots of the lead) for the second day. Nathan Smith, from Pinecrest, Pa., is the defending champion. On-line registration and more details are available at www.wpga.org.

ESPN Qualifiers To Challenge Old Course

The ESPN National Golf Challenge is to stage a regional finals qualifying tournament at the Old Course on Sunday, May 18, 2008. The winning twosome teams from the gross and net competition qualify to play in the nationals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-26. The ESPN Challenge is open to the public. Call 814-624-5637 or visit www.espngolf.com for more details.

Old Course Ranked No. 1 In The State

Golfweek magazine has listed the Old Course at No. 1 among classic public-access golf courses in Pennsylvania, as part of the publication’s annual “Golfweek’s Best” series. It was the first time the renovated Old Course, which reopened last June, was eligible for the rankings, and ranked No. 4 overall among the classic (build before 1960) and modern public-access courses in the state.

Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd. is the owner and developer of the Bedford Springs Resort project. The Resort is managed by Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally. For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark's Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY GOLF TEAM TO CALL PRESTIGIOUS ACE CLUB HOME

PHILADELPHIA, PA?The Philadelphia University golf team has reached an agreement with the ACE Club for the course to serve as the team's home venue beginning with the 2008-09 academic year. Director of Athletics Tom Shirley made the announcement today, adding that the Rams will use the course for practice only this spring with the team's 2008 schedule already completed.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our golf program, providing our student-athletes with an elite golf course to call home and one that is just minutes from campus," said Shirley of the agreement. "I would like to thank (ACE Club Vice President and General Manager) Kris Fair as well as (Membership Director) David Sands for their hard work in making this a reality. Our president, Dr. Spinelli, as well as Jim Hartman, Assistant Vice President of Finance and Administration at Philadelphia University, as well, for their tireless work in getting this done."

The ACE Club, formerly known as Eagle Lodge Country Club, is located in Lafayette Hill, Pa. and measures 7500 yards to the furthest tees and plays to a par of 72. The course hosts the annual Exelon Challenge each summer, a four-man PGA pro event that featured Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Charles Howell III and Retief Goosen last year.

"Our team is very excited to play at the ACE Club," added first-year Head Coach Tony Berich. "The course is without question one of the top tracks in the golf-rich Philadelphia area and we are very fortunate. As far as our team playing the course, the challenging length and design set forth by Mr. Player will ready us for our matches like no other course could. We would like to thank Dr. Spinelli, Tom Shirley and Mr. Hartman, along with everyone at the ACE Club, for the opportunity and we are very excited to get started."

The Rams capped their fall season by participating in the Dominican College Invitational on October 14-15 and will begin play in the spring with a quad match at Island Green Country Club, hosted by Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) foe University of the Sciences on March 28th. "Our fall didn't go as planned in terms of results, but the team has worked extremely hard over the winter and with our lineup set, we should be significantly better this spring."

Temple Golf Tees It Up Under New Leadership In 2008

PHILADELPHIA - When first-year head coach and former letterwinner Brian Quinn was teeing it up for the Cherry and White, Temple was recognized as one of the top teams in the Mid-Atlantic region. Quinn has plans of returning the Owls to regional and even national prominence with a simple plan.

"We want to run a first-class program," Quinn said. "We're going to do things the right way. The guys will look professional and hopefully they will play like professionals."

A four-time All-East and All-Atlantic 10 selection as a senior in 1990, Quinn led Temple to three NCAA appearances and spent 16 years as a professional golfer. Currently the director of instruction at BQ Golf Academy, Quinn is certainly qualified to guide TU back to its spot among the conference and region's best.

The Owls had one of their best fall seasons in recent memory, even as many players worked hard to adjust to swing changes. Temple finished second in a pair of events (Bucknell and Mount St. Mary's), laying the groundwork for an even-better spring season.

Temple will be led by redshirt junior Paul Amess, who paced the Owls with a 74.9 stroke average last spring and was second on the team this fall with a 74.6 average. A big-hitter off the tee, Amess posted a pair of top-five finishes in the fall. He is equally skilled in the classroom, posting a 3.9 GPA as a finance major, earning Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area honors.

"Paul is my definition of a student-athlete," Quinn said. "He has the potential to play golf for a living. His biggest strength is how far he hits the golf ball and his touch around the greens. I'm real excited for Paul's future here at Temple and beyond."

Junior Adam Pifer is looking forward to a successful spring season after revamping his swing. He was inconsistent in five events this fall, finishing with a 78.4 stroke average, but showed signs of returning to his 2006-07 form. The Telford, PA native led the team with a 75.1 average a year ago.

"Adam had a tough fall and you can blame that totally on me," Quinn said. "He needed to make some swing changes and I look for him to be ready to go this spring. He loves golf and has a great work ethic. Once he feels a little more comfortable with his swing, he's going to have a really good season and a real future in golf."

Sophomore Eric Plisko played his way into the team's top scoring average (74.3) this fall. The smooth-swinger led the team in two events and had a team-best three top 20 finishes. The Sugar Notch, PA native posted a five-over score of 73-70-72=215 at The McLaughlin.

"He has the simplest golf swing you'll ever see," Quinn said. "Eric hits it far and is the best iron-hitter on the team. He's another guy that could have a career playing golf."

Redshirt freshman Sasha Bozic and true freshman Andrew Mason both made quick adjustments to collegiate golf. Bozic finished with a 76.3 average this fall, including a ninth place finish at the Mount St. Mary's Fall Classic (77-72=149, +5).

"Sasha is a really good kid," Quinn said. "He has all the ability in the world and he's going to be a real good college golfer. His technique is better than 99% of the people that play golf."

Mason was brilliant at times, picking up two Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. He burst onto the scene with an eighth place finish in his first event, the Bucknell Invitational, with a 71-76-71=218 (+8). After going through some swing changes, he returned to his early season form with a ninth-place showing at Mount St. Mary's (71-78=149, +5).

"Andrew is only going to get better," Quinn said. "He has a ton of ability and one of the best moves through the ball you will ever see. The sky is the limit for him."

Junior Kevin Busteed competed in three events with a 78.8 scoring average this fall. His best career performance came last spring at the Treasure Coast Classic, when he shot a 72-71-72=214 (+1).

"Kevin's made some nice changes with his golf swing," Quinn said. "He has worked very hard on his technique and I'm looking for him to be much more consistent. Kevin doesn't realize how good he really is."

A pair of freshmen, Mike Boyd and Joseph Kim, will most likely redshirt this season.

"My dream is for three or four of them to win a golf tournament," Quinn said. "At the end of the day, golf is an individual sport. We play it as a team, but if each of them plays to the best of their ability, then we'll do pretty well as a team."

The Owls will take on one of their most challenging schedules of late, beginning with the three-day SIU-Edwardsville Cougar Classic, played at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Temple then visits historic Williamsburg, VA for a matchup at the William and Mary against some of the top teams on the East. Following a weekend off, the Cherry and White heads north to the Yale Spring Opener, a former staple on the spring slate.

After trips to Princeton and Mount St. Mary's, TU visits Charlottesville, VA for the Virginia Cavalier Classic. Several teams from last year's tournament were ranked in the top 100 nationally by golfstat.com.

"Our schedule is a lot more difficult than what they are accustomed to playing," Quinn said. "But it will make them better players."

The competition will prove as a tune-up for the 54-hole Atlantic 10 Championship on May 2-4 at Orange County National in Winter Green, FL.

Two-time defending champion Charlotte, who spent time as the consensus #1 team in the nation this fall, is picked as the top team. The 49ers joined Rhode Island as the two A-10 teams to make the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

"I'm excited for the season to start," Quinn said. "We're going to be a lot more successful than people think."

Ice-Tee Golf Tournament in the Pocono Mountains

For one winter day, the snow and cold will no longer be obstacles for golfers. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau has announced the 19th Annual Ice-Tee Golf Tournament. Scheduled for February 24, participants will tee it up for nine holes of golf atop frozen Lake Wallenpaupack.

"Golfers are extremely passionate about the sport and rarely miss an opportunity to get out and take a few swings," says PMVB Executive Director Carl Wilgus. "While the fairways and greens of Pocono Mountain courses and resorts are filled with golfers throughout the spring, summer and fall months, I'm looking forward to seeing the hearty bunch who'll brave Mother Nature to enjoy nine holes on Lake Wallenpaupack."

Cost to participate in the Ice-Tee Golf Tournament is $15 in advance or $20 on the day of the event. Prizes will be awarded. For more details, call 570/226-3191 or visit www.hawleywallenpaupackcc.com.

Sorenstam wins season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title

KAHUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam waited 17 months to collect a T-shirt from her sister and a bottle of wine from a friend with No. 70 proudly displayed on them.

"It's probably dusty," she said. "I'm ready to collect it now."

Sorenstam won the season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title and first since September 2006, birdieing two of the last three holes Saturday for a 3-under 69 and two-stroke victory.

"It's great to win tournaments and there's some tournaments that mean a little bit more and they come in a special time, and I would say this is one of them," she said.

The 37-year-old Swedish star, coming off an injury-shortened season where she failed to win last year for the first time since her rookie season in 1994, finished with a 10-under 206 total. It also was her second straight win in Hawaii.

"We've talked so much about '07, it's time to talk about '08," she said. "My clubs did the talking this particular week."

Rookie Russy Gulyanamitta (68), Laura Diaz (70) and Jane Park (70) tied for second. Angela Park (69), the 2007 rookie of the year who was assessed a two-stroke penalty, and Japanese rookie Momoko Ueda (71) tied for fifth, three strokes back.

Sorenstam dropped to a knee and shook her fist as she calmly sank a 24-foot downhill putt on the par-4 17th that ended any suspense.

"That was huge," said Sorenstam, who has won 47 times when holding the lead going into the final round. "That's one of those putts I'm going to remember for a long time."

She then waved both arms in the air and hugged her caddie after putting for par on the 18th hole.

"It's been a while," caddie Terry McNamara said as they hugged.

Sorenstam was limited to 13 events last year because of neck and back injuries and had six top-10s finishes, but couldn't add to her trophy collection.

In the first event of 2008, the world's former No. 1 looked like her old self -- relaxed, focused and dominant.

"This means so much to me," she said. "Last year was not a year I wanted to remember inside the ropes. I was determined to come back."

Sorenstam smiled as she walked the fairway on the par-4 16th after hitting a wedge to 4 feet, which she dropped for the outright lead that she wouldn't lose.

Sorenstam said she was a little hesitant and trying to protect her lead until she reached the turn when she told McNamara, "Let's play some golf."

She first went up by two strokes on the par-4 10th by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt, but quickly lost a stroke when her long birdie putt whizzed 8 feet passed the cup on the next hole. She three-putted for her only bogey of the day.

Ueda and Jane Park each birdied to tie Sorenstam for the lead at 8 under. Jane Park made a long putt on No. 15. Seconds later, Ueda rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14, drawing a roar from the sizable Japanese gallery.

However, no one could keep pace with Sorenstam.

Sorenstam was playing at Turtle Bay for the first time and beginning her season a month earlier than usual. It was her first appearance in Hawaii since winning the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at Waikoloa.

Gulyanamitta, who earned just $4,411 in her previous 17 events, jumped around the 18th green after sinking a long birdie putt. She made $75,867 Saturday.

Like Sorenstam, Diaz also was hungry for a win. She hasn't hoisted a trophy since 2002. Diaz shared the lead with Sorenstam until a double bogey on No. 7 dropped her into a crowd.

Angela Park (69) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the par-4 10th that gave her a triple bogey and cost her a shot at the lead and about $60,000. Park then birdied three of the next four holes to get back within a stroke of the lead before Sorenstam's late birdies.

Park said she wasn't holding up play. "I really don't think it's fair especially because I was in contention. I don't think it's fair at all."

Rules officials said Park's second, third and fourth shots on the hole all exceeded the time limit. Park disagreed and was visibly upset, in tears after her round.

"I was so mad out there," she said. "I was flying through the course on the back nine. I was so frustrated."

Without the penalty, Park would have finished 9 under, alone in second place for $100,458. Instead she earned $40,872.

Conditions were unusually calm on Oahu's North Shore. Even the normally roaring Pacific Ocean was peaceful. It was also balmy, forcing the players to find shade anywhere they could.

Ueda used an umbrella. Sorenstam hid under the ironwood trees.

Sorenstam and Erica Blasberg (74) were co-leaders heading into the final round at 7 under. Blasberg was playing in the final group for the first time in her career.

Her troubles started when she pulled her drive near the water hazard and had to pitch out on No. 7 for bogey. Blasberg tied for eighth with Cristie Kerr (73), In-Kyung Kim (71) and Yani Tseng (69) at 5-under 211.

Defending champion Paula Creamer closed with a 69 to finish at 4 under. She hit 18 greens in regulation but putted 34 times.

"I was grinding it out there," she said. "I saw the leaderboard and I think I got a little anxious."