Recently, golf fitness expert extraordinaire, Mike Pedersen launched a new blog. His latest website, Mike Pedersen Golf is, as his subtitle says, all about better golf. Mike has been a golf fitness professional for over 25 years. He has written over 500 articles on fitness and golf and has been a contributor to GolfOnline.com and GolfIllustrated.com. He has created golf fitness books and DVDs that are available through his websites, along with many training aids for training our bodies to play better golf. Now, with the launch of his personal blog, his aim is to create a community where golfers can go to learn about and discuss issues related to golf fitness. Mike is extremely active in the comments section at his blog, eagerly interacting with readers. His passion for fitness and golf are contagious. Stop over and check it out. —————————— Further Reading: Mike Pedersen Golf Perform Better Golf Ask The Golf Trainer (GolfOnline.com)

This summer, Gary Player sparked a huge controversy when he claimed that he knows of steroid use in professional golf. His quote: “One guy told me — I took an oath prior to him telling me — but he told me what he did and I could see this massive change in him. And somebody else told me something I also promised I wouldn’t tell, that verified others had done it.” Other than that, I don’t know of any other evidence that a professional golfer on any of the major tours has taken any performance enhancing drugs. Has it ever happened? Probably. But it’s certainly not turned the sport into an embarrassment like Major League Baseball. Regardless of that, the PGA Tour stepped up today and created an anti-doping policy. It seems clear that the policy was more a result of the scandals in other sports like baseball and bicycling than a result of whispers about problems on the Tour. The thing many people don’t realize is that these performance enhancing drugs don’t just create

Part of my overall plan is a focus on fitness. I used to work with heavy weights. Now, I’m trying to do more stretching and core strengthening work that is a little more targeted toward golf. I’m recovering from a herniated disk in my lower back, so I’m obviously concerned with keeping that area strong and flexible. In addition, my hips and shoulders are a problem area that I target regularly. I wanted to share a few of the stretches and exercises that keep me in golfing form. Before we start, I want to mention that I’m not a fitness professional. I’m sharing with you what I do, but it’s important that you do what’s right for your own well-being, so consult with a physical trainer and/or doctor to help you decide your own path. Open Books This exercise I picked up from the Titleist Performance Institute. I lie down on my side with my knees somewhat bent and both arms straight out in front of me, with my palms together. The back of one

I’m talking about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), of course. It’s time for a little fitness around here and I’m dragging you with me! I’ve been hearing about interval training for a while now as an alternative to a traditional cardio workout. The “traditional” workout might consist of 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio on something like a treadmill or a stationary bike. Now, studies are showing that the old way might not be the best way. It’s now coming to light that actually, short bursts of intense cardio followed by longer rest periods is actually more beneficial. These sessions might consist of a minute on a stationary bike, treadmill, outdoor sprints, etc. at maximum effort, followed by a few minutes of rest. Then, the cycle is repeated. Do this three times a week and you’re getting a more beneficial cardio workout, and doing it in about 12 minutes. Anthony over at Better Golf with Fitness had a great podcast yesterday where he chatted for a while with Dr. Mark Smith, an expert in interval