Beginning with its January/February 2004 issue, TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF proudly welcomed Greg Norman as a Columnist. Norman could write his own ticket at any golf publication, but he joined TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF because, as avid Shark.com readers know, he is about far more than hitting golf balls. Sure, he was the sportp's defining player in his prime --- winning two British Open Championships, 20 PGA Tour events and another 66 titles worldwide --- but more than any other player, Norman has extended his range. Many a professional golfer has delved into course design, but only Norman has marketed new kinds of grass. Other pros have stuck their name on a wine label, but Norman has taken the industry by storm. Golf, wine, restaurants, real estate, fashion is a perfect fit with TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF. When you add it all up, Norman might be the ultimate TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF guy, and his column, Aussie Rules, will reflect his enormous breadth of experience about various subjects relating to the golf lifestyle.

The Fitness Factor

Sorry, couch spuds: The days of the out-of-shape golfer are waning

By Greg Norman

I've always believed that you're only as old as you feel, and I have been a proponent of keeping my body feeling as healthy as I possibly can. Staying in good physical condition is very important to me. It helps me relax, unwind and purge negative emotions.

The golf swing is a complex, explosive and physically stressful action, and you must prepare your body to both produce and withstand the forces required. I have five or six different routines that include gym work, lifting weights and various cardiovascular exercises. One favorite activity of mine is taking long bike rides in which I cover as much as forty miles in a session. It's a great stress reliever as well as terrific exercise.

I know I am fitter now, at fifty-one, than when I was in my twenties, and I speak to a lot of people my age who say the exact same thing. If you have the right mental approach, there is no reason why you can't perform at the highest level well into your fifties. Personally I'm confident that if I maintain my current regimen, I will be in competitive shape until I'm sixty.

Unfortunately, having hit more than four million golf balls over the last thirty years, my body has shown signs of wear and tear. The golf swing is just such an unnatural movement, particularly the one in vogue early in my career: the "reverse C."

Norman: "I know I am fitter now, at fifty-one, than when I was in my twenties, and I speak to a lot of people my age who say the exact same thing."

There have been a number of physical issues that I've had to contend with. In the late 1980s, they were more manageable, and back then I still had a feeling of invincibility.

The first major setback involved my shoulder. Like most injuries, I was able to play through the pain early on, but after a while my performance really started to suffer and I knew I needed help. I performed my due diligence to find the right doctor and the right procedure. After numerous consultations, I underwent shoulder surgery by Dr. Richard Hawkins in April 1998 at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colorado. It was a groundbreaking operation because the procedure used a heat probe for the first time on a professional athlete to tighten a joint that is vital to the golf swing.

Soon after that procedure, I accepted a seat on the Board of Directors of the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation. That got me involved with fund-raising and helping to develop the Steadman Hawkins Biomechanics Programs specifically for the golf swing.

When I was given the green light to begin rehabilitating, I committed myself to it as much as I would to prepare for a major championship, because I knew that's what it would take for me to be competitive again.

Depending on the procedure, rehab can truly test a person's conviction for a full recovery, and I am thankful for my trainer and friend, Pete Draovitch, who worked with me through the entire process. Because of my work with the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation, and my relationship with Dr. Hawkins, in 2000 I was recruited to play an advisory role for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and its new $40 million sports medicine facility.

At about the same time, I began having difficulties with my right hip, and I came across Dr. Marc Philippon and his patented arthroscope. In 2001, I underwent a revolutionary hip surgery that saves people from total hip replacements. The procedure uses flexible instruments that afford access to areas of the joint previously thought unreachable.

Until I was helped by Dr. Philippon, the procedure was not used for golf-specific injuries. Now, however, it is a common practice, and in addition to Steve Elkington, Peter Jacobsen and Jesper Parnevik, other athletes such as Mario Lemieux, Tara Lipinski and Priest Holmes have had their careers prolonged by Dr. Philippon's arthroscopic procedure.

The work done by Steadman Hawkins and UPMC has been pioneering in many ways. Both developed strong biomechanics programs for golf to help develop swing mechanics for the next generation. We want to help prolong careers and quality of life, as well as educate coaches about the nuances of changing a young person's swing and what the consequences may be twenty years later.

All athletes now realize the need to enhance their anatomy for competition. Golfers train specifically for golf. And nutrition is part of that, too.

That hit home for me during the 1991 PGA Championship. Like most players, I was struggling to stay hydrated in the muggy conditions at Crooked Stick. Throughout one round I was drinking soft drinks, the only beverages offered on each tee. By the time I got to the seventeenth hole, I felt awful. I committed myself then and there to never drink another. It's been amazing how much that has helped me.

I don't think there will be any more out-of-shape, Babe Ruth-like figures in golf. Young players now are much better prepared. They have the services of trainers, therapists, psychologists, et cetera, and now realize the importance of keeping in shape. (The PGA Tour's fitness trailer, which travels with the players from event to event, has never been more popular.) They see the Champions Tour, where guys like Hale Irwin are still winning. He keeps reaping the rewards of what the game of golf has given him--but he's also worked very hard at his physical fitness. That kind of dedication was just not the case a few decades ago, when guys let themselves fall apart a bit because there wasn't the same incentive to keep going. Now, when they hit forty, they think, "I'm only ten years from the Champions Tour; if I want to win, I'd better stay in shape." Soon they're making a lot of money and enjoying the game again. Fitness makes that possible.