BY HOWARD WARD: Golf Writer

This week’s golf tip from the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Membership is courtesy of Deb Vangellow, Sweetwater Country Club, Sugar Land, Texas.

A healthier body for better golf: Getting into better physical condition tends to be a popular plan for many of us these days, but turning that plan into action can be the challenge.

Perhaps if we realized that a commitment to fitness could help our golf games, we might find more motivation. It’s true. Physical conditioning can improve your game in many ways — you can gain the ability to hit the golf ball farther with more control, you can outlast heat and humidity in the summer and you can reduce the risk of golf-related injuries.

The following tips on flexibility training, resistance training and nutrition/fluid replacement can all improve your health and, in turn, improve your golf game.

Flexibility training:

1) Warm up before stretching.

2) Try to stretch in conjunction with each muscle’s natural line of pull and postural alignment.

3) Breathe rhythmically. Do not hold your breath.

4) Never bounce or exceed your pain threshold when stretching.

5) Stretch after exercise to elongate the muscles and connective tissues.

Resistance training:

1) Gain muscular endurance by working with low weights and high repetitions. After you have established a good endurance base, move to muscular strength training with more weight and lower repetitions.

2) Warm up and stretch before performing resistance-training exercises.

3) Breathe while lifting.

4) Do not sacrifice technique to lift heavier weights.

5) Work large muscle groups first, progressing to smaller groups.

Nutrition and fluid replacement:

1) Eat a variety of foods everyday.

2) Match your energy intake to your energy output.

3) Eat less sugar.

4) Eat less processed foods and more natural, unrefined foods.

5) Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.

Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. Working on this important area is the foundation of better golf. Be well and golf well.

Just Joking: A mallet putter is a heavy-headed putter that many players prefer because it seems to help control the yips. And if it fails to do so, it can be thrown twice as far as a conventional blade putter.

Quote of the Week: “You can video your swing all you want, but when old Joe Choke grabs you around the throat, that guy’s video is not going to be there to help you.” — Lee Trevino