Henry Ford is often quoted as saying "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right".  Our own personal belief systems are what allow us to either achieve our goals or let them slip away.

One commonly held belief system, the belief that as we age, our strength and flexibility decline.  I must admit, I believe that to be the case... the supporting evidence is overwhelming.  If we took a survey it would be pretty safe to say that most people would agree with this too.

The difference amongst most people is the RATE OF DECLINE in our strength and flexibility.  Many people believe that by the time you reach 40 you're on the downward spiral and by the time you reach 55 they might as well give up what little battle they've been waging against the Budweiser bulge.

Let's take a look at a couple of golf swings.  They're both great players but are at different stages of their careers.  Which swing do you thing produced the most power and drove the ball the furthest down the fairway?  Which swing would you prefer to have?

Let's face it, even in our best days few of us can achieve a swing like Tiger's.  If it were that easy many of the college and futures players would be inline to be the next great player of the sport.  There's simply not much room at the top of the hill.

What would happen if your PGA instructor advised you on all of the biomechanics to achieve your optimal swing?  Would you be able to achieve the movement patterns she instructs you?  Even for the young and most fit players, chances are, probably not.

There are many great professional level athletes who play golf but few are able to crossover and play the game at it's highest levels.  Golf is a complex sport and requires sport specific training, both mental and physical, that is not required for other activities.  Boiling it all down to sport-specific strength and flexibility is a gross over simplification, but they are definitely contributors.

How can you achieve your optimal strength and flexibility to play your best golf?  Here are some suggestions for your strategy:

1. Perform every stretch and strength training routine out there.  And there are many.  Therein lies one of the problems with this approach.  You would not have the time in a day to do them all... even if you did them without injury.
2. Figure out which exercises and stretches you like doing and focus on them.  This is what most people do.  They strengthen the muscles that are already strong while conveniently ignoring the muscles that are weak.  How many times have you walked into a gym and observed a bunch of men huddled around the bench press while the squat rack is empty?  Their flexibility program has the same design flaw.  The biggest problem with this strategy is that pre-existing muscle imbalances are going to be exasperated, not improved.  Their game will reflect their physical conditioning, and it will not be pretty.
3. Obtain an objective assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as they apply to your game or sport.  From that assessment develop a plan of action that allows you to quickly overcome your weaknesses without wasting your time on non-essential activities.

Time is our nemesis.  Golfers want to play the game.  Not exercise for exercise's sake.  They want to hit the ball further, first and foremost, and would like to do it with accuracy and consistency.  The only way this can be achieved is through proper swing instruction,  good biomechanics, and a keen mental focus.

If you're not assessing you're guessing.  When it comes to golf, guessing never works.

If you're serious about getting your golf game on track this year option three (3) is your only sensible choice.  Just ask Gary Player, David Duval, Davis Love III, Ernie Els, Anika Sorenstam, and of course, Tiger.