Are you fit? Do your pants still fit?

I love a couple beers and a couple cigars when playing golf, but I have come to realize that I play better and enjoy my rounds more with a little fitness prep.  It's not enough anymore for me to chug a couple tabs of Vitamin A (Advil) and grip it and rip it.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that we can use our golf game as a barometer of our health.  In addition to the not-surprising news that most golfers are overweight, many suffer from back pain, and a significant percentage have played hung over (there is no greater sin than missing your tee time because you were over-served the night before), the article contains an excellent tip:  stretch before you play.  Link to www.mayoclinic.com, plug "golf stretches" into the search box and watch the slide show for 18 easy-to-do stretches designed to improve your flexibility for golf.  I am a big fan of Miranda Esmond-White's Classical Stretch program (I watch her on Iowa Public TV every Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning at 6:00 am.)  A former Ballet Canada dancer  she trains a number of Olympic and professional athletes.  I used her stretches before every round (10-15 minutes) during my mid-January golf trip this year and I swear they helped.  Not only did I feel good on the course without having picked up the sticks for a few months, I felt better afterward as well.  She is perky and has that cute Canadian accent; her web site does not offer much free info, but she does offer golf-specific tips during her program.  BTW, the current Golf Digest also has an article on biomechanics and the importance of stretching and strengthening the hips, some Miranda focuses on as well. We feature fitness tips in our youth clinics also.