With a few notable exceptions professional golfers are fitter now than they have ever been.The emergence of the Tiger Woods’ generation and the introduction of nutritionists, personal trainers and sports psychologists has created a group of players who bear more resemblance to athletes than their predecessors ever did.Even Lee Westwood, who was more John Daly than Tiger when he began his career, has shed the pounds in recent years.It is no coincidence therefore that this change in approach to the game, where working out in the gym is just as important as the work done on the driving range, has seen players hit the ball further than they have ever done.While the rapid advances in golf technology have certainly played their part in this, the power generated by a new breed of golfer has allowed these developments to flourish.Of course, the average golfer does not generally have a team of nutritionists and personal trainers on hand, and gym work, if there is any, must be squeezed in around jobs, family and a myriad of other commitments.Which isn’t to say that it should be ignored altogether. Quite apart from keeping you in your other half’s good books, improving core strength and flexibility can only benefit you when it comes to playing shots from parts of the course that professionals rarely visit.There is an exercise that Colin Ayliffe, a trainer at Courthouse gym, has me doing that at first glance seems designed more to hurt and humiliate than actually improve my golf. It involves balancing on a bosu ball, getting into your address position, and then doing rows with weights.In between concentrating on not falling over, trying to maintain the address position and not feeling too foolish it is difficult to see the benefit.However, take that position and transplant it to a golf course where you’re stood on the side of a hill with the ball far below your feet and it all becomes clear.Previously, taking a swing in a such a poistion would have led me to losing my balance, but the exercises, coupled with the change in my stance mean that doesn’t happen as often as it once did.The work in the gym and on the course is starting to impact on my game and my index has dipped slightly towards the number I need to reach by November, even if I am still more Monty than Westwood, off the course at least.* Colin Ayliffe can be reached at Courthouse Squash & Wellness on 292-8357. Riddell’s Bay golf professional Chris Grantier can be reached via email at cgrantier@riddellsbay.com.