MILO BRYANT: Fitness finds a way to golf course

Tom Kite had just sent a drive 300-or-so yards down the fairway, drawing oohs and aahs from his playing partners.

One by one, each had his turn on the tee box as Kite, 58, stood nearby, eagerly watching. As the last drive settled in the rough, there were a few disappointed looks and disapproving head shakes. None came from Kite. He was running - yes, running - down the fairway.

A Champions Tour official assigned to the group shook his head and smiled.

"Third time he's done that," the official said, laughing.

Maybe the momentary fatigue, if Kite became fatigued, was to challenge his game. Maybe he missed a scheduled workout. Whatever the 1992 U.S. Open champion was doing, he was doing it to the amusement of those around him.

Physical fitness in golf - at least on the Champions Tour - is still largely amusing.

Ben Crenshaw's caddie keeled over in laughter when Crenshaw was asked about his fitness regime.

"Go ahead!" the caddie said, laughing a bit harder. "Go ahead, ask him how he warmed up today. Ask him!"

Crenshaw, 56, sheepishly bowed his head and muttered, "I hit a couple chip shots."

After struggling for a few moments to describe his workout routine, he finally acknowledged, "I don't do anything."

The former Masters champion is like many players on the 50-and-over tour - they realize the importance of fitness, yet rarely employ it.

However, that trend is changing. Older players are looking for ways to extend their careers and to excel in four-day events such as next month's U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor.

"Nowadays, it's more en vogue," said Curtis Strange, 53, a 2007 inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame. "I think it's kind of overplayed on the regular tour. Not everybody works out there. Some don't work out at all.

"But those who do, it will benefit them later."

More and more, players are finding that better physical fitness leads to better overall quality of life.

"When I came out on tour, there was no focus on fitness or injury rehabilitation, diet, nutrition - nothing," said Peter Jacobsen, the 2004 U.S. Senior Open champion. "It was all about players getting the ball in the hole the best they could.

"I think over the last 20 years, you've seen a revolution, so to speak, of how players view their game. It's not just from the driver to the putter. They're looking at it now as it involves their entire body, their fitness and nutrition."

Jacobsen, 54, isn't the picture of perfect fitness. But he has used better fitness to regain control of his game. Jacobsen credits Greg Rose of the Titleist Performance Institute with helping him find a way to play pain-free and improved golf.

TPI is an inclusive golf fitness entity designed to help players diagnose swing faults, recognize physical limitations that contribute to those faults and correct those physical limitations.

"This idea isn't new," Rose said. "Tiger Woods brought it to the forefront, but Gary Player was stressing physical fitness years ago."

Wrinkles now frame his face, but the slim South African shows no signs of slowing.

Earlier this year, Player, 72, teed off on the first hole of the Toshiba Classic Pro/Am in Newport Beach, Calif. His drive was long and true, and he played to the crowd.

"Watch my walk, baby," Player said as he hopped and started strutting from the tee box. "Watch my walk. Watch my walk."

Player's walk is as strong as his grip - as proud, too. He takes satisfaction in his ability to walk the entire course and do it with ease.

"Being small in stature and realizing that I was going to be playing against bigger people, if I wanted to have longevity, I had to be in shape," he said. "I also eat properly. Take it from an old man - don't eat bacon, ice cream or milk. Those three will pack the fat on you."
Player then slapped his midsection five times.

"See, hard as a rock," he said with no hint of sarcasm. "A thousand crunches a day. I could beat most 30-year-olds in a fitness test."

He might be exaggerating, but one thing is undeniable. While Player still plays competitive golf, several of his contemporaries, including Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, are watching.