It will be golf season very soon, and you've got to prepare now if you want to improve on last season's performance. No, I am not referring to cleaning your golf balls and favorite tees. These tips are designed to help you get your body ready for the new season. Many people see the game of golf itself as part of their fitness efforts. That's fine to a degree, but what is even more important is getting your body ready for the new season after a winter of neglect. Of course the fitness benefits can be almost non-existent for those who don't walk but rather ride the course in a cart, and then stop for burgers and beers after the round. Unless you are disabled, I encourage you to walk your golf rounds this season, and save the money and global-warming contributions from golf cart usage. But before the season starts, there are several ways to prepare your body for the rigors ahead. The goal is to get you ready to handle the lengthy time standing and walking on the course, and to gently build muscles that are used frequently in golf. So we are looking at stamina and aerobic exercise to prepare for the lengthy golf course, and flexibility and key muscular training for longer drives, more accurate swings, and general mid-body strength. None of this involves the heavy weight lifting that body builders do. Rather, the key is to gently strengthen the muscles worked repeatedly in the asymmetrical, repetitive game of golf. Rotational flexibility, hip flexibility, lower back muscles, and shoulder strength all play a role in each golfer's swing. And working these areas will also help you avoid getting spasms in your leg or back muscles during a long day on the links. If you have been cramped up in an office desk and chair all winter, then this is even more important. This is not a huge time commitment. You can take 20 minutes from your lunch break, or work in front of the TV at night, and you most likely won't need a shower after each session either. The muscle groups that help build torso rotational power include the buttocks, hips, abdomen, lower back, and thighs. Begin with stretching those areas out, gently, and then move to weight and resistance training to strengthen them. Continue to concentrate on the power zone or core strength. The muscles, ligaments, and bones of the core area are those between your chest and knees. There are thousands of various exercises that can help you target those areas, but some of the more common ones include gentle trunk rotations, abdominal crunches, gentle torso twists, side rotations using resistance, hamstring stretches, and cat arches and hunches for the lower back. If you are like me and tend to spend the winters being sedentary, make sure you begin gently. The risk is that you will overdo things at the beginning, and injure some of your core areas, causing you to push back that first tee-off date. Begin each session by warming up for a short while using some aerobic option such as walking on an incline on a treadmill, a stationary bike, or a rowing machine. The most important factor is to start early! I will lay out some specific exercises in an upcoming article, but don't wait to start the process until a week before your first round. Take a few minutes each day starting now, and your torso strength and stamina will improve tremendously before the first game of the season. Your enjoyment and perhaps your score will both improve, too.