Excited about the Masters Tournament being around the corner? Here are few fitness tips for you to play your best game in Golf.

The Masters Golf Tournament, or as itֳ commonly named, The Masters, is one of the most prestigious and famous individual golfing tournaments in the world. And for the last two decades, we have seen Tiger Woods excelling as the Champion, reaching the pinnacle of success. We've watched him thrashing his competitors with his smash drives, thanks to the combination of his power and skill, adding up to 14 major championships. 

However, over the last decade, we have also watched Tiger struggling due to injuries too. He won his 2008 U.S. Open, stumbling with two stress fractures in his left leg and a torn ACL in his left knee. And he had missed various important matches owing to his health issues and back problems he had. 

Are these injuries, like all golf injuries, self-inflicted? They can be considered the result of a singular athletic movement repeated millions of times by him over the thousands of hours of practice the sport requires to reach the Masters and the victories. 

Sean Cochran, a famous golf fitness trainer, believes that many amateur players are taking shortcuts, especially when it comes to fitness. It is a fact that to excel and perform well in golf, it is important to have great stability, flexibility, mobility, and core strength. Sean Cochran thinks that if amateur golfers lack these physical parameters, this will affect their ability to execute the golf swing in an efficient and correct manner, resulting in the development of compensation patterns and swing faults. 

 Masters tournament is around the corner, and whether you are playing nine holes or 18, here are some tips to help all players stay fitter for a round of golf.

• Always warm-Up

It is recommended to do a warm-up before getting into the match - running through 5-10 minutes of dynamic warm-ups works well. Try this: Start your warm-up session with ankle presses, followed by bent-knee side-to-side left swings, straight leg swings, shoulder turns, and torso back swings.

• Stretch Your Feet

Your feet can become tired and tight after four and a half hours walking the course. Stretch your feet and do a self-massage with a golf ball on the bottoms of your feet in the morning or at night.

• Flexibility Is As Important as Fitness

Cochran believes that a typical health and fitness training program is probably not enough for a golfer. While working out, a golfer should try to focus on increasing flexibility and mobility; this helps them create the rotary aspect to the swing. If the flexibility or mobility components in those areas of the body are limited, the rotational aspects of the swing are going to be difficult. Cochran recommends windshield wipers, piriformis stretches, kneeling hip flexor presses, and stork turns for maintaining mobility in the hips. 

• Focus on core-strength

In order to perform the golf swing well, it is necessary to maintain a fixed spine angle and certain postural positions. And, to do that, you need to have stability or strength, especially in the core region. To achieve this, assign 30 minutes a couple of times a week for building core-strength and divide the time evenly; spend 15 minutes working on flexibility and the balance 15 minutes in a core strengthening program. Focus on side planks, front planks, bent knee, back holds, and bent knee back presses with an exercise ball.

• Stay away from alcohol while playing golf.

Drinking alcohol doesn't help you but can affect your coordination, the athletic action's required, and can cause dehydration issues.

An important key to being successful in any sports and games, including golf, is to set goals and keep a positive mindset. Stay positive, focus on your goals and push yourself to achieve what you have always wanted.