If you've paid attention to anything I've said or written about golf fitness over the past 15 years,
you know I'm all about the muscles you've probably never heard of. Sure, big biceps and huge pecs might make you look great out on the course, but it's strong and stable Subscapularis and Gluteus Medius muscles that will actually let you play great on the course.
But when you turn on the TV and watch the last round on a Sunday, it's not just a bunch of obscure body parts that fail to get the props they deserve. Just as unheralded as the Peroneus Longus, but no less vital to the success of the top guys on the Tour is the caddie. And while most of the players are now making sure they're in top shape, from a fitness standpoint, the caddies may just be the most fit and conditioned guys in the game.
I'm not just saying this because way-back-when I was on the bag for a while with Vijay Singh -- Look it up!
I'm saying this because, on a weekly basis, I'm with these guys and see what they're expected to do. I see the workouts they do when they're on the road and I'm impressed. And just like the pros they work with, their workouts are designed to optimize their bodies for what they need it to do.
Even before an event starts on Thursday, caddies have already put in some serious work. Lengthy walkthroughs of individual courses are necessary if they're going to be able to gauge distances and help strategize how to play particular holes. Wednesday pro-ams can turn into marathon five or six hour rounds. Again, this is all before a single official swing has taken place.
Now, tack on up to four full rounds carrying a fifty pound bag over some of the longest courses in the world,
and you can see why these guys need to be in shape. Oh, and the bag is carried on only one side of the body, meaning it's an uneven load, which taxes the body even more. Oh, and most of those rounds -- especially as we get into the summer months -- are played in some serious heat and humidity. Oh, and even with all that happening, they still have to have the clarity and wits to be able to give sound advice and keep their players focused.
Last week, I caught some flack on Twitter for calling Austin Johnson -- Dustin's brother and caddie -- the strongest and fittest caddie on the Tour.
Maybe that's because I see how hard he works when he and DJ bang away at my golf performance center in Jupiter. On further review, I could probably name a dozen or more guys that could compete for that title.
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