There is more to a golf vacation than spending your day on the golf course and driving range. The golf course may be the main attraction for various golf resorts around the country, however many also offer fitness centers, spas, and healthy cuisine. The availability of onsite fitness resources, such as workout equipment and aerobics classes, has become common. Pleasurable amenities including spas and healthy menu options have brought depth to the golf vacation experience.

At many of the top golf resorts in America, golfers are offered an array of personal training services to compliment their game. Golfers now have an opportunity to work in conjunction with club teaching professionals and golf fitness trainers to maximize their performance on the course.

Golfers are now more widely accepted as athletes. Successful athletes strive to improve their fitness through strength, flexibility, and stability training. Their vacation time can now be intermingled with their practice, preparation and goal setting while providing a more relaxing and productive environment for growth and development of your game.

When choosing a golf vacation destination, begin by using the internet or a travel planner to find those spots where you can play great golf as a compliment to a complete health and fitness weekend. Find settings where you can enjoy healthy cuisine on and off the course, a spa for a gentle massage and a training studio where experts can assist you in fitness for golf. Certified golf fitness instructors can assess your current fitness level and create a personalized fitness plan just for you. They can demonstrate proper stretching and weight training techniques specific to golf.

After a long day on the course or an intense workout you will need to unwind. What better way than to have a massage at the resort spa? The massage therapist can work out your kinks and sore muscles. What better way to feel revitalized and ready to play another round tomorrow!

Golf resorts can also offer a healthy cuisine. You expend a great number of calories in one round of golf and need the appropriate food to refuel your body. Skip the hamburgers and chips you normally get at the turn and dine on some non traditional healthier options for a change of pace.

After your trip is over, you will feel energized, productive and excited about the new changes youll see and feel in your body and your game. Resort golf can kick start your engine for a great golf season. It can rejuvenate your body and passion for golf at any time during the year. Those two benefits alone can vastly perk up your golf game.

Susan Hill

Susan Hill is the President of Fitness for Golf, a website dedicated to helping golfers improve through golf specific programs.

Susan has earned national certifications as a fitness trainer with several organizations including the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the International Sports Science Association, and the American Council on Exercise. She currently trains golfers of all levels at the Sunriver Resort, a top U.S. golf destination resort in Sunriver, Oregon.

As a Chek certified Golf Biomechanic and Sports Performance Nutritionist, she is now among an elite group of golf fitness experts nationwide. Susan has worked with hundreds of golfers ranging in skills from beginners just taking up the game of golf to collegiate, amateur and tour players looking for a more competitive edge.

She is a contributing writer to Golf Illustrated, a guest speaker at private and public golf clubs, and a published writer on topics of health, fitness and golf. She was selected as one of the top three trainers as the Trainer of the Year 2003, having been chosen among over 85,000 trainers across the country.

Her work has also been featured in SELF magazine and on ESPN radio.