Fitness clubs

Golf Night takes a look at how Nick Faldo is hoping to give his Ryder Cup team the edge in terms of fitness.

Since the emergence of Tiger Woods as the dominant force in golf, the role of fitness in the sport has been revolutionised. This year's Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo wants to give his team as much advantage as he possibly can, so the best players in the European game have all been given the chance to assess their physical and mental condition. One of Britain's top medical facilities is being used to assess the top 20 players hoping to make the European team for Valhalla in September and Golf Night went along to take a look at how it works. Jonathan Shrewsbury of Sports Orthopaedic Ltd explained that while style has been important to golfers for many years, maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind is a relatively new phenomenon. He said: "We're moving into a new phase from a golfing perspective - and that's Tiger-led - in terms of looking after their bodies both physically and mentally. "When you split it down there are three main attributes to an elite golfer's performance - the technical aspect, the mental aspect and the physical aspect. "For a long time they've been working on the technical aspect, but it's only in the last five to 10 years that they've moved into sports psychology, coaches, fitness instructors and physiotherapists to make sure they're honed to the highest possible level. "For the Ryder Cup players we've split it into general medical tests. We're looking at strength, cardiovascular, the body's balance system, body composition etc and that gives us an idea as to generally what condition they're in."

Applauds

Shrewsbury, who has worked behind the scenes on four Ryder Cups, also applauded Nick Faldo for his forward-thinking approach and he hopes the fitness tests will give Europe the edge over their American rivals in September. He continued: "Nick has been at the top of his game for so many years that he does understand better than almost anybody just how tough the Ryder Cup is. "I was really fortunate to be in the backroom staff at four Ryder Cups and I know how tired these guys get. We've had players falling asleep on the treatment tables because they're absolutely exhausted - mainly from a physical and a psychological perspective. If they're in really good shape not only will they cope with the physical demands better, but psychologically it's a cutting edge form their point of view that they know they're going there in the best possible shape.