How many times have you walked off course in disgust? You know you can do better, but your body just won’t do what your brain wants it to do. I hear this all time. In fact, I’ve received hundreds of emails saying just that.

My answer is same every time!

To play better golf you’ve got to improve your range of motion specific to golf, as well as your strength for all phases of golf swing.

The most important aspect for improving distance is rotational strength and flexibility. The ability to rotate back to a full 90 degree shoulder turn; store up all that energy in your core; and then unleash it during downswing…crushing that ball.

Now that’s a fun game when that happens.

So focus on improving your range of motion and strength from a rotational standpoint. That doesn’t take a gym or fancy equipment. All it takes is simple equipment like dumbbells (hand weights), an exercise ball and exercise tubing.

With this equipment you can literally break down swing into multiple phases and do golf exercises for each phase. You won’t find many of these exercises in “so-called” golf fitness books in store. All you’ll see is golfer “sitting” in a machine in a gym.

That’s not fitness for golf; that’s “general fitness” Not altogether a bad thing, but won’t help your game at all.

I hope I’ve given you food for thought.

The ultimate goal is to “play better golf!”

Of course, Messrs Ponting, Hayden, Langer, Martyn and Gilchrist are all contenders to be leading batsman in series. But Vaughan outscored them all in 2002-3, just as West Indian opener Chris Gayle outscored England batsmen last summer; a player in a losing team is likely to get more innings.

So for those who expect Australia to retain Ashes, Vaughan represents good value for money.