This is the age of reality shows and dramatic transformations. You're never too old or too young to take care of your health and fitness, especially as it pertains to golf. But how you structure your golf fitness program is essential to your overall performance on and off the course. Here are some ways to ensure you are getting the most out of training program while utilizing the strength of your core as a building block for success.

For golfers, the ultimate is to be so confident in your game that you can simply "trust your swing" or "free it up." That sounds good in theory, but how do you trust your swing if you're struggling? The answer is that you don't need to trust. In his latest column for GolfInstruction.com, golf fitness expert Jeff Troesch talks about the relationship you have with your golf swing, your putt or your shot selection.

Sick of slow play? The culprit may not be the obvious suspects usually blamed for it, forced carries, novice golfers, etc. Operators and architects can make a series of minor mistakes whose cumulative effect creates a tremendous drag on the round. Today, with time replacing money as the No. 1 reason players are leaving the game, these mistakes can no longer be ignored. Here are five subtle causes of slow play you might not have noticed.

If you ask most professionals what the most important shot of their game is, the resounding response is the tee shot on the first hole, writes PGA Professional Patrick Walsh. So the first place to start this season's tips is explaining how to hit the driver off the first tee.

Before beginning a program to improve your golf fitness, it is essential to first understand your body’s strengths and weaknesses, writes golf fitness expert Susan Hill. She had the opportunity to visit a human-performance center where some of the more famous tour players train. She was able to study the same tests they take as part of their initial assessment period. The results of these tests help guide, direct and prioritize any training program moving forward.

So many golfers ask themselves, "How come I can hit the ball so well on the range, but have a difficult time replicating this on the golf course?" The answer typically lies more in their practice routine than it does in their playing behavior and often includes a skewed perception of practice shots. Hitting 10 or 20 drivers in a row doesn't resemble what you do on the course. So why practice in this manner?

These days, an LPGA player who drives the ball 250 yards won't even make the top 40. What’s behind this increase in distance off the tee in the women’s game? The key, writes fitness columnist Susan Hill, is to build a strong foundation for the body, the mind and the basics of an athletic swing. Here Hill gives the concepts that play a critical role in your lifetime enjoyment of the game.

Forget the latest titanium driver, the key to improving your game may just be losing abdominal body fat. That gut you’re carrying around affects almost everything you do on the golf course, except riding in the car, writes Troy M. Anderson. Lowering your body fat acts as a catalyst to improved flexibility, endurance and power levels, something that will give you what no club magically will: the ability to hit the ball farther.

The vagabond golfer will always face the dilemma of how to get his clubs from point A to point B. You know the nightmare: You get to your hotel room, open your bag and find your $300 driver cracked from stem to stern. The answer lies in golf club traveling bags. TravelGolf.com tested a Callaway Great Big Bertha Cart Golf Bag Carrier, which provides enough room to store your caddy (assuming he’s a midget who doesn't mind high altitudes).

There are probably as many bad training aids given each year as there are bad neck ties. In a previous Sticks & Stones, equipment editor Kiel Christianson offered opinions on several full-swing aids that generally delivered in one way or another on their promises. This time around, the results are more mixed, with just one sure bet: the Swing-Tempo, which offers help with your tempo in three different modalities.