The many hills and dales of Augusta National are not always apparent to television viewers. But they are abundantly clear to the players walking the course, and they make competing here especially demanding. Which is why aerobic conditioning is so important.

“The elevation changes can be overwhelming,” says Randy Myers, who serves as director of fitness at Sea Island and works with a number of touring pros, among them Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson. “As a result, being in good shape helps players stay focused in spite of all the work they are doing during their rounds, and follow their normal routines on the golf course.”

“Augusta’s as hard a walking course as there is,” he adds. “Think, for a moment, of the elevation changes from some of the greens to the tees. From the 9th green to the 10th tee. From the 10th green to the 11th tee. From 11 to 12, then 12 to 13 and 13 up to 14.It’s the sort of course that can wear a player out over several days, and if they don’t have that good aerobic conditioning, they are not going to perform nearly as well.”

Only the strong will survive. Only the strong will thrive.