Golfers all over the country are pumped up after watching the 2007 Masters tournament, and no one knows that better than Bob Gosch.

He’s primed for the upcoming season and, like countless others, is eager to get out there and see what he can do to lower his score. The difference between Gosch and his fellow golfers, however, is his keen understanding of the correlation between a comprehensive fitness program and one’s performance on the golf course.

“It is very clear that a true alliance exists between exercise training and peak golf performance in today’s modern game,” Gosch wrote in his 2002 book, “The Exercise Guide for Men and Women Golfers.”

He knows what he’s talking about. The North Tonawanda native is a lifelong athlete and former competitive bodybuilder who has spent decades in the health and fitness industry. He took up golf just 10 years ago but has immersed himself in the sport, ultimately combining his fitness career with golf instruction.
This month, he was elected to Class A membership in the PGA of America, having completed the Golf Professional Training Program.

“Golf is a great, great game,” says Gosch, a longtime personal trainer and former Mr. USA. “Golf, for me, is the perfect medium for selfmastery. It has a mental side, a physical side and a social side. You’re out there having a blast and enjoying nature. You can take the sport with you anywhere in the world, and you can take it with you for the rest of your life. There isn’t one area that golf doesn’t hit.”

After retiring from bodybuilding, Gosch launched Scientifically Applied Fitness Therapies Inc., a personal training business to provide services to clients of Buffalo Athletic Clubs. This summer, he plans to open the Discover Golf Performance Center in Clarence.

“It’s the culmination of my two careers (fitness and golf instruction) coming together,” Gosch says. “Discover Golf is going to become the ultimate resource center for individuals who want to come in and learn how to play the game and develop the skills. There is so much more to golf than people understand.”

Better, healthier golf can be achieved through a proper exercise program that includes strength and endurance training while increasing flexibility, he says. It’s a demanding sport, both mentally and physically, and smart players spend time and effort on a conditioning program to improve their performance on the course while enhancing their overall health.

“Golf fitness has just exploded,” says Gosch, who says the key for players of all levels is strength, endurance, balance and flexibility.

A member of Crag Burn Golf Club, he is a former golf instructor at the Battistoni Golf Center in Clarence, Brookfield Country Club and Wehrle Golf Dome. In fact, it was his close friend, PGA professional Gary Battistoni, who introduced Gosch to the game and served as his mentor for years.

He says he has come a long way from that first, memorable round when he shot 150. In fact, Gosch’s personal best score for 18 holes is 66 at Crag Burn, according to his Web site.

“The fact that I went from a bodybuilding career to a sport that requires fluid motion and flexibility was very hard to do,” he says. “I had to do a tremendous amount of work to be able to finish (the PGA of America) program while simultaneously being a husband and father and running my personal training business. So it’s been a long, long road.”

He plans a midsummer opening for the Discover Golf Performance Center, which will promote what he calls “functional exercise training.” It will be a year-round, multidisciplinary facility offering state-of-the-art golf swing analysis technology and other golf and wellness resources. There he’ll welcome non-golfers, as well, offering lifestyle coaching for positive personal change including stress management.

“The key to golf is having enough skill to play to a point where you can enjoy the game,” Gosch says. “You’re not embarrassed. You’re not holding up your playing partners or the people behind you. You have enough skill to play well. That doesn’t mean shooting par. It just means being able to go out there and have a reasonable amount of ability, and that’s what we do for people. We’re not trying to turn everyone into a competitive golfer. We want to help people enjoy the game."