Since 2001, Scott Riehl has set up shop in the PGA Tour’s Fitness Trailer, leading tour professionals through workouts custom-designed to help them reach their goals.

The strength and conditioning coach for Physical Fitness Associates, the official sports medicine provider of the PGA Tour, spends most of his time with the younger circuit, with the rest of his schedule taken by the Champions Tour.  “Warm-up is a big part of what we do,” Riehl says. “Guys come in before or after their rounds. I will bring them through their workout or stretching routines.”

What started as a physical therapy trailer with a small section devoted to fitness has grown into an entire trailer dedicated to strength and conditioning and stocked with state-of-the-art Cybex equipment that services between 50%-60% of the field any given week.  (Cybex is the exclusive equipment provider to the PGA Tour fitness trailer). The 1000-square-foot trailer sits on a 18-wheeler truck bed and expands five feet in either direction. Cardio vascular (treadmills and bikes), functional training (weight resistance, dumbbells) and an open space for different routines are all part of the layout.

 “Over the last nine years we have built a culture where all the players are dedicated to fitness,” Riehl (pictured below) says. “We are constantly testing players for functional movement. In testing, we will find deficiencies.  My job is developing programs to fix these issues and lead them through workouts.”

This includes warm-up and stretching routines up to two hours before a round or perhaps a modified workout after play. The trailer is open Tuesday-Sunday of a tournament week, packing up and leaving for the next location as the last players tee off in the final round.  Each day, players can work out from two hours before the first starting time (5-5:30 a.m.) to 8:00 p.m.

With the career longevity golfers such as Vijay Singh have enjoyed (or even 59-year-old Tom Watson nearly winning the ‘09 British Open), the dedication to fitness has clearly paid off. A quick peek into the trailer now might reveal 10-12 players at a time working out or receving treatment.

And you thought PGA Tour professionals were better just because they practiced more.

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