About six months ago, during the dead of the North Carolina winter, I evinced to my better half a desire to try my hand at golf. Whether born of cabin fever or genuine interest, she took the interest to heart and presented me, as part of my Valentine's gift bag, a very generous gift certificate to a local driving range.

The first time I hit the range, a clear, crisp late-February day, was a complete and utter disaster. I hacked at the balls, occasionally making good contact but more often using a mighty, back-cracking swing to produce the sort of dribbling line drive that scares only gophers. It took me almost two hours to empty a bucket of 100 or so balls.

Needless to say, I was hooked.

Over the next couple of months, I used up my gift certificate and actually managed to improve a tiny bit. There were still far more embarrassing moments than moments of glory, such as the first time I tried out a driver and spiked the ball straight up into the corrugated-tin roof of the covered tee area. The noise was such that it elicited a cringe from me and profanity from inside the clubhouse, where I'd apparently disrupted someone's poker game.

I had been using the collection of castoff clubs provided as "loaners" by the driving range, and the problem I'd run into was that they were all standard-length. While I'm not really good enough for such niceties to make a huge difference, I've always believed in getting the right tools for any job. However, I hadn't yet talked myself into laying you the serious lucre required to purchase a set of extra-long clubs.

Then came Father's Day, and I knew at once that the giant box on the sunroom floor was either a set of clubs or the grill I'd been lusting over at Home Depot. With glee, I discovered a spanking-new set of extra-long clubs, along with balls, tees and all the accoutrements. That very afternoon, I went to the driving range and discovered (you veteran golfers will know this) that my problems had not been solved.

Lessons were in order, and provided by an outstanding fellow named Phil Crick, who is just cranky enough to get lessons through my phenomenally thick skull. Now I started to see some improvement. It was dramatic and immediate.

For all of you weekend duffers out there who have never taken a lesson ... schedule one immediately. Most of you don't live in my neighborhood, so Phil's out of the question, but I'm sure your local municipal course, country club or golf store can set you up with a pro.

So, why am I writing about this in the Diary, you ask? It's simple. Golf has gotten a bad rap over the years as a game for indolent business fatboys who are more interested in sipping martinis than cracking a sweat. However, if you do it right, you can get a great workout on the links.

Here are a few ideas to up your calorie burn:

1. Park the cart: You likely won't be able to handle 18 holes without a cart right off, especially not in midsummer, but try nine holes some evening. A lot of courses even offer discounted nine-hole rounds in the late evenings.

2. Walk a bit: Even when you have a cart, make yourself walk more than usual. Instead of driving all the way to your ball, stop on the cart path and walk across the fairway to where it lies. (Incidentally, this will help you work on your hook or slice ... unless you like extra-long walks.) If your green is up a hill, park at the base and make the climb. Walk from the green to the next tee and let your golf partner drive the cart along.

3. Stretch it out: At some point in every round, you'll end up waiting for another party to finish a hole ahead of you. Instead of sitting in the cart or grabbing some munchies, grab one of your clubs and do some stretching exercises. Do a few toe touches or arm lifts. Just keep yourself moving! I've got a friend who's teaching himself to juggle, and he uses his mid-course waiting periods to practice.

4. Have a drink: Especially this time of year, most courses have at least a couple of water coolers distributed along the course. However, don't count on them being full. Cart your water with you, and be sure to drink it! Staying hydrated is vital, even lifesaving, and it will help keep you energized and keep your metabolism ticking in high gear.

What it all comes back to is a lesson on which I've been harping since the first Diary: Anything that gets you moving, anything that increases your activity level above that of a mossy rock, is a good thing. Sure, your skinny neighbor who gets up at 5 a.m. every day and runs five miles before he quaffs his smoothie and hits the gym on the way to work may scoff at you in your golf hat, but you're not doing this for him. You're doing it for you.

Yes, you.

More on that next time: The Selfish Dieter

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line, anytime!