Flexibility is a big problem for Darren Clarke

If tired and aching feet are a concern as you return from your holiday this year, heavily laden with luggage, then spare a thought for Lee Janzen.

Golf competitions can be so demanding for Janzen's feet that he also carries a shoe horn.

Darren Clarke's golf trainer reckons he's in with a good chance this week.

Clarke, who has been working with John Newton for almost a year, believes having a personal trainer and physiotherapist is a huge benefit especially when coping with the kind of weather conditions we're seeing at Lytham this week.

Stretching

Newton says that Darren Clarke's body is his own worst enemy and that one of his major problems is flexibility.

Newton's roles include organising Clarke's stretching routine which he starts exactly two hours 15 minutes before he plays. This extensive routine includes exercises for his trunk, legs, shoulders, and arms.

Newton also revealed that Darren's legs are massive from his earlier days as a rugby player - it takes Newton an hour to massage Darren's legs and feet every evening.

Olle Karlsson is having an excellent year

Most amateurs before rushing out to play in club medal don't even give a thought to stretching.

Despite the importance of technique and equipment, all these additions go into making the tour pros the world class players that they are.

Changing clubs

The unseasonal weather this week, and the forecasted strong winds, has meant many players are changing their clubs.

Players are looking for lower loft on their clubs to keep the ball lower into the wind.

In his first year on tour Swede Olle Karlsson (nicknamed 'Bite') is one of many players using less loft on his driver. Karlsson is having an excellent year having already secured his card for next season.

Mark Brooks has also dropped to an eight-degree driver and Ian Woosnam has dropped to a 7.5-degree driver.

Marcus Brier, the first Austrian to play in the British Open, must be expecting trouble later in the week.

He has visited the Taylor Made stand to collect one of their "rescue" clubs which has extra weight on the bottom of the club for dealing with rough lies.

England's Justin Rose is another player experimenting with the rescue club but he's opted for a 15-degree driver for this week rather than his usual 18-degree club.