Anyone can play golf. You don’t need to be the greatest athlete or in the best shape to score well. Little people can hit the ball far. All you have to do is "pure it." I know: easier said than done. No matter what stage you are in your game – beginner to scratch – a solid mental game and cool demeanor will help you execute your shots from tee to green more consistently. Giant muscles will not.

Of course there are benefits to maintaining a strong, healthy body, not just in life, but in golf. You might get a little more distance even on slight mis-hits, you’ll be better able to power the ball out of thick rough, and stamina and endurance will help you maintain a solid level of play whether you ride in a cart for nine holes or walk 72 like the pros. And while there are custom cocktails of drugs out there that can help form a lean, toned physique rather than a beefy, muscled-up freakshow, if a golfer is only going to take one drug to improve his or her game, I think they’d be better off with one that enhances the mental game.

Though I couldn’t tell you their names, I know there are plenty of pharmacological products that could have a positive effect on one’s golf game. A recent article in Men’s Vogue tells the story of the writer’s experience playing golf while on a beta-blocker with positive results. Knowing that I’m not alone in my addiction to golf itself, I can only imagine how experiencing success on a golf course with a drug like that could be dangerously addictive, especially considering the health risks and side effects involved. Which is why, tempting as it is, you won’t find me experimenting like the author of that article.

Besides, beta blockers lower the heart rate and create a calming effect. They inhibit the stimulation of the beta receptors that produce performance anxiety symptoms, and performance anxiety isn’t exactly a problem of mine. Any anxiety I do feel is usually only when I’m competing, and is just the kind of stimulation I thrive on that I’ve found actually helps me stay sharp and score better, so any positive result I might notice simply from maintaining an even, zombie-like demeanor throughout a round would probably be canceled out. I guess it’s probably contraindicated for me. Besides, going around the course like a robot doesn’t sound like much fun. I’d rather score a few strokes higher and enjoy the highs and lows of my day. But I’m just an avid, casual golfer. If golf was my job, I might feel differently. At that level, the margin of separation is so minute, any advantage might be too tempting. But both the LPGA and the PGA are implementing anti-doping policies and beta-blockers are on both their lists of prohibited substances along with other "calming agents" like marijuana.

What do you think? As an amateur golfer, are you tempted to try it? Would you be if there were no health risks involved?

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