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By Sean Cochran
Special to PGATOUR.com

As we continue with our series on golf fitness exercises to improve your game it is time to discuss clubhead speed. Over the past couple of weeks we have been discussing tee shots and the benefits of golf fitness training for this aspect of your game.

GET TO KNOW SEAN COCHRAN

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA TOUR regularly and works with TOUR professionals, most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson.   He has been involved in the production of numerous golf fitness videos and books including Core Golf Fitness. He has authored numerous articles with publication credits in Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, and Golf Magazine.   In addition to working with Mickelson, Cochran has worked with LPGA Champion Hee Won Han, U.S. Open Champion Corey Pavin, world-renowned golf instructor Rick Smith and short game expert Dave Pelz.   Cochran continues to speak at seminars and clinics around the country on golf fitness. In his free time he enjoys golf and surfing. He resides in Del Mar, Calif.   To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs,  click here • Training tips archive,  click here • Off-season workout,  click here • Set-up exercises,  Click here • Tightness?  Here's your help

An integral component of tee shots, especially those hit with your driver, is clubhead speed. Clubhead speed is essentially the rate of speed at which the club impacts the golf ball. The higher the rate of speed, the farther the golf ball will travel. So it only makes sense when hitting driver that clubhead speed becomes an integral component of the game.

Increasing clubhead speed basically hinges upon two factors. Number one is your swing mechanics and while No. 2 is your body. The more efficient you become with your swing mechanics, the greater amount of energy you will be able to translate into the club head. And the more powerful the muscles of your body become, you'll be able to generate larger amounts of power. It is the integration of these two components that will allow you to increase the clubhead speed of your tee shots.

Golf fitness training assists with the second category of these components -- your body. Keep in mind it is the muscles of your body that execute the mechanics of the golf swing. And, when it comes to clubhead speed, if the muscles of your body are more powerful, they will be able to output higher levels of clubhead speed within the confines of the golf swing.

Power, which is defined as the ability of your muscles to output the greatest amount of force in a short amount of time, can be improved with a specific type of golf fitness training. This type of exercise will improve the ability of your muscles to develop force in a short amount of time through the movement patterns of the golf swing.

In order to achieve this outcome we must utilize power training exercises, placing your body in the anatomical positions of the swing and ones which are rotational in terms of movement. This will develop the power component of your muscles specific to the requirements of the golf swing.

Power training exercises for the golf swing will again focus on the core area of your body. If you recall from last week's article, the core is a reference to an anatomical area of the body where the majority of movement occurs in relation to the golf swing.

One such power training exercise I often use for the golf swing is the Standing Medicine Ball Throw. This exercise requires the use of a partner or solid surface against to throw a medicine ball.

Begin this exercise by grasping a 4-6 lb. medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest with elbows slightly bent. Place yourself in the address position of your golf swing 3-4 feet away from a concrete wall or your partner. Rotate the shoulders backwards simulating the backswing while maintaining a fixed spine angle. Continue to rotate until the shoulders are perpendicular to your hips. Pause slightly at this position and aggressively rotate forward, releasing the medicine ball towards your partner or wall. Catch the medicine ball, return to the starting position of the exercise, and repeat for 8-10 repetitions. Pay strict attention to form and spine angle during this exercise.

Keep in mind as it relates to the body three major components are prevalent in tee shots: flexibility, strength, and power. All three must be developed within the body for optimal success when hitting your driver.