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By Sean Cochran
Special to PGATOUR.com

THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club in the Atlanta area is upon us and THE TOUR season is coming to an end. During the course of this season we have been discussing the how golf fitness training can improve your golf game. We have provided golf fitness exercises to improve your putting, short game, long iron shots, and driving. Many aspects of the golf swing, including physiology of the body as well as integral components of a golf fitness program, have been discussed.

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

This week, as the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup come to a close, we are going to bring all the information discussed over this past season into one article. We'll provide you with a working "blue print" of the key points every golfer should understand as it relates to golf fitness training, and the improvement of your game. This is a summary of sorts, which you can utilize for the remainder of this season as well as use in the development of your off-season golf swing improvement program.

First and foremost we must understand the connection between the body and your golf swing. Basically, the mechanics of the golf swing are executed by your body and, in order to execute each phase of the golf swing correctly, your body must have certain physical parameters developed within it. If these physical parameters are not "up to par", so to speak, compensations will develop in your golf swing. This will result in inconsistencies in your golf swing, a loss of power and accuracy, and higher scores rather than lower ones.

The first of these physical parameters is flexibility. This is probably the physical parameter requiring the most attention by amateurs as well as the starting point for any comprehensive golf fitness program. The mechanics of the golf swing require the body to draw the club along a specified swing plane through a long range of motion. In order to execute this requirement of the golf effectively, your body must have certain levels of flexibility. This will allow you to make a full shoulder turn and execute the backswing, downswing, and follow through correctly.

The second physical parameter of the golf swing is strength. Muscular strength assists in a number of physical requirements of the golf swing such as balance, posture, and even power development. Fundamentally the golf swing requires the golfer to maintain a fixed spine angle, rotate around a fixed spine angle, and maintain specific postural positions in every phase of the swing. In order to accomplish this the muscles of your body must have certain levels of strength. It is the ability of your muscles to exert specified levels of force that allows for these requirements of the golf swing to be met. The golfer can develop the muscular strength requirements of the golf swing through golf fitness training.

The third and final physical component of the golf swing is power. Power development in the golf swing is measured through clubhead speed. The higher rate at which the clubhead impacts the golf ball, the farther it will travel down the fairway. The development of power in the golf swing hinges upon both the efficient execution of the swing and the muscles of your body. As it relates to the body, power development is contingent upon the muscles of your body generating the greatest amount of force possible within the confines of the swing. Increasing the power outputs of your muscles will enhance your ability to generate clubhead speed in the golf swing.

Knowing the golf swing basically requires the development of three physical components within the body. We can now with ease develop a golf fitness program focused upon these physical parameters. A review of articles from this TOUR season will indicate a variety of golf fitness exercises geared towards developing the flexibility, strength, and power components of your body. All of the golf fitness exercises we have covered this season will undoubtedly improve the flexibility, strength, and power components of your body for the swing.

The golf fitness exercises which we have covered this season and which I consider the cornerstones of any golf fitness program are the following:

Flexibility: Rotators and Iron Cross
Strength: Bent Knee Marches and Medicine Ball Rotational Squat
Power: Power Swings and Standing Medicine Ball Throw

Again, these are not the only golf fitness exercises that can benefit your golf swing, but they are ones that can absolutely improve your levels of flexibility, strength, and power for your game. Remember your body executes the golf swing and certain levels of flexibility, strength, and power are needed to do so.