Golf for Women has published a snippet of a book called Tour Tempo: Golf's Last Secret Finally Revealed. The snippet outlines the 3:1 ratio that most tour players seem to have in their swings. Three beats to reach the top of the backswing, one beat coming down to impact.

You too can attempt to achieve "Tour Tempo" by counting in your head. Most music is in 4/4 time, so pick a song with a rhythm you like. Swing back to the top on the first three beats while humming the song or singing it (even if you do so quietly or in your head), and swing down and make contact with the ball on the last beat. If you have decent rhythm, simply saying "1 2 3 4" rhythmically will be enough.

Give the "Tour Tempo" a try the next time you golf. It's not much of a swing thought, but then again, that's the point.

We've previously written about how tee height can affect shotmaking, but what's the standard position for a teed ball?

The general rule of thumb for woods and metals these days is this: tee the ball up so that, when your club rests lightly on the ground, ½ of the ball is above the topline of the club. The image to the right, courtesy of Perry Andrisen's site, is a touch above that but will encourage an upswing with the driver.

Here's another image showing the heights of the tee for a driver, a 5-metal, and an 11-metal (which is similar to that of an iron), courtesy of Golf for Women:

Three footers, the bane of everyone's existence. Short enough that you should make them, but long enough that you might just miss. Do you ease them into the hole or ram them into the back? If you choose the latter, you might just face another three-footer coming back, and if you choose the former you may fall prey to the break.

The clock drill will help you with those short ones. Place six to twelve balls three feet from the hole in every direction. This will give you sidehill, uphill, and downhill putts. You'll quickly develop a feel for the break and the speed. Start with a straight putt and work your way around the hole. Just get the ball in the hole instinctively - don't read the green. Whether you're a "ram it in" or an "ease it in" kinda golfer will become obvious.

If you've watched Phil Mickelson play lately, you've seen him take this drill to the course. He lines up a straight version of his putt, makes a stroke, and then moves to his ball, addresses it, and puts it in the hole instinctively. Give it a try and let your inner putting instinct surface.

Eighty percent of the shots in golf occur inside of 100 yards. In order to score well, golfers need to be accurate with their wedges. The key to accuracy is proper contact in the sweet spot (the area which wastes the least amount of energy when struck). Many golfers hit the ball too far to the toe or hozel of the club due to either an outside-to-in swing plane or a swing that is over the top. Improper contact leads to twisting of the club head and offline shots.

In order to learn how to make consistent contact with your wedges, lay a 2-by-4 on its long side and place a ball on the ground an inch away. Start out hitting small chips without making any contact with the board. Both out to in swings and over the top motions will result in contact with the board and immediate feedback.

Once you are proficient, move on to pitches, and finally full swings. As your contact improves you'll see your scores drop. Both out to in swings and over the top motions will result in contact with the board and immediate feedback.

Keep practicing and eventually you will groove an inside out swing with your wedges.