Find a flat area and walk for one minute, counting the number of steps you take. Are you a fast walker or a slow walker? I took 115 steps in those 60 seconds and consider myself to be a fairly fast walker. I’m not one to dawdle.
My putting stroke is also fairly quick. I take the club back and through more quickly than some people. My tempo is consistent on long and short putts – just as a pendulum maintains the same period regardless of its arc length.
To find your putting tempo, find a metronome (like the one to the right or an electronic one) and do the walking drill. Set the metronome to your step rate – 25. Stand in place and move your putter through your stroke back and forward, ending each half of the stroke on a tick of the metronome. If the tempo feels too fast, slow it down. Too slow, speed it up. Continue to make small adjustments until you find your perfect putting tempo.
Now, just take it to the course! Keep the same tempo – back and through – on all of your putts. On short putts, you’ll swing more slowly but also have a shorter stroke. Your putter’s just a pendulum, folks, and the tempo remains the same.