Jump to content
  • entries
    56
  • comments
    771
  • views
    32,520

Tempo vs. Rhythm


iacas

6,586 views

People often confuse tempo and rhythm, or they'll use them interchangeably. I've almost surely done it many times to this point, but here is how I intend to try to use them starting now.

Rhythm is the ratio and tempo is the speed.

Rhythm
Good putting strokes often have a ratio of 2:1. Again, it's the ratio of the putting stroke. You can have a 300ms backswing or a 600ms backswing, each with a 150 or a 300ms downswing, and that's 2:1. Both strokes have the same rhythm.

Tempo
The tempo is the speed of the putter head. Short putts and long putts should have close to the same time (which is why, for example, I like to have a 78 BPM putting stroke), but will have very different tempos. The shorter putt will have a slower tempo than the longer putt.

  • Like 3
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Upvote 1

8 Comments


Recommended Comments

I have been thinking a bit about this post since I’m really focusing on improving my putting until the season really starts over here. 
 

I have now added a metronome to my practice. 
 

Now on to my question - I have read multiple places that a number to aim for (although not absolute but it’s something I can quantify) is 600ms on the backswing and 300 on the downswing. 
 

Now reading this post and adding the 78BPM to the equation a beat with 78BPM is roughly 770ms so that doesn’t help me at all. If you wanted a 600ms beat that would be 100BPM exactly. But since it’s easier for me to count 1 - 2 on the back and then 3 on the downswing, to get that beat you’d need to set the metronome to 200BPM so one beat is 300ms. So you go 1-2 end of backswing and 3 on impact. But that 200BPM beat is just so fast that it makes me nervous. 
 

So right now I’m practicing with 100BPM and I go full backswing with one and the full downswing (till it stops on the follow through) on two. What are your thoughts on the way I approached it?

Link to comment
  • Administrator

It’s normally ~ 2:1 in good putting strokes.

There’s nothing magical about 600ms. If that was the time you wanted to take, from takeaway to impact, it’d be 400ms backswing, 200ms downswing.

Link to comment

Hmmm... I've never actually thought of my putting stroke in that way, but... it makes sense.  

I have equated my putting stroke to a video game meter.  I know how far back I need to bring the putter head for a 10 foot putt, 20 foot putt, etc.  The problem is, I seem to pull a lot of my putts.  Perhaps I've been too focused on the 'where' of my putter head instead of the 'when' aspect.  

CY

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • Blog Entries

  • Posts

    • I get kidney stones. So 100 oz of water every day. Some nights I drink 32oz between midnight and 6 Am. Which means I dont sleep much.
    • 46 (9 over) Short game and putts were awful!
    • 46+40 for an 86. I just need to play 9 holes on the range before each round. 🤣🤣🤣
    • I don’t measure my intake either. I generally have a black coffee, a bottle of soda, some sweet tea at home, and anything in between is water. An ice cold bottle of water is one of my favorite things. It feels like an immediate refresher for my body. I’ll admit that I need to drink a little more though. 
    • For such a nice membership, there have been some bad incidents in the past few years.  We had someone voted out a couple of years ago over something he did and he harassed the board members for three months until he moved out of the area.   Generally they’ve tried to do things like tournament handicaps and identify certain people who they know should be lower and adjust it somehow.  I can understand not wanting to go thru something like the guy who was voted out again i emailed the pro who forwarded it to the handicap committee.  They are going to see what can be done.  I walked someone thru what happened and they are going to nudge him to post the score from the match and see what he does.  Since he didn’t put anything in the electronic scoring past 13, based on how he played 14 and 15 plus having to take bogey on 16-18 for after he left, he should post 83.  We’ll see if it’s even higher,   Since he was really even thru 13, then doubled 14 and parred 15 my guess is he really shot 75 being generous and giving him 2 pars and a bogey on the three holes he didn’t play.    i shot 88, getting 16 shots for my course handicap which is net even and I lost on 13.  We do brackets where handicaps should be within 4-5 of each other.  Most matches only have 1-2 shots as a difference between players  neither of us posted the score yet.  There was something in the match play rules about whether or not to post your score.  I couldn’t remember if we were supposed to or not.  I don’t think he was going to post that, because even with his inflated score it would be the lowest score in his recent 20. Lucky I didn’t because they want to see what he does post and they don’t want me posting so he can try to calibrate his score.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...