The Value of Tempo

[inthecup]

I was working on my swing in the early spring and I had watched a video about a slow transition a Shawn Clement video.  My swing tempo was always fast.  On a day when it got really fast my play was a disaster.  I was working on a slow transition and trying "moderate effort" swings to learn the feeling.

I was hitting on a launch monitor at the time and the numbers were interesting.  My swing speed was near normal and my distance was near normal.  I decided to work on the slow transition and lower effort swing.  First time out on the course with that thought I played an above average round and my misses were very acceptable.  As I continued on I started finding the center of the club face frequently which was a new experience for me.  After that I picked up distance.  Since then my handicap dropped two points.

I am having back issues so I don't practice much and still was able to improve.

I think if your skill is very high you might be able to contain the extra speed but slowing down allows me to have a better sequence.  Food for thought.

Edited August 2, 2019 by inthecup

[Patch]

Yeah everyone has their own swing tempo, timing, speed etc..... When a golfer swings with-in their own tempo, all the body parts associated with their swing are more in sync with each other. This creates their ow max distances. 

Where alot golfer mess up is thinking they have to swing faster than they need to, to max generate power, and distance. This is great if the golfer can stay balanced throught their swing. 

A poor swing tempo, either to fast, or too slow robs the golfer of their potential max distances

[klineka]

1 hour ago, inthecup said:

but slowing down allows me to have a better sequence.

You might have felt like you were "slowing down" but in reality you weren't really, because like you said, your swing speed remained nearly the same.

1 hour ago, inthecup said:

My swing speed was near normal and my distance was near normal.

Remember, feel isn't real.

I would be interested to see how long it takes you to go from address to impact with your "fast tempo" swing compared to your "slow tempo" swing.

Most amateurs are better off swinging at a full speed, they typically don't gain any accuracy by slowing down, they just hit it shorter

Edited August 2, 2019 by klineka

[iacas]

1 minute ago, klineka said:

You might have felt like you were "slowing down" but in reality you weren't really, because like you said, your swing speed remained nearly the same.

Pretty sure he’s talking about the backswing. You can still swing fast with a slower backswing.

[inthecup]

The back swing is a reasonable speed.  The transition is slower which allow me to maintain my balance and accuracy with the club.

I would bet if I swung hard and swung "easy" and within myself an onlooker would hardly notice.  If you were able to measure the tension in my muscles you would see a radical difference.

[TN94z]

I think that when your swing tempo gets too fast and throws your swing out of sync, you try to compensate to get the club face back where it should be by impact. For me, if I catch myself swinging too fast (most of this being in the transition), an over the top moves presents itself. If I "slow" that down, everything stays in sync and I hit closer to the center of the club face and my distance is easily as far or farther than before.

I'd be willing to say that when you swing with a more correct tempo, your swing speed will be as fast or faster because there are less compensations to get on the right path. And obviously this good tempo will vary from player to player. I am actually working on my tempo at the moment.

Edited August 2, 2019 by TN94z

[inthecup]

44 minutes ago, TN94z said:

I think that when your swing tempo gets too fast and throws your swing out of sync, you try to compensate to get the club face back where it should be by impact. For me, if I catch myself swinging too fast (most of this being in the transition), an over the top moves presents itself. If I "slow" that down, everything stays in sync and I hit closer to the center of the club face and my distance is easily as far or farther than before.

I'd be willing to say that when you swing with a more correct tempo, your swing speed will be as fast or faster because there are less compensations to get on the right path. And obviously this good tempo will vary from player to player. I am actually working on my tempo at the moment.

I agree