Tempo

[saevel25]

My ultimate nemisis, tempo. How do you guys practice it. Because if my round start off with fast tempo, its hard for me to get out of it. I really got to concentrate on slowing it down. For me i think its hand tempo with fast hips, because when i get quick i am dead pull hitter or hooking the ball. But when my tempo is good, its pretty straight.

Does any specifically try to practice tempo, if so whats a good drill?

[James_Black]

My old pro said to count slowly One...Two...Three.....
One. you start the backswing
two. you get to the top and hold it for a split-second
three. you rip through the ball and hit a good shot.

try it out.

[saevel25]

I use to, until it went, one two THREEEEE as i swung out of my shoes... But i might try it again..

[Rexmaster]

How about golf metronome like:

[saevel25]

Ooh i better not, i would have to much messing around with it.

[westcyderydin]

watch ernie els' swing for hours and hours every day until you naturally take over his tempo. this may take years, you might have to quit your job, and your relationships may suffer but it will be worth it. or just do the one two three thing.

[senorchipotle]

My ultimate nemisis, tempo. How do you guys practice it. Because if my round start off with fast tempo, its hard for me to get out of it. I really got to concentrate on slowing it down. For me i think its hand tempo with fast hips, because when i get quick i am dead pull hitter or hooking the ball. But when my tempo is good, its pretty straight.

gravity will dictate your specific tempo. it all depends on your height, your arm length, and the length of your swing. when you take the club back, you don't immediately drag the club back down at the ball. you use the initial drop to build up momentum so you reach top speed through the ball. a drill that i use is simply swinging the club back and forth while i turn, and using momentum and gravity to dictate my tempo. your tempo is a ratio, so essentially it's dynamic. cause all your swings will not be the same length nor the same speed. so to use a static tempo like with a song or counting is unwise. you set your tempo with each club and with each shot. to try and fit every shot into one static time frame can be disastrous to good shot making.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Use a metronome to find the swing speed that suits you. It will be in the 48-60 range, most likely. One tick is takeaway, the second tick is impact. As I interpret tempo into my swing, it is the constant speed of the hips turning back and through that governs my tempo. The arms speed up and slow down and speed up again -- unreliable indicators.

[Rexx]

I just mentioned in another thread for chipping to pretend like you're swinging a sledge hammer, but it seems applicable on any swing. You'll use the big muscles, less wrists, and eliminate the jerking motions (especially at the start of downswing).

[mdl]

Ooh... I like the sound of this swing thought at the range. Sort of like the throwing the big rock drill the S&T; guys advocate.

[jhawker23]

Check out Tour Tempo. Just started with it last week and have a noticeable difference in tempo. Seems to easy too work, but in no time you'll be SWING.... SET.. THROUGH and striking the ball better. Its a bit of an amazement. I listened to the tracks and thought, I trusted the reviews and wasted my money on SWING SET THROUGH over and over. Yep and it was well worth it. Now my swing thought is tempo and it removes a lot of the other rubbish that tries to destroy me.

[tm22721]

Wrong measurement, wrong tool. The key is smooth acceleration into impact, most overaccelerate from the top then decelerate. For that you need to monitor the change in speed, not simply speed or time. Some like VJ use audible feedback like Sonic Golf. Others monitor the shaft pressure/flex against the knuckle of their right index finger using a whippy shaft (like the Orange Whip) to help develop feel. To prevent overacceleration add a little stretch at the top.

[imtomtomim]

well, 2 years ago, I saw some funny drill called the no backswing swing and the guy took the club back just like a baseball bat, and just hit the ball. That's a good way to realize where you need the club to be when you "set".

When I start rushing, I try to just bring the club up, hold for a 2 count, and then drop and swing through (practice swings). the pro always told me you gotta stop the club head so that's what I try to do. Stop the club head.

Tempo is also effected by the length of the backswing. Make sure the club isn't behind your body. In athletics, nothing good happens when you've got aspects behind you. Stay in your range of motion, control your body, control your result.

[blackxpress]

I just made a thrilling discovery a few days ago after struggling with tempo for years. My instructor has been onto me about counting to 3 in the backswing and I've made pretty good progress but I was still letting my hands get too fast in the downswing. I took a lesson Friday in preparation for my Friday night league. He made the comment that most high handicappers have trouble waiting for their swing. That's when it hit me. WAIT FOR IT! I took that one swing thought to the range and then on to the course and struck the ball better than I ever have in my life. Shot 42 in the league and would have done a whole lot better but my short game was a little off. I went back out yesterday and it was still with me. I've gone immediately from struggling with my driver to hitting it long and straight almost every time. My iron game has improved drastically as well. I'm focusing on getting my setup right and then I just tell myself, "Wait for it!" Take the club back nice and slow, turn my hips toward the target and wait for my swing to take care of itself. Truly amazing.