Has tempo clicked for your game, and if so, what difference did it make?

[double_j]

How do you work on tempo? is it just a matter of getting rid of tension and trying not to rush the downswing?

Take a club (or stick, or baseball bat, etc.) and swing it back and forth naturally in the air. Don't worry about making it a golf swing or about any mechanics, etc. Just swing free and easy like you're trying to get loose.

The rhythm and speed at which you swing the club when not thinking about anything is your natural tempo. That's the feeling you want to incorporate into your golf swing.

[melchior]

One thing I saw Tom Watson do (on TV) was when he was struggling with rhythm/tempo, he would flip the club around and swing the grip end towards the ground (obviously not hitting the ground). Doing that it's very easy to see if you're getting jerky anywhere (at least for me) and fixes my tempo immediately. You get the right pacing for a full swing and it's even easier to keep the tempo while swinging the heavy end of the club.

For me, I always tend to rush so doing this slows my backswing down and allows my shoulders to turn more fully and make a proper swing.