Tempo

[x-man]

Does anyone have any good ways to help someone improve there tempo? I have a very bad habit of going back very slow and getting very qucik at the top. Like most I do best with this when I'm on the range trying to work on it, but when I get to the first tee not as good. I'd really like to get more consitant cause on days when I have a smooth tempo I feel like I can't miss shots. I want more of those days lol

[coachjimsc]

http://www.tourtempo.com/

[saevel25]

Tempo is something you will have to learn yourself. I use to have two tempo's driver swing and irons. I could hit great irons, wonderful tempo, really pretty. Get a driver in my hand, or just tee up the ball, all hell breaks looks. Takes me a while to reign things in. Just keep hitting the ball and you will find your tempo.

[whattaguy]

Find a song that has a similar tempo to your swing and play that in your head throughout the round.

[saevel25]

They say alot of times your tempo can be seen in how you walk, if your a fast walker then you usually have a fast tempo. I know my tempo is fast because i out pace people who are the same height as me. My supervisor, walks about as fast as me and has a fast tempo as well.

[keiko]

I have been a single digit handicapper for the past 20 years. A few years ago, I tried the tour tempo to see what it was all about, it's a gimmick with nothing to offer, in fact, it may screw you up. Heartless opportunists sell garbage like that.

The best way to get good tempo is to practice without tension; get rid of the tension in arms, hands, shoulders, and you will immediately get a nice tempo. Allowing your dominate side to control your swing will destroy tempo; take that out of the equation and tempo takes over.

Does anyone have any good ways to help someone improve there tempo? I have a very bad habit of going back very slow and getting very qucik at the top. Like most I do best with this when I'm on the range trying to work on it, but when I get to the first tee not as good. I'd really like to get more consitant cause on days when I have a smooth tempo I feel like I can't miss shots. I want more of those days lol

[CalBoomer]

This is probably just idiosyncratic to me, but it was a big help. With my old, more conventional swing, I could not get much shoulder turn because of my age and lack of flexibility. When I slowed my backswing too much, I had a jerky start to my downswing. So I did better with a faster tempo. A while ago I switched to stack and tilt, and now I get much better shoulder turn. Now I can have a slower backswing because my downswing starts more smoothly with better hip and body turn. Overall a big improvement.

[soloredd]

Like you, when I'm on the range my tempo feels great. Get out on the course and I have tendency to rush things. What's helped me is right before I address the ball I flex my knees a bit and waggle - something along the lines of Ernie Els. It just gets my body feeling a bit more free. And my only swing thought is get to the finish position.

My backswing is somewhat slow but it really isn't. I just accelerate through the ball, giving the feeling of it being slow.

[alo1984]

Say your name or initials during your swing. For example: if your name is Ernie Els, then say Ern -ie - Els as you swing back and through. Or Bob - by - Jones. This should be a fluid rythmic pronunciation and your swing should follow that.

[nuck81]

I'm a musician/band director so tempo comes pretty easy for me. I just think of my backswing as two clicks longer than my downswing.

I don't think about too often as it just ingrained but when I do, I think "1-2-swing"

I always shake my head at the guys that almost ten second backswings that continue to duff shot after shot. You have no chance to make good contact with a backswing that slow...

[jangro]

Say your name or initials during your swing. For example: if your name is Ernie Els, then say Ern -ie - Els as you swing back and through. Or Bob - by - Jones. This should be a fluid rythmic pronunciation and your swing should follow that.

Better yet, no matter what your name is, say "Er-nie-Els". Get tempo and some extra inspiration from invoking thoughts of Ernie and his beautiful swing.

[sean_miller]

I just do all the steps in the right sequence and whether it appears fast or slow to someone else is totally irrelevant to me. I took a couple lessons and he had me speed up my arms on the back swing to match my torso and leg action. My hands/arms were still on the way back too late in the process. Get a lesson.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Does anyone have any good ways to help someone improve there tempo? I have a very bad habit of going back very slow and getting very qucik at the top. Like most I do best with this when I'm on the range trying to work on it, but when I get to the first tee not as good. I'd really like to get more consitant cause on days when I have a smooth tempo I feel like I can't miss shots. I want more of those days lol

The problem seems to be with maintaining your tempo as you play, not what your tempo should be. What is your practice swing like? Smooth, unhurried? Then discipline yourself to hit the ball with your practice swing. Much of keeping in tempo has to do with how well you control your mind as you play. There's no way around that but dealing with it directly.

[DDSeabolt]

I use a metronome (SP?) at the range all the time. They cost about $15 at pretty much any music store and can be set to 2, 3, and 4 beat tempo with any pace you can imagine and adjustable volume. I will hit about 1/3 of the bucket with the sound loud enough that I can hear it but not many, if any others. After that, I turn it off and try to keep it going.

[Clambake]

I use a metronome (SP?) at the range all the time. They cost about $15 at pretty much any music store and can be set to 2, 3, and 4 beat tempo with any pace you can imagine and adjustable volume. I will hit about 1/3 of the bucket with the sound loud enough that I can hear it but not many, if any others. After that, I turn it off and try to keep it going.

For those with iPhones, there are a number of free apps that do the job just fine, and you can use the earphones to not bother others.

A metronome is also great for putting practice. There seems to be a consensus for putting that one wants the putting stroke to be as much like a pendulum as possible. According to one study I ready (quoted by Pebble Beach director of golf Laird Small in his instruction book) touring pros average about 76 beats per minute for their pendulum putting stoke. Since the oscillation period for a pendulum is determined almost solely based on its length, physics would say we should all have a pretty close tempo since there is a relatively small variation in length dependent on our putter and arm length, and thus we should all be around the same putting tempo (probably +/- a few beats per minute). I find that a few minutes of practicing to a metronome at 76 beats really helps me smooth my putting stroke as well as increase me feel of the putter head; I'm swinging properly instead of guiding it.

[Brakkus]

Tim Gallwey in his book had a great suggestion for this.Write down on a piece of paper what qualities you would like in your swing.It could be smooth,unhurried,fluid,graceful,controlled,loose.Then take those words with you when you play.Constantly read them and think about them and how you would like to express those more in your swing.As they say the body follows the mind.You are what you think.
For me I have looked at players swings which please me and have that feel about them that they could swing that way all day.Guys like Donald,Olgivly,F Molinari.The visual image of these guys tempo's and control,ther's no wildness whatever the score.Immelman a few years ago when he was on form seemed the same.Then I transfer that to my thinking.

[Blades4me]

Does anyone have any good ways to help someone improve there tempo? I have a very bad habit of going back very slow and getting very qucik at the top. Like most I do best with this when I'm on the range trying to work on it, but when I get to the first tee not as good. I'd really like to get more consitant cause on days when I have a smooth tempo I feel like I can't miss shots. I want more of those days lol

For me, my rhythm seems to dictate my tempo. So I concentrate on keeping a smooth rhythm.

[mcgriff]

I can always tell my timing (tempo) is off if I am off balance at the end of the swing. When I finish on perfect balance I know my timing is dead on. For me, it's not so much the bacskwing that dictates tempo, it's the finish. It's all muscle memory and takes a lot of practice.

Think Freddie in his prime....smooth and easy.