Tempo... How do you control yours??

Bullfrog

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Tempo in the golf swing means a lot. Lately I have been struggling a bunch with almost all full shots. My AW2 Trackmygolf app tells you tempo after each swing. It says "Tempo too Fast" with some numbers. I have been trying to control my tempo but can't seem to get a fix on it. What makes a good tempo? How do you control your golf swing tempo? Are there drills I can do that will help with it?

I guess I'm just all messed up when I swing the club. Anyone feel free to post your thoughts and what you do to control yours.
 
no thoughts here. your tempo is your tempo. the golf ball doesn't know how quick or slow you are in your swing, it only knows your impact conditions. proper sequencing is all that matters imho.
 
My swing is too inconsistent to really be able to help much. But try swinging without a ball in front of you and find a comfortable and efficient swing speed and rhythm. Then do something like counting (or phrasing) to match that swing. I have tried breaking up my swing in to 3 parts. Two parts for the backswing, slight pause at the top to trigger body turn and then one part for the downswing. So I say 'one, two ... three'. Its not the best but works for me from a tempo perspective. Also, the orange whip swing trainer can potentially help establishing tempo and building muscle memory.

I have read that you are 'supposed' to have a 3-to-1 tempo but honestly, like most of golf, it is all personal.
 
I try to keep my tempo the same as my everyday life. I'm a little quick I how I walk and talk so I'm s little quick in my tempo with golf. What I try to control is how quick my transition is between backswing and follow thru

I try to count one (takeaway) one thousand (top of backswing) two (contact)
 
Tempo is purely personal. Rhythm, on the other hand, is what you want. I was smashing drives 270 today because I had nice clubhead speed but with good rhythm, because I swung without conscious thought.

It's like when you throw a ball. It's rhythmic because you're not trying to control each and every part. Swing freely, and your rhythm, and tempo, will find you.
 
That is something I am working on to improve. I have a very quick tempo,take the club back abruptly . When I slow it down a little my results speak for their self. More fairways and lower scores. Getting it imprinted in my brain has been a struggle but I see it coming along.


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With my driver I just say to myself "swing like a p***y". It helps slow my back swing and find more fairways.
 
I played 24 holes of golf today with several members of my dad's club. Everyone of the tried to kill the ball and they sprayed it all over the place. I went to each of them and told them, smooth. I asked them to take a practice swing and just swing smooth and allow the club to work as it was designed. They may have collectively missed 3 shots between the 4 of them for the last 9 holes.

It's all about finding a swing speed that allows all the parts to work as one. For some it's fast and others it's slow. For me it's right in between. If you can swing thru the ball and hold your balance then that's your tempo. You do this thru practice swings.
 
With my driver I just say to myself "swing like a p***y". It helps slow my back swing and find more fairways.
Very fitting for you actually :) DW could use that while wearing his pastels. Lol
 
Very fitting for you actually :) DW could use that while wearing his pastels. Lol

It works. You heard and saw it at dymond Hawk.
 
This is something I really need to work on. I was really focusing on slowing my tempo during my round last Sunday and I hit my irons better than I have in a long time.
 
I just focus on er-nie ELS and it helps. Ernie back and els down

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I try to think of a song, before the round, that has a smooth or soothing tempo. It sometimes helps me calm myself down on the course.

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When I'm getting too quick I take some practice swings with a little twist. I start the practice swing with my feet close together(inside shoulder width), when I get to the top of my swing, I take a little stride toward the target with my lead leg, and when it's landing I'm starting to come down and transfer weight to my lead leg. I swing as hard as I can that way while staying balanced and I know I've found my swing. You'll feel it when you do it right. This is something that's helped me personally a lot in the last year.
 
I have this problem on 3/4 shots. I almost need to feel like I'm pausing at the top. When I do that, I feel like it corrects itself.
 
I don't know why I don't have a conscious thought about tempo because it is so important. I remember Tom Watson saying he said some word like "Edelwiess" to himself during his swing - I think he had his swing synced to the 3 syllables. I think other pros use metronomes that make a sound at precise intervals, and they try to swing at that pace.

I know my tempo gets fast when I'm nervous or lack confidence in my swing. I also remember Rory when he collapsed at Augusta on the final 9 holes - his swing had become WAY to fast.

I'm interested in seeing more replies to this post!
 
I think Nick Price used a saying "Wind, it, up, finish" 3-1 tempo.
 
Gonna work on this today at the range. I really need to get my swing back. Golf isn't fun like this.
 
When mine gets to fast I can normally fix it in a few minutes at the range. I have a drill where I stop at the top for 3-4 seconds at the top of the backswing before hitting the ball. It not only helps tempo but also syncs up your upper and lower body.
 
Any others have drills or anything they use to work on this.
 
For me it's about feeling connected between my body and arms. If my arms get away from my body, chances are my tempo is way off.
 
Gonna work on this today at the range. I really need to get my swing back. Golf isn't fun like this.

Feel the clubhead back and through. That'll give you rhythm, which will sort out your tempo.
 
You want to swing the club fast for distance. If you swing slower, it only guarantees a shorter mishit. Think smooth, not slow. Dustin Johnson swings at 125 mph, so it's obvious he's not trying to swing slow. He's crushing it as hard as he can, about 80% of his max power (which is still hard swinging, 80 percent is only 20 percent off of 100, so it's obvious he swings hard within himself.)

I've even seen swings that were completely out of sequence and totally terrible (ugly swings) that hit the ball all over the place but the guy with that swing is a low digit if not plus digit handicap, usually in his 40's or 50's age wise. They get the ball up and down so well, that's why they play to a single digit. I play to a single digit (9.7) and my short game is brilliant. I need to leave myself in better positions so I can get up and down more consistently, but overall my short game is where I'm making my scores.

Swing subconsciously, like throwing a ball. The golf swing is a throwing motion (don't over-analyze this). And your swing should take care of itself, regardless of how it looks.
 
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