Golf swing tempo

Having great positions in the swing, good plane, square clubface, and good posture are all very important, but no matter how good these aspects are, to make it all work you need some oil. This is tempo & rhythm. Even if your positions are not just where we want them, good tempo can give you the time to correct bad positions during the swing, still hitting solid shots.

So what is good Tempo??  Slow back?  Fast people, fast swing? Slow people, slow swing?  It is also a very difficult subject to put into words, but I’m going to give it a try.

What we normally see with amateur players is that they have a very slow move away and very fast transition (change of direction backswing to downswing), reaching maximum speed too early, well before impact.   Actually, the more a player tries to make their move away slow the more they “jerk” the club in the transition and play worst not better!

Slow – Fast – Slow is a normal amateur tempo.

You are going to think I am crazy when I tell you that most top Pros have the same tempo.  It is true. When we look at Pros, or for that matter good amateur players, we see that most have a 3:1 ratio of backswing to downswing; for example, 0.750 sec backswing, 0.250 sec downswing.  We also see that the total time of the swing (starting swing to impact) with the men is around 1 sec and with the ladies 1.300 sec. Yes, even Ernie Els’ swing only takes 1.000 sec!  So why are most amateurs trying to slow their swing down?!

The better players get the club moving at the start of the swing with some speed. They then have a short pause at the top of the swing, slowly building up the speed in the downswing so that maximum speed is reached at impact and no earlier.

“The transition of the better player makes their swings look slow, and this is what creates the misunderstanding with amateurs.”

 Fast – Slow – Fast

This Fast – Slow – Fast tempo is what makes your swing repeatable, and this is what all the top Pros have in common. They repeat their swing time after time.  Think about signing your name; sign your name 10 times writing it very slowly then another 10 times at your natural speed a little faster. Which one is more repeatable??  I have found that when most players realize they can swing a little faster, it is a relief.  It is simply not natural to swing too slow!

Finding 3:1 tempo is simple:

• Count 1, 2 as you take your backswing. Say ‘pause’ to yourself at the top, and 3 as you reach impact.  Remember, the total time to impact should be between 1 – 1.3 sec, so you are not counting seconds the counting is simply to give you a feeling for the 3:1 ratio and the short pause.  Always keep in mind the fast –slow – fast.
• Keep your grip pressure light as you speed up your swing.
• The tempo should be the same with all clubs and all lengths of shots.

Below is a video I did a few years ago on good tempo.