Why Is Tempo So Important??

You might have heard this word before and it might sound a bit airy-fairy when applied to your golf swing. However tempo really does have a big impact on your balance and how you navigate between each club. First of all tempo is really defined by combining grip pressure and speed of swing. Having great tempo allows you to build consistency with your game while at the same time, preventing swing flaws that could arise.

The first tip to having great tempo is to first of all being used to holding the club at a grip pressure of around three out of ten. (ten being the tightest). Next you want to find a swing speed that is comfortable. The last step is you want to make sure that no matter what shot you're hitting, that you're matching the backswing length with the through swing length. If you can master these three areas, you will have established a tempo that is unlikely to break down under pressure.

Now can you have great tempo without good technique? This would really depends on what level of golfer you are. For example if you are someone who has just started golf, I would simply focus on practicing the right fundamentals rather than tempo. Once your swing has reached a level of competency, I would then turn your attention to finding your ideal tempo. As a beginner though you, can focus on tempo almost immediately with Putting as this part of the game is less complicated than the others.

Now a way to supercharge your tempo is also adding a cadence to it. You could count the amount of time you wish your swing to take from set-up right through to the finish. For example you might be counting two seconds for the backswing and one second for the downswing. Once you have the cadence mastered for your swing, I would try and keep this the same from swing one right through to the end of your round and also with every club. This is because you want to train your mind and body to be unaffected by the score you're having so that you only focus on the shot in hand. Over time this will greatly assist in lowering your scores.

If you'd like to understand more about tempo just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.