Finding Your Own Tempo

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Korea Times Golf Columnist

Every golfer has a natural rhythm, which varies from individual to individual depending upon his or her temper. A quick-tempered golfer will probably swing quickly but an easy-going fellow will swing at a leisurely pace.

Without controling one's swing in the perfect tempo that is natural to him or her, no golfer can produce a smooth, rhythmic swing that sends the ball far and straight on an accurate basis.

To find your natural rhythm and tempo leading to solid, powerful impact, you need to find a good pre-round practice routine and stick to it.

Work your way up from the pitching wedge to the driver. The last club you hit needs to be the one you are planning to use for the tee shot on the first hole.

During your pre-round practice you need to avoid working on your swing. Your primary goal needs to be establishing your rhythm and tempo.

Despite tempo is one of the most important ingredients to good golf swing, it is overlooked most by average golfers. They tend to swing too fast only to get poor results. Just avoid too fast a swing tempo and you will see your ball start to travel far and straight on a more consistent basis.

Swing tempo is the pace at which you swing the club and needs to be neither too fast nor too slow. It's not easy to swing rhythmically at a right tempo as there is more to it than just swinging the club faster or slower: You need to feel it and feeling is something elusive and ephemeral.

It's impossible to swing at a single tempo for every swing. You get older every minute and your body is different every moment, which forces you to make different swing every time you swing. Course and weather are also different, demanding different swings.

However, you don't need to worry about it too much. You can find your natural rhythm and tempo that fit you. It will take time as it did when you developed your own natural walking pace, but you can do it.

To find a perfect swing tempo of your own and to swing rhythmically, tee up four balls in a row and hit them all without pause, the first one at 25 precent of your normal swing speed, the second one at 50 percent of your speed, the third one at 75-percent speed and the last one at your full throttle.

Doing this drill a few times, feel which speed best enables you to coordinate your body movement and club to produce solid contact on the sweetspot of the clubface. That is your natural swing tempo that fits you and produces long and straight shots on a consistent basis.

You will probably get the best results when you swing at 70 to 85 percent of your full speed. Swinging faster than this will result in a loss of your swing control.

By the same token, what has to be done first when your swing turns awry is to find a good tempo.

Similarly, to find your natural tempo, tee a ball low to the ground and set up to it with a 7-iron. Raise the clubhead over the ball and swing it a few feet to the left toward the target. Then, reverse your direction without pause and turn back over the ball to make your normal swing and hit the ball. That helps you make a smooth swing with your arms swinging in harmony with your body turn, making it possible to hit the ball far and straight.

It is not easy to improve your ballstriking ability without developing your own natural tempo and hard work, but you can hit the ball better by visualizing the shot you want to make.

Envisioning a pitching wedge shot, for instance, that floats high in the air, bounces three or four times upon landing and comes to a beautiful stop near the pin, will enable you to produce that shot more easily.

So, visualize yourself preparing for and hitting the shot at a leisurely pace according to your natural rhythm and you will start to hit the ball better without making an effort to do so.