How to discover the best swing tempo for your game

Your tempo is one of the most important elements of your golf swing. It can vary from day to day and even during a round, depending on both inner and outer circumstances. If your tempo is “off” on a given shot, it affects your technique. Why does this happen? Inner causes could be nervousness over a shot, or a tired body. Outer causes could be a really windy day, or a less-than-ideal pace of play.

Creating a consistent and repeatable tempo is a key part of crafting a reliable golf swing and overall game. To help you identify the best tempo for your game, explore the exercises below during your next round. The exercises will help you to become more aware of your natural tempo, and can also help you discover which tempo makes your body and swing sync up best. 

Try one of these exercises on each hole for all the shots you face: full swings, chips and putts.

Tempo exercises

-Swing at 50 percent tempo on all shots (this means your swing should take twice as long from start to finish as it usually does).

-Swing as fast as you can, and still finish in balance for three seconds.

-Hum during your swing.

-Use a 50 percent tempo on your backswing, and 75 percent on your through-swing.

-Feel calm in your gut at the transition from backswing to through-swing.

-Jump up and down and get energy in your legs before stepping into the shot, and keep that energy to the finish of the swing.

You learn the most about your game when doing exercises on the course. How did these exercises feel? Finding the tempo that suits you best will pay dividends in your overall development.

GOLF Top 100 teachers Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott are based at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. You can book a remote training session here.