Golf Tip: Top 3 Ways to Improve Your Swing Tempo

If the three most important factors in business are location, location, location, then the golf equivalent may be tempo, tempo, tempo.

Without a consistent, rhythmic pace, even the purest swing fundamentals in the world won’t get you very far. On the other hand, good tempo can compensate for any number of flaws.

Go to any driving range and look down the tee line. Chances are, you’ll be able to pick out the best players at a glance, from a distance, based on the pace and fluidity of their swings. That’s tempo. Here are three drills that will help you master and maintain this all-important fundamental.

Feet-Together Drill

Quite possibly the most popular golf drill ever, it’s also one of the simplest. The feet-together drill ties tempo with another overlooked fundamental, balance:

Start with a wedge or other short iron.

Set up with your normal posture but with the feet touching, or nearly touching, and the ball centered between them.

Swing away, with the goal of maintaining your balance from start to finish. And making solid contact, of course.

Notice that if your swing is too quick or your pivot (weight shift) out of whack, you’ll lose your balance. Keeping your feet together forces you to swing smoothly from backswing to downswing to follow-through.

Once you’ve hit several wedge shots solidly and held your balance, move to a longer club. You can even practice making swings this way without a ball.

“Whoosh” Drill

Another classic. Sometimes called the “upside-down club” drill, this one can also increase your downswing acceleration and clubhead speed:

Take any club and turn it upside down.

Use your normal grip to hold the club just below the clubhead.

Assume a golf stance and swing. The idea is to make a definitive “whoosh” sound at the bottom of your swing, through the hitting area.

You don’t want to hear the whoosh on the backswing (too quick) or the first part of the downswing (casting the club).

Also a great at-home practice tool, the “whoosh” drill syncs your swing into the proper, rhythmic order.

80% Drill

This one merely requires hitting shots with 80% of your full power. If you’re not sure what that feels like, try this:

On the range, hit a few full wedge shots at a yardage marker closest to your normal distance – for instance, 100 yards.

If your shots fly 10 yards past the marker, a full wedge is 110 yards. Therefore, an 80% shot would carry 85-90 yards.

Now, try to land shots 10 yards short of the same marker.

Use any club for this drill, but always start with a short iron. Notice how easy it becomes to keep your balance and make pure contact by backing off just a little.

Remember: Tempo, tempo, tempo. Master this critical swing aspect and you’ll really be in business.