What is a good suggested method to go from a tempo of 2.6:1 to 3:1. Slow backswing or speed downswing? How?
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It’s hard to say without knowing a lot more about your swing. And to be perfectly honest, you don’t have to get to 3:1 exactly. I think have a more consistent tempo that is delivering quality golf shots is more important.
I’d do some experimentation and see what results you get with consciously trying to slow down your backswing, or quicken your downswing, and see what kind of shots you see.
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There is the Tour Tempo app which may help. There are various 3:1 ratio tempos you can try from 18/6 to 27/9 to see what fits you. I have always had horrible tempo and found this can help. For me it tends to get worse if I try to take the club away too slowly. Sometimes moving/pushing something (ball or box) back with the clubhead during the takeaway helps to keep me low and slow as well.
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You could also use a metronome app and try different tempos between 65 bpm and 90 bpm. Perhaps change it by 5 bpm after 5 swings and make notes of which tempo you saw the best results
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Obviously it just means you need to swing harder… That’s always the solution!
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I mean if it works​:crazy_face:
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Another user of Tour Tempo tones here; really helped me learn What tempo is, vis a vis the golf swing.
I’d caution you, though, of the (immutable) Law Of Unintended Consequence … eg. forcing your swing into a specific rhythm / tempo may negatively impact some other affect of your swing…
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Has anyone used the Mobile Golf Tempo Training App from https://www.mobile-golf-tempo.com/ ? I like that it has slower tones for us slower, average golfers but I have only tried the trial version of the app. It’s only 9.99 so it is tempting.
I think there’s a chicken-and-egg question here too. Tempo is important, but I don’t think it’s an end in itself–despite the Tour Tempo method.
My point? Sometimes, tempo is a direct reflection of whether you’re doing other things in the swing correctly. For instance, if you yank it back inside the swing plane on the backswing, your body will almost undoubtedly react with an over-the-top move on the downswing. So a quick backswing forces you to take a longer route to get back to the ball, giving you a bad tempo number.
You can still have bad tempo if you do everything in the swing correctly, but I’ve found my tempo is best and most consistent when my swing mechanics are sound. It’s amazing how many things you have to put in place on the backswing to set yourself up for success on the downswing, but when I do those things, I find my tempo naturally gravitates towards 3:1 or 3.1:1 without really having to think about it.
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You make some good points here, and I agree, it’s not the end all be all.
That being said, having a repeatable tempo is important IMO. So let’s say you know that your best swings are occurring around 3.3:1 ratio. I’ve noticed once you start deviating from that tempo significantly, (for me when the backswing gets slower) that’s when issues start to occur. So while not everyone will end up with a 3:1 exactly, I think paying attention to it, and training with the beats can help certain players. Nothing I ever recommend on the site is for all golfers, I just try to expose people to different methods, and hopefully, a lightbulb goes off.
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No doubt, and that’s why I think tempo is important. And consistency in tempo is just as important. I also think, though, that since we’re not using metronomes on the course–certainly not in competition anyway–it’s important to look at all the things that can impact tempo and incorporate that into our swing development. You can make a quick inside/over the top combination happen in a 3.1 tempo, but given the fundamental unsoundness of that pattern, it’ll eventually get off tempo.
By the way, I also have a copy of Tour Tempo and have used it, but the truth is, without a measuring device to tell me what my tempo is, 2.8 feels not much different than 3.2.
Just to add a thought that might be helpful for the OP: even if I think I’ve got the mechanics of the swing basically correct, I sometimes find that remembering to lighten the grip helps smooth tempo. When you think about it, the Orange Whip is trying to get you to feel the weight at the other end of the club–doing that helps with tempo. When you lighten the grip, you can get a similar effect by becoming a little more in contact with the clubhead weight, which should also help you get closer to a 3.1.
One more thought that came up during the last week spent in the warmth, and maybe more importantly, the dry, of Orlando–courses in the southeast Atlantic have just been soaked this winter. Going back to the Orange Whip (or its clones), I realized that these devices all have a counterweight in the grip end to the big ball at the other end. Although I had previously thought about paying attention to the weight of the ball end, I have noticed a big improvement in my feel and tempo by feeling as if I’m more smoothly moving the counterweight at the grip end. I have found it a lot easier to focus on that small amount of weight and moving it away smoothly from the ball. The consistency of my tempo improved immediately and that seemed to help me improve the quality of my ball strike.
I’m even thinking of modding one of those screw-on putter suction cups with a washer or two that I could then attach to a golf club before I start my round to remind myself of the feel I want and then detach when the round starts. A lot easier than carrying an Orange Whip to the driving range!
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