Fast Tempo

[Roamer]

I have greatly improved my swing with Building Blocks and Flipper. I can swing good in practice and I was making good contact when I played a couple weeks ago.

But I played yesterday and an old problem came back into my swing. That is taking the club back fast and messing up my whole swing. It's like I am thinking that I have to swing the club as fast as I can to hit the ball far.

Can someone please help me with some advice on how to tame this ugly problem

Doug

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

worked for Nick Price, if that is your natural tempo than don't change it. However there is a difference between "tempo" and "trying to kill it."

 

[lookingtolearn]

As I understand it, a fast "tempo" can even help you float load more because of the forces involved in the "change of direction."

 

[Roamer]

It is a trying to kill it move. Not just fast tempo.

 

[birdie_man]

Ya...................it's too fast if you are off balance and/or over-accelerating. (i.e. flipping at it with your hands)

 

[niblick1]

I've had the same problem.

I am seeing improvement by really focusing on trying to develop a better transition. Read Brian's 100 word description of the pivot and try to working on the fall back to the left between backswing and downswing and letting your pivot just move your arms. As others have said, a lot of "too fastness" comes from moving the hands and arms independent of the pivot.

At least this is what I am worknig on and am seeing some improvement.

 

[tongzilla]

a lot of people's tempo I see aren't fast enough, because there's a common misconception that slow is good. The pro's backswing happens a lot quicker than you think. When I'm swinging badly, I swing too smooth and slow. I believe there are several reasons why swinging quicker works better for me and others.

 

[Roamer]

Thanks niblick1 for the reply. I hit some of those yellow rubber balls in the yard today focusing on slowing down. It is helping.

Where can I find the "100 words about the pivot"?

 

[Slowhand]

75%

Brian gave me some useful advice at my last lesson: take your favorite iron and try to hit a ball to a target that is only 50 - 75% of your normal distance. Take a full swing but slow it down to hit to the reduced yardage.

I've incorporated this into my on-course swing with good success. I'll pick a target only 150 yards out for my driver and tell myself I'll be happy if I just hit it that far. At the last minute in the downswing my natural instincts take over and I usually end up hitting the ball flush and long. This "mental trick" keeps me from getting too fast (a fault when I get nervous or tired) and also seems to prevent over-acceleration at the beginning of the downswing.

 

[watson08]

tongzilla is correct

a lot of people's tempo I see aren't fast enough, because there's a common misconception that slow is good. The pro's backswing happens a lot quicker than you think. When I'm swinging badly, I swing too smooth and slow. I believe there are several reasons why swinging quicker works better for me and others.

I agree with you 100%. Most amateurs swing way too slowly - especially going back. I believe many amateurs fool themselves into thinking that the pros smooth and athletic looking swings are "slow", so we go slow. I think most would be shocked how fast pros actual swing. This includes Ernie Els, Freddy Couples, etc. Also, all the mechanical minutia floating around in our heads can slow us down. An earlier post describes how a properly fast backswing promotes better float loading. I agree. Is it also possible that combining this with a properly quick downswing just might make it easier to avoid the flip in the impact zone? I'm thinking yes and I am working on exactly this.

 

[miki111]

Brian gave me some useful advice at my last lesson: take your favorite iron and try to hit a ball to a target that is only 50 - 75% of your normal distance. Take a full swing but slow it down to hit to the reduced yardage.

I've incorporated this into my on-course swing with good success. I'll pick a target only 150 yards out for my driver and tell myself I'll be happy if I just hit it that far. At the last minute in the downswing my natural instincts take over and I usually end up hitting the ball flush and long. This "mental trick" keeps me from getting too fast (a fault when I get nervous or tired) and also seems to prevent over-acceleration at the beginning of the downswing.

This is a drill great late Pane Steward was doing before the round - must be something in it.
About tempo - I think most amateurs have problem with smooth transition to the downswing - jerky move causing OTT and casting. Feeling of the pause at the top will probably help most...

 

[birdie_man]

Woddy Austin comes to mind. I like his swing.............but I always think his backswing is too slow.

 

[niblick1]

a lot of people's tempo I see aren't fast enough, because there's a common misconception that slow is good. The pro's backswing happens a lot quicker than you think. When I'm swinging badly, I swing too smooth and slow. I believe there are several reasons why swinging quicker works better for me and others.

That's true. Pros swing with a lot of speed. Obviously. The acceleration is smooth and pivot powers the hands so it looks much slower than it is.

I think when people talk about being too quick what they often mean is lots of handsy over-acceleration and getting out of balance, so focusing on a smooth pivot that powers the hands is what i try to work on. as mentioned above, take a 7-iron and hit it 75, 100, 125, 150 and as far as you can hit it. If you get used to hitting it 125 you got a whole other set of problems! (like hitting a hybrid into 160 yard holes....)