I
t's easy for golfers to get
hung up on swing me-
chanics as there are so
many moving parts and
a seemingly endless list of
thoughts going through a
player's head. Even more im-
portant than mechanics,
however, is tempo – although
it often gets overlooked.
Playing golf well is about
repetition, and having great
rhythm will allow you to re-
peat the swing you are at-
tempting to make.
We talked to PGA Head
Golf Professional Tom Burley
to get his insight on why
tempo is so important and
how to master it.
Why you're out of rhythm
Golfers often struggle with
tempo in real time on the
course. It's easy to hit balls
and feel relaxed on the driv-
ing range where there is no
consequence for a missed
shot.
But once it's time to per-
form, golfers tend to tense up
and revert back to using their
bigger muscles rather than
their core muscles. You see a
lot of quickness on tee shots
due to starting the down-
swing too aggressively with
your arms.
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How to get the feel
Working in lower-body
movement with the hips and
legs to start the downswing
will help slow the top of the
backswing, and your tempo
should improve. Get com-
fortable with rotating your
hips and opening up during
your downswing to allow
your arms to swing at the
proper pace and on the cor-
rect plane.
Forget about your arms
when starting the swing;
focus on rotating your body
from the ground up.
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Drills to improve tempo
The most common drill I
use is hitting wedges at
about 80 percent power and
focusing on making solid
contact. At 80 percent, you
don't feel like you have to
kill the ball and can make a
comfortable, confident swing
through the ball.
In addition, you can also
put your feet together when
you swing, which will teach
you control and in balance. If
you get too aggressive, you'll
lose your balance, thus giv-
ing you immediate feedback
on your tempo.
MASTER THE BASICS
DAILY CLINICS
TEACH THE
FUNDAMENTALS
G
olfers looking to
tighten up their
game as the "season"
starts in the Coachella Valley
will have plenty of opportu-
nity to do so with the daily
clinics offered at Indian Wells
Golf Resort.
Covering short game on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, and
full swing Wednesdays, Fri-
days and Saturdays, the 45-
minute clinics begin each
day at 10 a.m. and can be
reserved for just $29 by call-
ing the golf shop at (760)
346-4653.
The clinics are led by the
resort's dedicated and
knowledgeable staff of PGA
certified instructors, and are
a great resource for keeping
your game in top shape or
working through any nag-
ging issues.
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>> CLICK HERE for more
information on instruction
at Indian Wells Golf Resort.
FIND YOUR RHYTHM
How to improve your tempo on the course
LESSON TEE
BOOK
A TEE
TIME
< WATC
H! Golf legend Sam Snead explains the importance of timing and rhythm
.
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