Tempo Rules, OK?

My encounter with tempo, courtesy of 'Tour Tempo' by John Novosel et al, has been a positive on so far. It's early days, but I'm encouraged by my experience yesterday on the golf course.

I started very badly: bunker failure on the first hole, water ball on the seventh, and a lot of indifferent shots in between, including some three-putts. However, I kept plugging away and counting on every shot, and parred all bar two of the last ten holes.

The shot making, ball striking was solid, if not spectacular, but my putting was excellent. And for me, the two are closely related, probably because of the confidence factor. However, I did have a sense of freedom and enjoyment, much like the 'enjoyment, learning, performance' approach of Fred Shoemaker, in my shot making.

I do think counting 'one and two' - consistent with the 3 to 1 backswing/downswing ratio of TT - helps me keep at bay the swing thoughts that used to crowd my mind. I find that I am able to think 'swing straight to the target' as I rehearse the stroke, and then turn off that thought process during the execution of the shot.

I am also finding that I have increased confidence in my fundamentals - alignment, posture, grip, footwork, etc. - and focus more on the requirements of the shot; which is what I'm told good players do.

One ongoing area of concern is my chipping and short pitching. I wonder if I need to re-think some of my club selections or prepare differently for these shots? My fundamentals are basically correct I am sure, but something is lacking in the execution. This is particularly relevant to the 30 - 40 metre, half shots that seem crop up so often in my rounds. Poor chipping and pitching puts too much pressure on the putting, so there is work to be done.

A final reminder for myself: 'keep your expectations modest - trying (too hard) fails'.

The Non-thinking Golfer

I recently re-read John Novosel's 'Tour Tempo' and, while I personally cannot go along with the detailed instructions for implementing the theory therein, or bother buying additional timing gismo/s, I can go along with the concept of a consistent tour ratio of 3 to 1 for the backswing and downswing.

One of the main causes of poor and inconsistent shot making is undoubtedly changes of tempo (or loss of rhythm). Pros and amateurs alike often say 'I was too quick', or words to that effect, when analysing their latest disaster shot. But Pros don't hit many really bad shots in a round, and the reason is they generally maintain a consistent tempo in their swings, regardless of the club being used.

'Tour Tempo' makes the point that golfers swing at different speeds, which is fine, but that good golfers consistently swing the club back at one-third of the speed of their downswing, while weekend hackers (excuse the term) vary their backswing and downswing speeds, often from shot to shot, and generally swing the club back too slowly in relation to the downswing (e.g. at a four or five to one ration). This finding is based on very extensive research.

The result is that hackers hit a far greater variety of shots (mostly bad) than better golfers. What's more, the pro golfer looks like s/he is swinging slowly and smoothly (aka Ernie Els) when, in reality, they are swinging very fast - and generating much higher clubhead speeds. The smooth and rhythmic effect is created because of the 'perfect' relationship between the backswing and downswing. The pro swing looks slower than it really is.

The good news is anyone who can count can strive to achieve the 'perfect' (and it's not necessarily an absolutely perfect) ratio. Simply by counting 'one and two', where 'one' is the start of the backswing, with 'and' being the transition from backswing into the 'set' or the top of the backswing (difficult to describe), and 'two' is impact. The 'and' is the slowest of the counts and represents two-thirds of the backswing count. It's easier to repeat the count this way than, for example, counting 'one, two, three', but any system that helps generate a smooth, rhythmic and repeatable swing pattern is good.

This is all very fine, but there are additional benefits in using a theory that promotes a rhythmic, professional looking, swing.

One of the main benefits is that by using a mantra (the counting), a technically very easy process for most of us, the mind is sufficiently occupied to shut out most, if not all, of the technical 'do's' and 'don'ts' that normally come into our minds as we prepare for and commence our shots. By counting, we not only promote a consistent swing routine (and tempo), but eliminate or limit conscious interference with the process of hitting the golf ball - a procedure that our unconscious mind can handle quite easily - like walking or riding a bike.

I have found that limiting this conscious interference with the golf swing, minimises the last split-second adjustments that often result in the pulled or duffed or sliced shot. The ball, if struck squarely, will tend to go straighter and further. The execution will also tend to be more effortless, free from anxiety, and more enjoyable.

I was gratified to note, on second reading, that 'Tour Tempo' refers to Fred Shoemaker, the creator of 'Extraordinary Golf' (balancing enjoyment, learning and performance, etc. - see my earlier blog), and to the great Percy Boomer, 'On Learning Golf', who was years ahead of his time with his swing thought ideas.

Summing up, once a golfer has learnt the fundamentals of grip, alignment, posture, etc., it is time to learn about tempo and rhythm. and to try to minimise technical adjustments, tips to eliminate this or promote that, and thoughts about things to avoid or things to remember. Most of the key mechanical or technical elements of the swing can be committed to the unconscious mind to function perfectly well without conscious  'help' (read interference). This is my belief - and my experience to date. The next round or two will be interesting.

Postmechanics

Having realised that I can still hit a fade with a strong grip, still badly mishit shots with a short backswing, and still have trouble of all kinds no matter what mechanics I adopt, it's time to try something different.

Even though the insights from the aforementioned 'Extraordinary Golf' about not allowing the voice in the head to interfere with the stroke have helped me quieten my mind during the stroke and although my set up and swing fundamentals are not too bad, I need more than that to play at the level I would like to maintain.

From my observations of a good ball striker yesterday, I think the key is related to rhythm and timing. The player I watched swung with a smooth tempo, yet seemed to power the ball out of all proportion to the effort that was involved. This is, as we all know, the characteristic of all good golfers - effortless power.

Yet it seems to be beyond the reach of most of us. Despite reading 'Tour Tempo' and knowing that the late hit (using lots of lag) is what's needed, the way of achieving that tempo and late hit is elusive.

My mission, should I decide to accept it, is to return to the pursuit of lag, combine it with the kind of rhythm or tempo that you see with good golfers, and see if I can find the ball striking consistency and effortless power that I've been seeking.

I might also try to play a bit smarter, for example, take a 4-wood off the 8th tee to keep the ball out of the trees to the right (and left) and accept that it is a three shot hole, with a longer third shot. Having a wedge for the third shot, on the occasions where I have actually had that opportunity, doesn't guarantee a decent putt at birdie anyway.

One final thought: hitting the ball out of the centre of the clubface is probably the other thing that good golfers have going for them. I wouldn't mind betting that this is closely correlated to having a smooth and consistent rhythm. Research has actually shown that centre clubface contact is crucial not only for achieving good and consistent distance, but greater accuracy with less sidespin. Something to remember.

So, goodbye mechanics, hello rhythm.

Extraordinary addendum

I am a huge fan of Fred Shoemaker's 'Extraordinary Golf' and fully intend to follow his principles of awareness or learning, enjoyment and performance, all in balance. However, I am learning that some of the other ideas, like the freedom he talks about and the awareness of target, are more subtle and elusive customers.

My experience of the last few rounds suggests to me that it is OK, even necessary, to use technical or mechanical thoughts when setting up for a shot and, for that matter, to use a pre-shot and set-up routine that is highly mechanical. I accept, of course, that what needs to follow is a swing that is 'free' from further technical or mechanical thought. I also accept that it is not good to be 'ball focused' and that the focus should be 'target'.

Having said that, the major problem FS refers to is the self-talk and often self-criticism that goes on during the swing, usually at the worst time, i.e.. the top of the backswing. It is this mental interference that robs the swing of the freedom and fearlessness that it needs to have in order to be consistent and effective. In a sense, he advocates a thought-free swing period - i.e. during the 2 seconds it takes to complete a full swing.

I've also read FS's 'Extraordinary Putting' and having read it I can vouch for the fact that my putting is extraordinary - extraordinarily bad. I am trying to practice the awareness that he speaks about and apply the thought free swing principle. But my putting is far from fearless and far from effective. I don't quite know what to do except persist. One thing I haven't tried is rehearsing the putt strength in a practice swing - something I will do next round.

Anyway, I am learning. But I do think I need to revert to my (hopefully) smooth 'lag-and-load' swing, which I will try to get it into my head before I start the swing. I refer back to Mark Evershed's 'educated hands' concepts, which I think is not inconsistent with FS's need to improve one's awareness, as part of the learning concept on which he places so much emphasis.

Mid-week this week is a practice round. I will be swinging easily and trying to keep the gremlins in my head at bay. We shall see what happens.