English Major Golfer

“I want golf to be fun again” – my friend, let’s call him “Dugan” –  since well, that’s his name 😂 – said to me during a session. “My life right now is a bit chaotic and I just want golf to be a place that I can enjoy myself and get away from the chaos.”

Dugan and I worked together a while back and even then his swing mechanics were pretty good. Just hitting on the range or on the net, I wondered why he struggled to break 100 consistently. His swing then was easily that of a mid-to-high handicap player. 

I surmised that it was in his on course approach that was ballooning his scores. We played a couple of rounds together and I was correct – driver off every par 4 and 5 – all out after every pin. There was no chill and he struggled with deceleration (slowing the swing at impact). 

Like me, Dugan’s swing was the last of his issues – it is his approach to the game that is holding him back. We got together over lunch and I asked him: “What are your aspirations for golf?”

“I want to get better. I want to break 100 consistently and get to the point where I am breaking 90.” Said Dugan at lunch. 

It is so important for all golfers to determine their aspirations in golf – this will drive us toward our ultimate enjoyment of the game – a concept we will explore in future blogs. 

So Dugan and I got together to work on two specific things in the Process building block: 

• Timing
• Routine

Process: Timing: Metronome Drill

Great golf swings have great tempo. This is the rhythm of the take away; the swing impact; and the follow-through. Three pieces that make up the whole of a golf swing. Keeping these pieces evenly balanced and on-beat will produce a repeatable, consistent result – with practice.

And if you are like me – keeping a beat musically is a challenge. So I need help – enter a metronome. A metronome is a musical device that keeps rhythm and timing for musicians, and it can help you and me learn how to keep the beat of a golf swing.

I use a metronome app on my phone and below is a chart of the beats per second to golf swing for me – you will have to create your own chart as our swings vary due to height, age, and strength and length of club and this is a good starting point. 

Beats Per Minute	Club
70-65	60 degree -> 50 degree; PW
65-60	9i – 7i
60-55	6i – 4i
55-50	5w/19hybrid – DR

I introduced this concept to Dugan and it had an immediate effect. We started out using the app with an 8i at 60 beats per minute – 1 and 2 and 3:

“One” begins the take-away of the swing.

“And” is the set or end of the take-away; the beginning of the transition of the swing.

“Two” is contact – super important to align the beat of “Two” to the impact of the ball – going so far as to stress “TWO” 

“And – three” is the follow through of the swing allowing us to finish in complete balance. I like to hold this position through the end of the third beat.

After a good number of swings with the app- we then transitioned into Dugan keeping the same rhythm verbally – out loud (as you can hear in the video). This is the second step of this drill, saying out loud in your own voice.

This not only reinforces the rhythm, it creates muscle memory with the third step of keeping the beat in your head – I mean, who’s going to be counting on the course out loud!? Though that might be a great technique for driving your competitors crazy. 

A few things to remember when incorporating this drill into your practice:

1. Don’t RUSH…both in learning the right rhythm for your swing, and the rhythm itself. While it is important that the transition to impact creates “acceleration” it’s not meant to be “rushed”. If during this drill you are topping the ball a lot – you might think of slowing the beats per minute by 1. Similarly, if you are chunking shots, increase your beats per minute by 1.
2. Tiny changes, make all the difference. As you are “tweaking” this technique keep the adjustments small. And have patience. Your brain and your muscles are learning something new – it’s not going to be perfect in just a few swings. Develop this drill over several weeks and even months at the range or at the net. 
3. Get this technique on the course right away…get in the habit of using this on the course as soon as possible. It will reinforce the underlying fundamentals of developing tempo on the course, IN THE MOMENT, when it matters.

Now let’s talk about routine in the next blog…