Rhythm

Balance and rhythm go hand in hand, because good rhythm leads to good balance. When one swings with a good rhythm, one is usually in good balance as well. Let’s talk a little about the importance of rhythm and how to make it work for you.

First of all, good rhythm does not automatically mean swinging slowly. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. Good rhythm, like so much in golf, is unique to the individual. Very often your proper swinging rhythm mirrors your characteristics, such as the way you walk or the way you do other things. If a general trend in your life is that you are relaxed, walk smoothly, and do things at an even keel, then more than likely you will swing with a smooth, slow tempo (ie. Fred Couples or Ernie Els). If, however, you are a more fast paced person, you do things quickly, you walk at a brisk pace, then your swing will work well with a faster tempo. The key in BOTH cases is that you know which way you do it best, and that you consistently swing in that manner.

There are so many examples of this on tour. I listed two above but let’s look at a few others. Nick Price. He walks quickly and swings quickly. How about Tiger? Pretty even tempo, I would say. You could probably take almost every successful player and relate his tempo to his walk. Watch for this. In fact, I cannot think of any player that walks quickly and swings slowly, or vice versa. So look at yourself and your playing partners and see how you do. We can learn a lot from ourselves if we learn to look for things like this.