How to slow down

Think of your grandma.

Oh... OT.

More seriously, I don't think it's about slowing down. When you slow down too much, you lose rhythm. I think it's about getting comfortable with your own speed and ensuring consistency more than anything else, i.e. a consistent speed.

Vinny wrote:

Winston wrote:

I use to be very fast also (Asahi, no weird comments from you). What I did was at the top of my swing, I hold it and let it "set" before I initiate the down swing. This is because I realised I have very fast hips. (Asahi, behave yourself). The fast hips causes my hands to not be able to catch up hence causing alot of problems.

Most important is to go look for an instructor / coach. Even if it is for 1 lesson. It will greatly help you....

Bro,

Quick question ~ would your avatar pics be the reason for the fast hips

Vinny, I leave it to your imagination

I learn about tempo from someone i least expected.

He said "Do you know cha cha?"

I "Errr.....yea. WTF has this got to do with golf"

He said "You swing like tango, you should swing like cha cha"

I "?!?!?!?!?!*with bemused and utterly catch no ball face"

He said " Bhoooom.... Cha Cha, where the Bhooooom part is your backswing and the Cha Cha is the downswing and follow through, put that in your head and swing with that. Dun worry about distance or trying to hit the ball, just work on that rhythm."

Thanks to that I now have music in my head whenever I am at the range.

golfjoy wrote:

golfool2009 wrote:

I start reciting the holes from a golf course I'm familiar with.....hole #1 avoid the right bunker, second shot, play short of water, then punch on, etc...that normally takes my mind off the current situation and helps me slow down....

i guess if it's a golf question.....pause slightly at the top of your swing......before starting your downswing......

GF, I was reading your advice.... didn't quite get the 1st paragraph.

Then you said "if it's a golf question" ... WTH, you mean you weren't answering my GOLF question?


Okay back to the topic.
I tried to pause but my 'momentum' gets haywire.
Arghhh.... need to revisit a coach soon!!! daddyyyyyyy!!!!

ok...keep all things the same, tempo etc etc but this time, pause at the top of your back swing before starting your down swing.

On your down swing, you should be accelerating towards the ball. Back swing and down swing should not be the same.(I think) But as you just said, go visit your coach. dont only go to get your swing fix but also chat and ask questions on why ahd how somethings works, this can make it easier to find the cause of some of your problems in your golf swing.

winston no need waste your energy la, no matter what you tell her...quite pointless...

she needs to visit a coach.

Winston wrote:

golfjoy wrote:

golfool2009 wrote:

I start reciting the holes from a golf course I'm familiar with.....hole #1 avoid the right bunker, second shot, play short of water, then punch on, etc...that normally takes my mind off the current situation and helps me slow down....

i guess if it's a golf question.....pause slightly at the top of your swing......before starting your downswing......

GF, I was reading your advice.... didn't quite get the 1st paragraph.

Then you said "if it's a golf question" ... WTH, you mean you weren't answering my GOLF question?


Okay back to the topic.
I tried to pause but my 'momentum' gets haywire.
Arghhh.... need to revisit a coach soon!!! daddyyyyyyy!!!!

ok...keep all things the same, tempo etc etc but this time, pause at the top of your back swing before starting your down swing.

On your down swing, you should be accelerating towards the ball. Back swing and down swing should not be the same.(I think) But as you just said, go visit your coach. dont only go to get your swing fix but also chat and ask questions on why ahd how somethings works, this can make it easier to find the cause of some of your problems in your golf swing.

I can't focus or even read your posts with all those pictures... keep em coming! haha

Maybe you can try this....

if your 7 iron usually reach 80 meters, try to achieve 70 meters with 7 iron. When you try to do this, the possible outcomes may be:

1) you actually reach 70 meters.
2) you still get the ball to 80 meters but better contact.

eiji wrote:

watch Ai miyazato swing videos.

Saw the Ai Miyazato videos...very interesting warmup technique . Pint-sized lady packs some serious power when hitting the driver man!

I tried this when my coach was getting me to activate my core.

Just standing on them and staying in balance took a lot of effort for me.

this video is not played in slow motion...she was using Vision54 technique in warming up.

a quick tempo is due mostly due disconnection on the swing . for my part my swing was very quick due to disconnection i had at with my arm at the start and top of back swing. the drill i do is i swing only with my left hand on the club hitting the golf ball. You could try to imagine to pitch or have 3/4 swing except of full swing.


Cheers

Been doing some reading on this topic the past few weeks since I attended the Inner Game workshop conducted by Brad Walterhouse in JCC.

Ai Miyazato is a student of Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, the founders of Vision 54. Among other things, Vision 54 emphasises that there are different elements of the game that golfers need to be aware of in order to achieve peak performance status. Besides technique and technical aspects (both of which are usually the main focus of amateur golfers like us), they emphasis on other aspects such as mental, social, spiritual etc. The swing vide of Ai posted earlier shows her doing the "tai-chi" golf swing - the objective is to make a complete swing in slow motion, keeping in good balance and tempo.

Knowing one's tempo, achieving swing balance and understanding the inherent signs of tension in our swings are some key areas that Vision 54 focuses on, so that golfers play better golf on the course. There really isnt an ideal swing tempo, and it really depends on the individual and their comfort level. However, one needs to be aware when the tempo goes out of whack during a game (eg under stress).

I'm not an expert in this area, and only started getting interested after attending the workshop. For those who are keen, suggest that you sign up for Brad's workshop once he is back from his trip. Its really very useful stuff.

golfjoy wrote:

Vinny wrote:

GJ,

We're all "constructed" differently ~ some of us talk fast / walk fast while there are others who enjoy slower pace of life.

You just need to discover your rhythm & tempo.

OKAY, I know I am utterly impatient.
But really ... I wanna learn to slow down.

Being too fast on the back swing (OR maybe it's the entire swing!?! ) is NOT helping me AT ALL.

i feel swing is not your main cause, i would rather say you don't have the feel and you lost your sight. i was practicing at TPY range quite often, and i saw how the japanese swing, they are fast, long and high. when you try to slow down you tends to topped or even slice more. you might want to check out your grip, aim at your club sweet spot, stare at your ball throughout your whole swing, you can twist your hip, but if you tend to stare at the ball your hip movement will be controlled, if your swing is that fast you should be hitting longer and you might need to look for a pro fitter as you might need a stiffer shaft.

golfjoy wrote:

I swing and attempted to hit the ball. Whooops~ can't fly.
She kept telling me, "Jie, slow down! slow down!"

Hey,

Sorry for butting in but after reading the topic

Let me share something ( though I haven't seen your swing yet )

You see, two years ago, my golf swing was "fast or sometimes Jerky" which leads to an ugly fat shot or sometimes hooked the ball.

In short, the ball just keeps on spraying left & right due to a different tempo.

To make my story short, One of the reason why you are creating a fast back swing is....

#1) You are using your right hand to make the back swing
or
#2) If you are using your left arm/ hand to make the back swing

then the end result is...."a Fast back swing & tempo"

So in order for you to correct it, you must

Used your Big shoulder to make the back swing. With no jerky motion on your wrist and hands. It should remain...
"QUIET" ...no unnecessary movement....
Just your shoulder turning to right side if you are right handed
Plus of course proper weight transfer

But before you do this. Have someone observed what your doing and make sure if your club face is facing the "correct" club face angle.

Happy Golfing

Hello Threadstarter,

In my opinion, it is not a matter of slow or fast tempo that is poor or good fundamental. Just take a look at Rick Price and Rickie Fowler, both are fast tempo swingers but arguably two of the best ball strikers in PGA tour, compare to Golfers like Ernie Els and Fred Couples who possess somewhat slower swing tempo. They are equally good ball strickers as well ... I believe one should strive to swing smoothly & rhythmically instead of focusing on slowing down your swing intentionally. As for swing tempo, you need to find up what suits your swing ability, physique, etc. Do some research to find up how to determine your ideal tempo. Your ideal swing tempo is the ability to consistently hitting the sweetspot (at least 75% of the time if not 100% for social golfers) and hitting to the spot (or near) you planned to do so every time you adopt the same swing tempo.

Turbo wrote:

Hello Threadstarter,

In my opinion, it is not a matter of slow or fast tempo that is poor or good fundamental. Just take a look at Rick Price and Rickie Fowler, both are fast tempo swingers but arguably two of the best ball strikers in PGA tour, compare to Golfers like Ernie Els and Fred Couples who possess somewhat slower swing tempo. They are equally good ball strickers as well ... I believe one should strive to swing smoothly & rhythmically instead of focusing on slowing down your swing intentionally. As for swing tempo, you need to find up what suits your swing ability, physique, etc. Do some research to find up how to determine your ideal tempo. Your ideal swing tempo is the ability to consistently hitting the sweetspot (at least 75% of the time if not 100% for social golfers) and hitting to the spot (or near) you planned to do so every time you adopt the same swing tempo.

Technically, tempo is defined as the ratio of the duration of the backswing to the downswing (up to impact.)

It has been published that the tempo of most PGA tour players are 3:1.

Both Rickie Fowler and Ernie Els have a tempo of 3:1, ie. their tempos are the same.

Having said that, obviously Rickie Fowler's total elapsed time is faster than Ernie's.

But the fact that the tempos are the same is certainly noteworthy.

Just wanted to point out something that might be useful.

Peace.

slyster wrote:

There really isnt an ideal swing tempo, and it really depends on the individual and their comfort level. However, one needs to be aware when the tempo goes out of whack during a game (eg under stress).

Great that you learnt so much from Brad's workshop.

Just to point out, ideal tempo is 3:1.

We can swing at different pace, but still achieve 3:1.

When it goes out of whack, it is no longer 3:1.

Peace.

Turbo wrote:

Hello Threadstarter,

In my opinion, it is not a matter of slow or fast tempo that is poor or good fundamental. Just take a look at Rick Price and Rickie Fowler, both are fast tempo swingers but arguably two of the best ball strikers in PGA tour, compare to Golfers like Ernie Els and Fred Couples who possess somewhat slower swing tempo. They are equally good ball strickers as well ... I believe one should strive to swing smoothly & rhythmically instead of focusing on slowing down your swing intentionally. As for swing tempo, you need to find up what suits your swing ability, physique, etc. Do some research to find up how to determine your ideal tempo. Your ideal swing tempo is the ability to consistently hitting the sweetspot (at least 75% of the time if not 100% for social golfers) and hitting to the spot (or near) you planned to do so every time you adopt the same swing tempo.

My coach also ask me to slow down in my back swing...I also do see some merits in the above comments becasue his key word is swing smoothly within our ability and physique.

I swing fast but I cannot get a sweet consistant contact, so I suppose my coach ask me to slow down to create a smoothly swing and hopefully to ensure that my hands do not "go all over the place" at the top of the back swing.

So more practice until I stop golf all together!!!!

Absolutely, stickman.

My advice is, don't bog down by too much swing mechanics like some of the above GRian mentioned - use more body instead of your hands, use your left arm only, ideal swing tempo is 3/1, etc. etc. If you focus too much on mechanics as a social golfer, you will never be able to swing well & consistently, and eventually become more fustrated. Just listen to what the former World's #1 golfer said in the below video; there is no one way to play the game, all of us have different body structures and ability ... one needs to find a system that work best for him/her. Each and everyone of us has their own swing DNA. If you can hit the ball better and consistently with your own swing type, just continue to do it!

Think of pushing a child on a playground swing.

All of us know how to do it. Similar to a golf swing.

Except in a golf swing, we can't 'see' the 'child' approaching the top of the swing. Instead, we feel it in our hands.

And in both cases, we should push in a steady acceleration that is in sync with the swing.

The correct acceleration depends on the size of the backswing, the weight of the club, the flex of the shaft, assuming we are strong/fast enough to match the flex of the shaft.

The tempo always resolves to 3:1 in a good swing regardless, as far as the current studies show.

We do not need to know what the ratio is, other than the fact that there is one ideal ratio. If we listen, our bodies will tell us when we achieve a good tempo. The swing will feel effortless while achieving good impact and distance.

Enjoy this wonderful game.

Peace.

Lee36328 wrote:

Think of pushing a child on a playground swing.

All of us know how to do it. Similar to a golf swing.

Except in a golf swing, we can't 'see' the 'child' approaching the top of the swing. Instead, we feel it in our hands.

And in both cases, we should push in a steady acceleration that is in sync with the swing.

The correct acceleration depends on the size of the backswing, the weight of the club, the flex of the shaft, assuming we are strong/fast enough to match the flex of the shaft.

The tempo always resolves to 3:1 in a good swing regardless, as far as the current studies show.

We do not need to know what the ratio is, other than the fact that there is one ideal ratio. If we listen, our bodies will tell us when we achieve a good tempo. The swing will feel effortless while achieving good impact and distance.

Enjoy this wonderful game.

Peace.

for me, I try to take the hands out of my swing; once I feel that my shoulders have completed the rotation, the backswing is complete

For me, my up swing is relatively slower than my down swing.
The twist of the waist initiates my down swing bracing against the left leg for the right-handed player. The body will automatically respond with the shoulder turn and releasing the club intuitively just as the baseball player hitting the ball.
As for the tempo, I experiment with the varying tempo and you will also know it intuitively the tempo that is right for you.

zhenxua wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

Think of pushing a child on a playground swing.

All of us know how to do it. Similar to a golf swing.

Except in a golf swing, we can't 'see' the 'child' approaching the top of the swing. Instead, we feel it in our hands.

And in both cases, we should push in a steady acceleration that is in sync with the swing.

The correct acceleration depends on the size of the backswing, the weight of the club, the flex of the shaft, assuming we are strong/fast enough to match the flex of the shaft.

The tempo always resolves to 3:1 in a good swing regardless, as far as the current studies show.

We do not need to know what the ratio is, other than the fact that there is one ideal ratio. If we listen, our bodies will tell us when we achieve a good tempo. The swing will feel effortless while achieving good impact and distance.

Enjoy this wonderful game.

Peace.

for me, I try to take the hands out of my swing; once I feel that my shoulders have completed the rotation, the backswing is complete

That's a good swing key. It helps me to avoid over-swinging in the backswing, when I feel I am over-doing it.

Thanks all for the advices Have a swinging good weekend!

Gonna head to OCC in a few hrs' time with THIS in mind 'cos I m SOOOO guilty

Sounds interesting, thanks