The Golf Swing and Time
March 4th, 2013 | 
Author: A common complaint I hear from golfers is that their swings are too fast or aggressive. They just have a sense that they are quick either in the transition or the downswing.
Rhythm and pace are very important elements in the golf swing. When a golfer feels quick the first thing they do is try to ‘slow down’…and in an attempt to get some rhythm in the swing they often go overboard and end up slowing everything down a little too much. This can lead to an overly slow start to the swing, which in turn leads to a rapid change in pace during the transition and on into impact. It is this drastic change in speed that conveys the sense of quickness and aggression in the swing.
Ernie Els
The PGATour average time for the backswing is right around 0.75 seconds, with an additional 0.25 seconds for the downswing. Notice that ideally there should be something close to a 3:1 ratio of backswing time vs. downswing time. That means that on average a Tour golfer will strike the ball in about a second from when the swing starts. Ernie Els, one of the smoothest swings out there, takes just over a second to strike the ball while Nick Price, who has one of the faster swings, takes around 0.8 seconds. Far too many of golfers I teach take well over a second to complete just the backswing. In watching Els or even Price, most golfers believe they swing a whole lot faster than either of those two top players – that is not the case.
Nick Price
Each of the above golfers are able to maintain a good rhythm in their swing because they maintain something close to a 3:1 ratio in their swings. When a backswing takes over a second to complete the golfer is now faced with a 4:1 or even 5:1 ratio which feels way out of rhythm.
Here are a few pointers when trying to get better rhythm and pace back into your swing:
- Don’t try to speed up your backswing up too quickly – take one pill a day and not the whole bottle…
- The body should not feel hurried; the wrists and arms will create much of the necessary increase in speed.
- Try a few shots with the clubhead starting 2-3 feet ahead of the ball and then flow into the backswing in one motion. This gives the club a moving start and gradually increases the pace.
- Remember that rhythm does not have to be slow…
- Stay patient and gradually build up to it; try to build the speed in your downswing from the transition.
There are not many ways to track your timing ratio, but SwingCatalyst software does it for you.
Swing Catalyst software
Another factor to consider is that the less time your swing takes the less opportunity you have to get your body out of position. This is a very important factor and cannot be overlooked – keep the motion concise and it is more likely to be consistent. Give it a try….
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Fair enough. Enjoy your vacation.
Andrew,
Love the this website and all of the info you are providing. I think what you are teaching is simple and extremely functional. Looking forward to the book!
MK
The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.
Finally a great description of rhythm based on useful data, thank you. Extra suggestion for speeding up the backswing whilst building feel (an idea I use from Tai Chi). Imagine turning only your centre (an imaginary ball behind your belly button) and let your body be turned around it. Thanks again and I look forward to reading more!
Great stuff! Please keep it coming.
The 3:1 ratio that you describe is the basis of the book Tour Tempo.
Yeah, this is explored in detail by John Novosel in his tour tempo book. Read it last fall and love the tones. I’m 27 frames back 9 down. Smashing it.
Enjoy your thoughts on the game Andrew.
Another brilliant article! Thanks Andrew for always asking/answering the right questions!
Now, I enjoy my quick/aggressive swing, and keep it concise. I do have 2 problems, and would love your suggestions:
1) I am sacrificing Lag in my swing, and struggling to find the “feel” that let’s me generate more lag.
2) I have battled infrequent yet demonizing shanks with my short irons. Rarely happens, but it creeps into my psyche. What are the causes/solutions??
Thanks!
Have you seen the work in Extraordinary Golf about the timing of a natural throw of the golf club which suggests that motion is 2:1 ratio. His findings were twofold: 1) back-swing too slow AND 2) down-swing too fast (over the top).
Wow, shamelessly passing off the whole 3:1 ratio as your own idea when it was published in Tour Tempo way back in 2004?
Michael,
If you’ve ever used V1 video and have half a brain you can figure the 3:1 ratio out by watching 3 or 4 Tour swings using the timing feature – really, it’s not difficult. Never read Tour Tempo and don’t need to now…
You know what they say about assuming….
Sincerely,
Andrew
Andrew,
Anyone, even someone with half a brain, who writes an article and lists themselves as the author would know it is a good idea to provide a reference to another authors previously published theory and ideas. Perhaps it would be a good practice in the future to note the name of the idea’s originator in the sentence or throughout a paragraph about the idea, or use parenthetical citations, footnotes, or endnotes to refer readers to additional sources about the idea. Beyond that, the admission that you are unaware of books written on the subject indicates to me that you have done very little research regarding the subject of your article.
Michael,
If you have ever read anything from me, and I know you have, then you know full well that I like to do my own research. In this particular case I stumbled upon this ratio while researching the book I wrote in 2009 titled “It’s All About Impact” – take a look it’s also in there without credit. At that time I was unaware of the work John Novosel had done regarding tempo and rhythm. I have since heard snippets about his work, but have yet to read the book. Think what you will about my research Michael – I know I did my own research using fairly simple V1 video technology (as demonstrated in the video) and for that reason I have no need to reference any other publication or researcher.
I am more than happy to give credit where credit is due in anything I do. I simply cannot give credit where it is not due – no matter what you or Mr. Powers believe….
BTW In my book I give credit to anyone and everyone that assisted me with the information and writing of the book…see for yourself.
Sincerely,
AR
Darren – lose the shanks by strengthening your grip and making sure you do not move away from the ball….
Thanks Andrew. I do have a pretty strong grip, and must be moving away from the ball. I will try to watch for that. Thanks. And please disregard the trolling garbage from negative readers looking to sound smart and righteous. With all the unique research and thinking you do, how can anyone question that someone else may have reached the same conclusion. Weak. Keep it up thanks.
Cheers Darren – I appreciate your support and readership! Thanks.
Nice article Andrew, never really thought about 3:1 ratio, seems so simple and obvious now! Always find it amazing that one day you can easily find your rhythm and tempo and feel great on the course, and then the next day it’s completely gone!