Finding the perfect tempo will help achieve max efficiency with your golf swing. But what is perfect tempo? How is tempo measured? Let's talk about this golf truth.
A common misconception about golf revolves around the notion that the harder you swing, the farther the ball will travel. While there's some truth to this, swinging too forcefully can actually result in inefficiency. Conversely, you might have encountered advice to "just swing smooth." However, many amateur golfers struggle with swings that are overly sluggish, often stemming from an emphasis on "smooth" swinging. Tempo, unfortunately, is frequently misunderstood; some golfers mistakenly believe that improving tempo involves experimenting with various swing speeds.
What is Tempo?
By definition, tempo is the ratio of your backswing time compared to your downswing time. The typical tempo ratio is 3:1 (backswing time to downswing time ratio) — in layman’s terms, your backswing typically take 3x as long as your downswing. For example, if your backswing typically takes 0.75 seconds, your downswing should take 0.25 seconds.
However, there are many great golfers and players on tour who play with a different tempo — they’re still able to collect many trophies. 3:1 turns out to be the average tempo on tour, but it doesn’t mean it is the end all be all.
How to use 3D data to track tempo
Thanks to the advancements of technology, apps like Sportsbox 3D Golf can easily monitor your swing tempo! With every swing, whether it is from the face on or down the line angle, the default “Tempo” tracker can capture your exact backswing, downswing, and follow through times. It displays the times of each movement to calculate your tempo. Ready to see how efficient you are with your swing?
What this means for you
If you have a ratio that is much lower than 3:1, say 2:1, your backswing is too fast! If your tempo is an example of 4.7:1, it could mean a few things:
- Your backswing is too slow
- Your backswing is too long
- You have a very fast (or short) downswing
All in all, this most likely means you could speed up your backswing a touch.
While 3:1 tempo is a great one to aim for, tempo is about balance between your backswing and downswing times. There are many pros that are tour winners with a variety of tempo! Use the Sportsbox “Tempo” tracker to measure and fine tune your swing to the perfect tempo.