There's no perfect rhythm for golf. You can play at a fast pace or you can play it at a slower pace—and still play it well. How quickly or slowly you play doesn't necessarily matter as far as your golf handicap is concerned. Unless, of course, you're playing at breakneck speed or you play at an absolute crawl. Then, mistakes can happen. Otherwise, you can play quickly or slowly and still do well. In fact, you'll probably find as many players with low golf handicap who play the game slowly as you do who play the game quickly.
What matters, as I've said before in my golf tips, is playing the game at your natural rhythm. Rest assured, everyone has his or her own natural rhythm. If you like to take your time with things, you probably like to play at a moderate pace. If you like to zip through things, you probably like to play at a faster pace. The key is not to let what's happening on the course affect your natural rhythm. When that happens, you often lose both your rhythm and your timing. To trash scoring barriers, you should try to maintain your natural rhythm through the whole round
Find Your Rhythm Early
To squeeze the most out of your game on any given day, work on getting into a nice rhythm early. If you use a pre-round routine and stick with it throughout the season, it makes getting into a rhythm easier. Of course, following a pre-round routine every time is difficult. Players taking golf lessons often say they don't have the time to go through a pre-round routine. But if you're serious about lowering your golf handicap, you'll make time for it. A pre-round routine prepares you mentally and physically for the challenges ahead.
In addition, a pre-round routine eliminates the nervousness or strangeness you sometimes feel before a round. It's why the pros work hard to gain their rhythm before they tee off. It's even more important for weekend golfers to work on their rhythm because they don't play as often as the pros. Tiger Woods copied his pre-round routine from Jack Nicklaus. Tiger uses the same six clubs on the practice range, ending with the club he is going to use off the first tee. Tiger's not working on his swing here. He's working on his rhythm.
Play When Ready
In addition to a pre-round routine, always use a pre-shot routine. A good pre-shot routine is critical to playing with consistency. The tendency when your playing a match is to speed up mentally, especially when you're under pressure. This tendency breaks your rhythm, throwing you off. It also creates tightness in your hands and arms. When you're tight, it's harder to fell your rhythm. You start making mistakes. A good pre-shot routine relaxes you, calms you down, and encourages rhythm. Never play a shot before you're ready.
In addition, always walk to your next shot at a steady pace. Do the same between holes. The extra time gives you a chance to plan your next shot. And don't get too pumped up after a good shot. Or, too down after a bad shot. Either can affect the next shot. Pace yourself and always try to play within yourself. Your natural rhythm will do the rest for you.
Use A Metronome For Putting
Another critical area is putting. It's just as important to build rhythm for putting prior to a round as it is for making a full swing. Actually, it might be more important, since nearly 30 percent of your shots on any given day are putts. So in addition to taking swings at the practice range, hit the putting green. One way to build rhythm in your putting is to practice with a metronome—a device for keeping beats in music. Use this device to practice your putting stroke.
If you really want to refine your game, here's a solid golf tip: Play at your natural rhythm. It improves your scores and your golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
