It’s very common to hear people discuss the importance of having good tempo during a golf swing, but I would argue that it is even more important to work on your tempo when you hit chip shots and pitch shots. Having a consistent tempo will help you make better contact with your short shots and will help you dial in your distance control.
In most cases amatuer golfers struggle with their short game because their hands get too involved with their transition and downswing. These golfers tend to pull the handle of the golf club in their transition resulting in a jerky motion and ultimately an inconsistent strike. By focusing on the tempo of the transition and being consistent with the speed of the transition we can dramatically imporve out contact.
Knowing that the tendency will be to pull the club with your hands, the key is to almost feeling a pause or delay as you transition into the rotation of the downswing. Feel the weight of the clubhead drop, vs. pulling on the grip. Once you can begin to trust that the clubhead will drop due to gravity, you can begin to control impact with a slight rotation.
I have helped hundreds of students with their shortgame by having them practice and train while listening to a metronome. Adjust the tempo of the metronome so that they are using a beat to start their swing, a beat at the top of their backswing, and a beat at impact. Almost everyone struggles when they jump the gun on the second beat or the transition beat. Work on this to hit more solid wedge shots.
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