Having a calm mind is the mental skill that lets your best play emerge. Its physical counterpart is tempo and rhythm.

Tempo is the overall speed of the golf swing. Nick Price has a faster tempo than Ernie Els. Rhythm is the relative duration of the parts of the swing. The downswing takes half the time of the backswing. This 2:1 rhythm is found in all good golfers, regardless of their tempo.

Find the tempo that’s right for you by listening to a ticking metronome as you swing. Set the metronome set at 48 and take a few swings. One tick is the signal for you to start swinging. The next tick marks the moment when the clubhead returns to impact. That setting will probably be too slow, so move the dial on the metronome one setting faster and take a few more swings. Keep moving the dial to faster settings until you get to one that’s too fast. Slow back down until you find the setting that feels just right. It will probably be in the 52-56 range.

Go to the range now with your metronome and hit a few balls at each tempo within that tempo range. There will be one that clearly yields better shots than the others. That’s your own tempo. Now practice your tempo by concentrating only on turning your hips back and through at the same pace, when you swing. Let everything else take care of itself. Proper rhythm is automatically achieved when tempo is correct.

If there’s a critical moment in the golf swing, it’s the transition into the downswing. Rush, and the shot is ruined. By maintaining good tempo, the downswing will flow into the ball with easy power.

In addition, tempo and rhythm are the only physical fundamentals that affect every shot you hit in a positive way. Get them under control before anything else if you want to improve the way you hit the ball. I cannot emphasize this fact too strongly.

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