Golf Fundamentals - Rhythm

“Swing YOUR swing” - Arnold Palmer

Rhythm

What is rhythm in the golf swing? Rhythm is the beat of the swing. It is how the golfer accelerates/decelerates the club through the golf swing motion. Ideal rhythm, regardless of individual tempo, is slow and smooth going back with gradual acceleration of the club from the top, through the ball.

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The Swing: An Introduction

John Rahm has a fast swing, Xander Schauffele has a more measured swing while Hideki Matsuyama and Cameron Young both have a slight pause at the top of their swing. What these professional golfers have in common is the rhythm that each player maintains, a rhythm that suits their own individual swing. Whatever your body profile, whichever swing style you pursue, it is the maintenance of rhythm that will help you progress in your golf journey.

Grip & Address

It's Saturday morning, it is the only day in the week you get to play, you address the ball, ready to tee off. There is a long queue of others, waiting their turn to tee off. You are nervous in front of the crowd, wanting to hit a halfway decent shot in front of all these people.

In moments like this, just remember two things, check your grip and then your address. Is your grip soft and relaxed and held in your fingers? This is a surefire way to calm the nerves, to keep the tension out of the rest of your body. Check your feet are square to the target. Then you will hit a halfway decent shot in front of all the other weekend golfers. You are also well on your way to having good rhythm for the rest of the round.

Types of Swings

There are five general types of golf swings: the hands and arms swing, a traditional type swing, the one-plane swing, the rotation swing, and the stack and tilt swing. Each type of swing has its strengths and weaknesses. Whatever feels natural for you will depend upon your body type and up to a point, your athletic ability.

Your Swing

Everyone has their own style of swing, a swing that has elements of one or more of the types of swing. I’m 175cm (5ft 7 inches), currently 78.6kg (12.4 stone). I was 107kg. At 107kg (16.8 stone), I was further from the ball, more bent over at the address, with a swing that went around my body. I also used my body more than I ever had. To my detriment, without realizing it, my grip got tighter, and my rhythm went out the window.

So did the golf.

At my current weight, 78.6kg, I stand closer to the ball, and I am taller at the address. I now have a more up-and-down swing. My grip is more relaxed without tension, and rhythm returned.

It was a long journey with many frustrations before I found elements of the swing that helped me progress. At some point, you will find a swing that is yours. A repeatable swing for you, a swing you found through trial and error, through coaching, or your learning.

After you have learned the basics of a golf swing, everything else beyond that is melded to suit you; it becomes your swing.