Tour Tempo

[RBImGuy]

I think (or at least hope) this will lead to more consistency with my tempo. However, I didn't find the swing tones to be any faster than my normal swing. I guess being a 1 or 2 that makes sense, but I expected something much faster after reading the book.

 

Is your swing smooth in every transition?

 

What I can say is to be consistent the tempo and rythm has to be the same which would also show this on video that every movement are smooth with no distortion, being in sync.

 

 

Like most everyone I could probably be more consistent. However, I do think my transitions are pretty smooth and I would consider myself a good ball striker. When I do have problems it is because I am too quick at that top, which leads to some big hooks. If the tones lead to more consistency and better misses I will be more than pleased.

 

What I can conclude is that using tourtempo allow for a tempo that are consistent.

Calibrating to this tempo allow a personal rhytm to develop which if elicited and set should be consistent trough all shots.

When the tempo is learned, the rhytm is the key moving as one unit making each transition be in sync allowing for maximum distance and length to be made.

 

To keep track of the rythm there are several ways you can map it into music notes, words anything that keeps the flow of the tempo going.

This will allow a more automatic and habitual feedback loop to be formed without consious interaction in the shotmaking.

 

More distance and consistent distance are then easy to keep track of.

[phil75070]

A couple of years ago I tried Tour Temp with great success! One thing it does is take all of those superfluous swing thoughts out of your mind that can actually get in the way of making a good swing. I do think it is something you have to practice and stick with, however. When an end to daylight savings came around and I could not practice during the week, my game regressed. I should probably go back to it. I think, for me, the one thing it got me doing, and which might be the real key to my swing, is setting the wrists and completing my backswing.

[RBImGuy]

A couple of years ago I tried Tour Temp with great success! One thing it does is take all of those superfluous swing thoughts out of your mind that can actually get in the way of making a good swing. I do think it is something you have to practice and stick with, however. When an end to daylight savings came around and I could not practice during the week, my game regressed. I should probably go back to it. I think, for me, the one thing it got me doing, and which might be the real key to my swing, is setting the wrists and completing my backswing.

 

How did the system benfit your golf?

And what happens as you "regress"?

 

Just curious about the effects. :wacko:

[Ken_In_CA]

Anyone buy the additional CD music for your specific tempo?

[phil75070]

A couple of years ago I tried Tour Temp with great success! One thing it does is take all of those superfluous swing thoughts out of your mind that can actually get in the way of making a good swing. I do think it is something you have to practice and stick with, however. When an end to daylight savings came around and I could not practice during the week, my game regressed. I should probably go back to it. I think, for me, the one thing it got me doing, and which might be the real key to my swing, is setting the wrists and completing my backswing.

 

How did the system benfit your golf?

And what happens as you "regress"?

 

Just curious about the effects. :wacko:

 

My ball striking was more consistent and, as a result, I was hitting the ball longer and straighter. At the time I started working with the system, about 1/2 my scores would be in the 70's on my home course. After assimilating Tour Tempo into my game on the course, after wroking with it on the range for a few weeks, I went 12 out of 16 rounds scoring in the 70's, many in the mid 70's. Then Fall hit, practice time went to nil and I just have not gotten the discipline to work with it again. When I "regressed" i just got out of rhythm, would hit my share of poor shots, and will play well one day and not the next, still searching for a single swing thought that will work magic. Just trying to use the concept on the course without the practice time swinging qhile listening to the tones, does not work for me.

[ByUBengals]

Good evening Mr. Hoganfan924,

Could I ask you some Suunto G6 data questions on the 9-3 drill plus driver swings? Message or post in the 9-3 thread or just add here

Mostly ineterested in backswing length & rhythm numbers for 7i on 9-3 drill, and driver.

On a mission to get synched and stop arm runoff.

thanks.

hope to compare some data.

[happyroman]

I have been using Tour Tempo on and off for over a year, but only recently have I started to apply it to my practice in a systematic manner. Being a former musician, I find it uncomfortable to use the pre-recorded tones on the CD because there is an extra 0.2 sec added between the first and second tone. According to the author, this is to allow for reaction time, and one must wait until hearing the first tone to initiate the swing. The instructions specifically say not to anticipate the tone.

 

I find this very difficult to do, so I work with a metronome (again from my background as a musician). Using the information in the book that one frame equals 33/1000 of a second, I determined the number of beats per minute (BPM) for the Tour Tempo ratios. For those who might be interested, the ratios are as follows: 21/7 = 193 BPM; 24/8 = 169 BPM; and 27/9 = 150 BPM. These BPM are equivalent to the 1-2-3, 1-2-3 feel of the Tour Tempo ratios. I start the swing on the first "one", feel the top of the back swing at "three", and feel impact at the following "one".

 

Using the metronome, I do anticipate the beat, and work to smoothly match my swing to the tempo, focusing on achieving the top of backswing and impact positions in rhythm. I also incorporate some of Tim Gallway's Inner Game techniques when working on this. I focus on being "aware" of where my swing is in relation to the tempo, rather than "trying" to match the tempo. The more I try, the more mechanical I am. The more I focus on awareness, the more intuitively and fluidly I begin to swing in time with the tempo.

 

During my practice sessions, I start small and work up to the big swings. All of the drills I do are described in the book and on the accompanying CD rom. First, I simply brush the grass (or mat) with the clubhead in time with the tempo I have selected. Then I work up to hitting balls with the Y drill, followed by doing the same with the L drill. When doing these drills, I don't worry too much about where the ball is going, but instead, whether I am successful at matching my swing to the tempo, and whether I am making crisp contact. The more I focus on process, the better my results. The more I focus on results, the worse I hit the ball. Finally, I hit full shots with the selected tempo. I have also been using this method very successfully with my chipping and pitching swings when I work on my short game.

 

Lately, I have been working primarily with my 5-iron for my full swing practice. It is a good middle length club, and the longest iron I carry. I have been experimenting primarily with the 24/8 and 27/9 tempos, and for me, the 27/9 feels a little more comfortable. I have also been varying the tempos during my practice. Sometimes I pick one tempo and hit everything with the same tempo. Other times, I start with the 21/7 tempo with the bruss the grass and Y drills, then slow down to the 24/8 tempo for the L drill, and finally go to 27/9 for full swings.

 

I have also started with the metronome set at a tempo slower than my target tempo (say 135 BPM, which is a 30/10 ratio), and move the tempo up a few BPM every few shots. I do this until I get to a tempo where things start to go a little haywire. I then back off to a comfortable tempo and finish the practice session there. I think this would be a good way to practice for those who feel that they feel rushed by the "quicker" tempos.

 

The combination of working on these drills with the metronome has been nothing short of phenominal for me. I'm hitting every club in the bag longer and straighter. When I work on these drills with the metronome, my concious mind stays occupied with the beat, and I don't seem to run down the mental checklists that result in paralysis by analysis.

 

The next time I play a practice round, I plan to use the metronome for every shot I take. I recently ordered a small "credit card" sized metronome that can be used with earphones so as not to annoy the other golfers at the range or in my group. Right now, all I have is a Seiko clip-on model that is fairly loud, even when it's wrapped in a handkerchief in my pocket. The other day, the guy next to me at the range jokingly asked if I had a time bomb.

 

Sorry to be so long winded. I'm just really excited about these results. Hope you find this information helpful.

[Waffler]

^^Thanks for sharing your experience. I recently purchased the Tour Tempo book/CD (2 weeks ago). I've practiced the drills/tones in my living room (just brushing the carpet) and on the range once.

 

Pre-Tour tempo, I checked my swing on video and found it it be right around 27/9. I even went back to some of my swings from two years ago and found those to be around 30/10. I downloaded all of the tones to my ipod shuffle and started out working with the 27/9 ones. I found them to be slow for some reason. The 24/8s were a little quick at first (weird I know), but I've been working with them and the results have been positive. Most of my shots during that first range session were slight pulls to straight and a few big pulls, so I was fairly pleased.

 

So the next morning after that first range session with the tones, I took the shuffle out to the golf course to play a round (listening to the tones while I played), and hit some great shots. Short game let me down, which was to be expected since I hadn't played a round since the beginning of February. Early round misses were pulls into the trees (exactly like the range). And the only bad shots I hit (the pulls left) were with the 3 wood off the tee (no driver in the bag....new G10 is on its way). And even one of those bad pulls was because I was listening to the two beat 24/8 tone track and tried to anticipate where the third tone would be. I should have stepped away and hit the "next track" button on the shuffle to get the 3 beat tone (laziness). Another great thing about the round was that I've never hit such straight 4 and 5 irons in my life. It was amazing.

 

I feel that it's easier to anticipate the tones, or as you stated just kind of feel where your swing is "with" the tones. If I wait to react to the tones, my swing feels mechanical and choppy. I may try the metronome thing you mentioned and see if it makes a difference (help straighten out those pulls).

 

In the limited time I've had to work with the Tour Tempo, I'm pretty amazed at the quick results.

[happyroman]

Glad to hear this has been working for you, Waffler. I have been going back and forth between 27/9 and 24/8, and have settled on 24/8 for the time being. My practice is focused on trying to ingrain that tempo. The main thing I have to fight is timing the backswing. As Novosel says in the book, most amateurs take too long to complete their backswing, compared to the Tour Tempo. While working to speed up my backswing, I have occasionally found it difficult to keep the club on plane during the backswing. I have had a tendancy to take the club back too far inside, with the club somewhat laid off at the top. This has resulted in a closed clubface at impact and a big hook. In an attempt to correct this yesterday, I found myself taking the club back too far to the outside, resulting in an out-to-in path at impact (with the clubface square to slightly closed) and pulling shots to the left. I am encouraged, however, by the solid ball contact and increased distance, even on these off-line swings. I feel confident that if I continue with the Y and L drills, the swing path issues will improve quickly.

 

As a side note, I have also been using the Tour Tempo with my chipping and pitching practice, setting the tempo to 21/7, which is one notch faster than my normal full swing practice. This, in conjunction with Bobby Clampets "forward aiming point" concept, resulted in the most crisp ball contact I have ever experienced in the short game. The other day, when practicing 30 yard chips, I holed out the very first one and had about 50% of my shots within legitimate one putt range. I was having similar success with pitching from 40-50 yards out, although none were actually holed. Working with the Tour Tempo also helped my sand trap shots quite a bit. By focusing on making nice smooth rythmic swings, I was able to lessen the tension that I usually experience while hitting sand shots, resulting in much better results.

[toshman]

Does someone know where to find the 18/6 tempo without buying the entire edition? Thanks

[phil75070]

My version of Tour Tempo, bought a few years ago, only goes as fast as 21/7.

[DigDugDig]

I also have used Tour Tempo to some extent. It seemed very fast to me as I've always been a slower smoother swinger.

But, I had (still have) a habit of starting the golf swing from a very static position which leads to a very slow beginning of the swing with a speeding up through the back swing. When I do this I struggle to be consistent.

With Tour Tempo, I found that in order to swing with the tones I couldn't start from as static a position.

I found that this made my golf swing much quicker but also more reactionary. I swung the club more than guiding it through the swing.

I'm not really sure why I went away from it, I hit the ball quite well this way.

Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you're a constant tinkerer......

[ah3000]

I'll throw my 2 cents into this discussion. I bought the tour tempo book and started listening to the tones. It is an interesting concept to say the least. It was very eye opening to find out that a swing like Els was a 24/9 tempo. I never would have thought. At first I tried the 24/8 tempo which is in the middle so I thought I would try it first. At first it seems rushed and as if you are reacting to the tones. These are just practice swings as I didn't have a chance to practice when I first got it. I first took it out on the range and hit about 200 balls using the Y-Drill and L-Drill with various tempos. I realized a few things: (1) all of the tempos are faster than my normal tempo, and (2) this is going to take a lot of work. The results for the first practice session were varied and I would say more on the negative side. I hit some balls great and a lot of crappy balls while I was adjusting to the tempo. In the book they did recommend using their speed ball so that you can focus on the process and not the outcome and I agree. With every bad result on the range, I wanted to rip the thing out of my ear and go back to normal - which for me is not consistent either. So I left unahppy and confused.

I came home and set up my net in my front yard and decided I was going to get used to it. I feel comfortable with the 24/8 tempo. So my practice plan for the day was 200 balls into the net using 21/7 and Y-Drill, then 200 balls using 24/8 with the L Drill, then 200 balls with a full swing at 27/9. They are right. Not having to worry about the result and focusing on the process made all of the difference. My thoughts were just to accomplish the movement and I was look for a clean contact sound. I got the Y-Drill down, then I got the L-Drill down, when I got to the full swing I did about 40 balls using 27/9 and felt it was a tad too slow! This is about 600 balls after I thought 27/9 was too fast! I think I'm settling on 24/8 and it's just going to take a lot of work but I think I'm going in the right direction. Of course, I'm not hitting it flush everytime but it takes a lot of thinking out of it for me.

I have a medicus swing speed thing and my 6 Iron before was approx 86-92 mph, and at the end of the day it was between 99-109mph - I would say a conservative average is 103. Honestly, before the tempo training I was swinging as hard as I could and only getting the device to 96. Now, I don't know how accurate that device is, but it is a constant variable and there is for a fact an increase.

I did tinker with 21/7 and 24/8 and 27/9 to see if any one would increase my swing speed more and my fastest swings were with the 24/8.

Now the only problem is accuracy and consistency which I believe will come. I need to ingrain it so I don't have to think about it and I think I will have improved.

Overall, I think its a great device. One of the most helpful things in my 10 years of playing golf.

I also used it with a TALY MIND SET for the Y-Drill and that was helpful also.

[gspjeb]

big fan of tour tempo but I personally believe that if you don't have an ingrained swing it can cause a lot of problems. I have watched a couple of guys at my club really mess up their swings with it as they definitely were not ready for it. I already had a pretty consistent swing and it has made me more consistent from day to day.

[Golfgrief]

Wow, I couldn't help but notice this Tour Tempo craze was a hot item for the first half of 2008. After that, and now 2012, there are only 4 or 5 posts concerning it. This tends to make me think I'm glad the train left the station before I could purchase a ticket. Then too, maybe all the new pros out there on tour today were the ones posting in early 2008 and now they are reaping their rewards. Oh shucks, I'm always late to the party. The Grieving One!

[SoftFade_Ga]

[quote name='Golfgrief' timestamp='1333236219' post='4621005']
Wow, I couldn't help but notice this Tour Tempo craze was a hot item for the first half of 2008. After that, and now 2012, there are only 4 or 5 posts concerning it. This tends to make me think I'm glad the train left the station before I could purchase a ticket. Then too, maybe all the new pros out there on tour today were the ones posting in early 2008 and now they are reaping their rewards. Oh shucks, I'm always late to the party. The Grieving One!
[/quote]

Whats up Golfgrief... I just looked into it after reading about it in Golf Mag. I bought it and was a little skeptic, had my first session on the range with it yesterday (had been practicing on mat for a day) and I must say it definitely had me hitting the ball solid and my swing was really in balance. I am a 9 cap and have a pretty solid swing... what I have been missing was the day to day consistency and this has done the trick.

Also the short game tones really slow my pitches and chips down. I had been getting a little quick on the down swing.... found the 18/9 fitted me and then holed out a pitch from 50 yards.

- Along with other swing changes I really do think the TOUR TEMPO will keep me consistent.... I will definitely see this weekend with the weekend skins game coming up. Nothing like a little pressure to test your tempo.... Beep--Beep-Beep

[CosmosMpower]

Tried it and realized my tempo was already pretty fast, didn't do much for me honestly.

[glcoach]

I like it. Bought in 2005 and have used it on and off since then. It really makes you more efficient with your swing.

The key is to react and not anticipate. Also use YOUR swing. A lot of people just lerch as fast as they can. Swing fast but keep it relaxed and smooth.

When I get really off ball striking wise. Tour Tempo is my first diagnostic tool. A lot of times when making changes in the swing your tempo gets slow, which leads to too slow of a swing. Tour tempo syncs up your changes and leads to better improvement.

[rossonero]

Just bought the APP - Is there only will swing tones there ?.
Is also interested in the shortgame tones

[layingfive]

Like anything else, results will almost certainly vary...BUT...my instructor introduced me to the app this past weekend, and after an hour or two of getting used to it, the results have been fairly dramatic. I've always struggled to squeeze more than about 210 out of my driver, but I was pushing 250 yesterday at the driving range. Count me among the believers.