How to Feel Rhythm

Rhythm is the most important component of a golf swing.  A golfer may do all of the correct motions, but if the motions are not executed in rhythm, the golf swing will be inconsistent and jerky.  So what does a rhythmic swing feel like?  I will describe what must be felt and when it must be felt during the golf swing.

It is important to know that what is felt during the golf swing is not what is seen by someone watching the golfer swing the club or what is captured on video.  One of the most common swing thoughts is to “go low and slow” to start the back swing.  When this swing thought is successfully implemented, the back swing feels slow, but the actual motion is smooth and not slow.  It is hard to believe that what feels so slow is in fact not slow. This concept of fooling the brain in order to achieve the desired rhythm is crucial to develop a rhythmic golf swing.

An important part of the golf swing is the transition or change of direction from the back swing to the down swing.  In my blog article, “Feel and Efficient Swing ,” I describe the Stretch – Snap part of the down swing.  This article provides additional information on what I believe must be felt in the down swing to create a rhythmic swing: the pause.

Feel the Stretch

Feel the right pectoral stretch up some more, feel the bottom of the front right hip bone stretch up, feel the outside of the front right hip bone stretch down, and feel the stretch up of the hands mature.

Feel the Snap

Feel the bottom of the front right hip bone “flick” up and feel and the hands “flick” up.  This causes the left side to snap up to the left and causes the arms to snap down, with abandon, and up to the finish. It is important to feel the back of the right upper arm snap down with abandon and not care where the ball is going.  The Snap automatically triggers the snap down of the right forearm and the snap of the club toward the target.  The Snap is an efficient method to produce an explosive release of energy.

Feel the Pause

The time it takes to feel the end of the Stretch and the start of the Snap creates the pause.  Be patient to feel the “flick” of the bottom of the front right hip bone and the “flick” of the hands in the Snap.  This time period of the pause must feel the same for every swing.  This time period will actually be much shorter than it feels.  It is difficult to believe that the pause happens so quickly when it feels like it takes much longer.  Neuroscience calls this the “Oddball Effect.”  The theory is that when something unusual happens, the pause, your brain devotes more neural resources to it.  As a result, it feels like it takes a longer period of time.  Start by feeling a one millisecond pause.

The proper pause is the key to creating a rhythmic swing.  The pause is used to complete the gather of energy.  The last millisecond of the pause builds the last 20 percent of the force used to swing the upper arm down and up to the finish.  If the pause is too short, not enough energy will be created by a little more coil of the upper body and a little more loading of the right leg.  The result of not creating the additional energy with the proper pause is to add more energy using compensating moves of the arms and hands and the swing will not be rhythmic.  No patient pause, no rhythm.  No rhythm, no chance for a good shot.

There may be times when feeling the pause for the specific time period does not result in a good shot.  In such instances, increase the pause time by one millisecond or more.  It is better to err on feeling a longer pause than having a shorter pause.

If feeling a one millisecond pause is not possible, feeling the additional stretch of the hands as the upper body continues to stretch creates an automatic pause.  Usually, when a rhythm is too quick, the stretch was not done.

The pause is really a part of a continuous sequence of motions that make up the back swing and the down swing.  The pause cannot be seen, but must be felt.

The “natural” reaction to the back swing coil is to uncoil.  But the Stretch – Snap of the down swing is a more efficient method to build and then release energy during the down swing.

Practice the feel of the pause before the “flick” of the bottom of the front right hip bone and the “flick” of the hands.  The tendency is to omit the pause.  A rhythmic swing is not possible without feeling the pause.  A successful golf shot is not possible without a rhythmic swing.  A poor golf shot is always the result of not feeling the pause for the correct amount of time.  Golf is a mental game and remembering to feel the pause for a precise period of time during the swing is another example of the mental challenge of golf.