Golf Flow

conversely trying to slow your thinking down. You think in rhythm. And because your body and mind are synchronized accordingly, your golf swing flows in rhythm. This, of course, is easy to contrast against the mental state in which thoughts are moving too quickly, a body that walks down the fairway at a rushed, hurried pace, and a golf swing that gets jerked away, quickens through transition, and looks out of sequence. The rhythm of golf goes beyond the tempo of a golf swing. It speaks to the rhythm of your warm-up, the rhythm of your walking, your routine, and everything that you do.
    Figure 24.1 is a preround checklist I use to help my golfers get into rhythm.

Jim Flick, who worked with Jack Nicklaus for much of his career, suggested that rhythm, not necessarily technique, was central to Jack’s dominance. He said, “Jack’s feet became the rhythm of his swing and taught him the transition from the ground up. It was a key factor in his development” (Tarde 2007). Of course, many outstanding teachers advocate the importance of footwork in the golf swing (a detail overlooked by many less advanced teachers whom I’ve watched). For instance, Sean Foley (who coaches Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, and Tiger Woods) is an advocate of footwork, which is why he frequently has his golfers practice in bare feet. It is widely known that the great Sam Snead practiced in bare feet well into his 70s. The reason that barefoot practice promotes rhythm is twofold. First, it helps a golfer stay in balance, and a golfer who is in balance is much more likely to be in rhythm. Conversely, being out of balance has a falling, unstable aspect to it that often jerks the golfer out of rhythm. Second, and more important, although it is easy to overswing while wearing shoes, it is difficult to swing too hard while in bare feet. Because the feet are the only thing touching the ground, the kinetic chain sequences at the proper rhythm.
    When Tiger goes to the range at tournaments he is not so much working on his golf swing as he is practicing what he calls his natural rhythm. As he says, “I want to make sure I go out there with the right rhythm.” Regarding the 28 that he shot on the front nine of his Friday round at East Lake for the 2007 Tour Championship, Tiger remarked, “I just felt it was a nice rhythm. The pace was good, walking pace was good.”

Establish a routine for getting into a comfortable rhythm. Fred Couples, also known as “Mr. Smooth,” plays with great rhythm.

    © Adam Davis/Icon SMI

Improving Your Skills
    Beyond spending some time practicing barefoot or in your socks to establish your rhythm, you can do several things to improve your game by focusing on rhythm. To begin, remember that along with tension levels and cognitive processes, rhythm is one of the first things to be affected by changing environmental factors. Thus, be sure to place rhythm at the top of your priorities when auditing your game.
    Next, head to the range with the intent of working not on improving your golf swing, but on establishing your natural rhythm. Begin with your wedges and, after a few shots, try to determine whether your swing feels too fast, too slow, or perfectly matched with the rhythm of your thoughts. Usually, golfers feel that their swing is moving faster than is ideal, and if that’s the case for you, work to slow down the tempo of your swing until your swing feels matched with the speed of your mind. After you’ve calibrated these two, begin working your way through the bag with your focus being not on your targets this time, but on the rhythm of your warm-up.
    After you’ve made your way through the bag, end your range session with five routines. Your focus should be—you guessed it—the rhythm of your routine. At this point remind yourself that when you’re on the golf course, the game isn’t going to attack your golf swing as much as it will attack your rhythm. Therefore, establishing the rhythm of your routine is going to be the most important thing that you can do. So now, go through your routine in rhythm:
Take a deep breath in and exaggerate the exhale.
Ask yourself, “What’s my strategy? What’s my target?”
Make a free, committed, fearless swing.
Say to yourself, “I accept the outcome of that shot.”
Take a closing breath with a deep exhale.
    After you do this five times, you’re ready to head to the golf course!
    Your goal now is to see how many holes you can play in great rhythm. Through this process,