I guess everybody is improving and getting their handicap down...

Quote - I practice regularly and often find a swing that works for a while.
and then I lose confidence after a bad shot or two.
My question is, how much importance should I place on swing mechanics as compared to rhythm.
Could you perhaps suggest a drill to improve my rhythm.

Hi, Thanks for the question...

A couple of tips for rhythm, although they are probably band aids.

Swing a heavy club (Vijay Singh has a special one made that he hits balls with), or get one of those heavy donut weights to put on a club, or the air resistance training aid, I think it is called a swing kite or simply swing two clubs.

These training aids will also help strengthen your golf muscles.

You can do 20 as a warm up and then hit 20 balls.

Or swing with the heavy item and then hit a shot.

If that works, why not swing two clubs before you hit a shot as your practice swing? Then play your shot.

I think swing mechanics are important as well, but on the course you don't need too many swing thoughts, one or two at most.

If mechanics isn't working for you, definitely a good idea to concentrate on rhythm as you have said.

Hope this helps,

Cheers Doug

Hi Philbee,

good to see you are practising. That tells me you want to improve.

There's a lot I'd like to know about you guys to help you more like where you play, what your goals are, some more detailed stats etc.

But just to keep it short and simple, try this routine.

When you come up to your shot, think of a traffic light, red, orange and green (stop, get ready and go).
You can also visualise three circles, think, feel, trust. You step through the circles to finally hit your shot.


Red - means Stop and Think. (uses the left brain)

Part 1. What is the best shot you can play right here? What is the best target? Sometimes it isn't the green if it is too risky or you have a club with a low percentage of coming off. What is the best club to hit with what swing? A longer club with an easy swing? Or less club with a more aggressive swing?

Part 2. What is the key thought you have that helps you hit a good shot. Write this down when you practice and take it to the course. You might want one or two backup thoughts. But stick with the first one until it really isn't working.

Orange - Get a feel for the swing you are going to use for this shot. This is the dress rehearsal.

You have to translate the thought into a feel. You can't think when you swing the club.
This is the transition of changing from the left brain to the right brain.
Don't hit the shot until you are happy with your swing, the feel, the acceleration, the balance. You should know this feeling from the good shots you hit in practice and on the course.

Green - Trust your swing and the process to get the right result. (Right brain).

When you trust the feel of your swing and are confident it will produce a good shot, step up and hit the ball or swing through the ball. Don't worry about where it goes. Just be happy that you stuck to the routine. And repeat next shot.


As well as scoring your shots, give yourself a mark out of 10 for how well you follow the routine when you play.

And when you practice.

Look forward to hearing your results.

I have a lot more free info at my website and blog, www.dougkercherpgagolf.com