Keeping the Rhythm

Timely Acceleration

I struggle to generate speed on my downswing if my backswing is too fast as it’s hard to create speed when you rush back. Good rhythm creates the right acceleration through the ball. Different players, like Alvaro Quiros, need speed to create more speed. That’s his rhythm. My rhythm is a lot slower than that, but I’m able to create enough speed at impact. I can’t say it’s a lot of speed, but it’s enough for me to hit the ball a reasonably long way.

Poor Rhythm Often Leads to Poor Contact

First and foremost, bad rhythm affects contact straight away. Good rhythm helps you deliver the club back on the ball properly, and that’s the idea - to hit the ball cleanly and to try and do the same thing over and over again. Consistent rhythm helps you make good contact every time. Bad rhythm can result in different kinds of bad shot, but for me it’s all about the contact.

When You’re Under Pressure …

Again, my backswing can get quick under pressure, but it can be good sometimes because you need that pressure to perhaps hit the driver a bit longer. Every time I’ve won I’ve felt my rhythm has been a bit quicker, but just at the limit, so you can control that. Not too fast - just faster than normal. When you’re under pressure, you can’t control everything so you just let it go, and sometimes it’s good enough. That’s what I feel when I’m in contention - that I’m just going to swing the club a little faster without crossing the limit. It’s important to be aware of your limits.

Rhythm on the Greens

The most important thing for me on the greens is to get the right pace and the same pace on every putt. Good pace helps you read the greens well. For me, it doesn’t work the other way. You can’t read well if you don’t have the right pace, and to get a good pace, you have to have a good contact. If you don’t strike the ball in the putter’s sweet spot every time, you’re not going to have a good rhythm and a good pace.

A French Thing

A lot of French players have good rhythm. I don’t know why, but I learned to play golf by spending much more time on the range than on the course. I started in 1989 when golf was getting bigger in France, and I used to spend four or five hours every day on the range. Maybe that’s why. I remember on the French amateur team, we were pretty good on the range, had pretty good golf swings and hit the ball pretty straight and solid. But our short games were not so accurate, and our strategy on the course was not so good. So maybe a lot of French players have good rhythm because of time spent on the range.