Jeff's curiosity has resulted in a book titled Golf's Timeless Fundamental, which I highly recommend for anyone who would like to explore the concepts in this article in more detail. If you treat the golf swing like a simple pendulum, dividing it into equal beats or counts, the backswing would take two beats, and the downswing and forward swing combined would take two beats. Swing tempo varies from person to person, but rhythm is universal. Like tempo, rhythm is the same for every club and every swing. Timing Good timing in the golf swing is found when the proper sequence of motion produces correct body and club position at impact.
Good timing is a product of consistently producing good rhythm and tempo.
Optimal position after impact. When you see someone else swing, or make a swing yourself which results in poor balance, the culprit is often improper tempo or rhythm resulting in poor timing at impact. The takeaway is often slow to the top, but there is a tendency to quickly lunge back down to the ball in an effort to generate maximum clubhead speed. Discovering the optimum balance Some players, like Nick Price, have a relatively fast tempo compared to others, like Fred Couples. A golfer's optimum tempo is often related to his or her personality That A correct follow through should point you toward the desired target.