Tour Tempo, co-created by John Novosel Jr. and his father, is a training platform that includes an app, a series of instruction books and an accumulation of illuminating data about the swing. Their extensive research shows that the world’s best golfers are super-speedy, not super-syrupy, especially in their backswings.
Research proves that a smaller ratio between the time it takes you to complete your backswing and your downswing is what creates extra speed and power. But you can’t simply make a faster swing. The trick is to add force on the way back so you can use it on the way down.
Not convinced? Check out the speed facts below.
Speed fact No. 1
Among the last 100 major winners, the majority had a tighter backswing-to-downswing-time ratio.
Speed fact No. 2
Most of the winners of the last 100 majors took less than 1.2 seconds to get from takeaway to impact,
Speed fact No. 3
In the last 100 majors, 75 percent of the winner completed their backswings in .75 seconds or less.
Force creates speed. And based on the numbers presented above, you can appreciate the need for speed in the modern game. Force, unfortunately, is invisible, yet the need to create it in your swing is as important as ever. In addition to research we’ve done on force at Tour Tempo, we’ve leaned on various studies by Dr. Robert Grober, in the Yale University Department of Applied Physics, who says that a golfer’s ability to achieve the desired 3:1 backswing-to-downswing ratio is dependent on their ability to put more force into the ground and onto the handle of the club as they start back.
Sure, the force you create from the top to impact is much greater (roughly twice as much), but you need that force creation from setup to the top to make it all work. For the rec golfer looking to add speed, your backswing must be dynamic, not just a smooth motion.
The good news is that to hit longer shots you don’t necessarily have to swing the club harder. Adding force to your backswing almost automatically makes the rest of your swing much faster, most notably where it counts — through impact. On the following pages we’ll show you how to “use the force” to fuel a speed-inducing backswing for more powerful shots. There’s an extra benefit too: Making these moves puts your swing on a better plane, so not only will you hit it longer, you’ll hit it straighter.
John Novosel Jr. is the co-founder of Tour Tempo and is based out of Lawrence, Kan.
Jon Tattersall is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is the co-founder of Fusion ATL in Atlanta, Ga.
