GOLF Top 100 Teacher Cameron McCormick shows how a simple water bottle can improve your swing tempo and lead to better shot results.
Image via Instagram/cameronmccormick
One of the biggest contributors to improved shot results is mastering your golf swing tempo. When it happens, your entire body feels in unison, with your arms in the right position, your hips rotating and your weight distributed properly, your feet using ground force, and your attack angle being in the right spot to make center-face contact.
In my recent rounds, when I dial things back just a bit and focus on my tempo more than clubhead speed, the results are night and day. Instead of coming over the top and opening the clubface (leading to a push or a slice), my swing sequence is intact and I have above-average ball-striking — especially for my handicap level.
So, yeah, the biggest difference in my game this summer has been my golf swing tempo, which has helped me confidently hit driver straight and still far (averaging about 265 yards), while improving contact with my irons.
While every amateur golfer wants to crush the ball and maximize their distance, if you’re struggling with just hitting your targets, try dialing in your tempo first. And if you’re looking for a good drill to help, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Cameron McCormick says using a water bottle is a good option. See why in the video below.
How a water bottle can dial in your golf swing tempo
There are tons of training aids out there that promise better ball-striking and faster club speeds. But if you don’t have your tempo down first, none of that even matters — because your sequencing will be so far out of whack that you won’t hit the ball flush.
So McCormick says taping a water bottle to a club can help deliver the feels you need to find the ideal tempo.
“I’ve got a water bottle taped to the underside of a 7-iron, and about three fingers of water in the bottom of the bottle,” he says.
McCormick then describes where the water should be as you take the club back versus bringing it down through impact.
“What do the pros feel [as they take their golf swing]? They wouldn’t feel the water move at all through the start of their swing until they get to the top, where it would load down into the cap,” he adds. “It would stay in the cap until it sloshed right in the middle of their downswing.”
Simply set up to the ball, start slowly to get a sense for how the water moves in the bottle, and then practice it until you feel comfortable.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’ll prove to be an effective way to find the proper golf swing tempo in order to hit better shots with more consistency. So give it a go the next time you’re on the driving range.
