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When golfers struggle around the greens, they often blame their technique. "I lifted my head," "I didn't accelerate," or "My wrists broke down." While these can be issues, they are often just symptoms of a deeper problem: poor tempo. Tempo is the unseen saboteur that can turn simple chips and pitches into scorecard-wrecking disasters.
In the full swing, a bad tempo leads to a loss of power and accuracy. Around the greens, the consequences are even more immediate. A rushed, jerky chipping motion is the number one cause of the dreaded "chili-dip" (hitting the ground behind the ball) or the "skull" (hitting the ball thin).
Why is tempo so critical in the short game?
Distance Control: The key to great chipping and pitching is precise distance control. This control comes from a smooth, repeatable rhythm. When your tempo is inconsistent, so is the energy you transfer to the ball, making it impossible to judge distances accurately. One chip might be perfect, but the next, with a slightly quicker tempo, flies past the hole.
Clean Contact: A good tempo allows the club to brush the grass and make clean contact with the ball. A rushed tempo causes the hands and arms to take over, leading to a steep downswing that digs into the ground or a jerky upward motion that catches the ball's equator.
Building Feel: "Feel" around the greens is essentially your brain's ability to match a specific swing size and tempo to a desired outcome. This connection can only be built on a foundation of consistent rhythm. Without it, you're just guessing.
To improve your short-game tempo, think of a pendulum on a grandfather clock. It has a consistent, unhurried rhythm: "tick-tock." Your chipping and pitching motion should emulate this. The length of the backswing should mirror the length of the follow-through, all happening at a smooth, even pace.
Practice this by hitting chips of different lengths, but focus only on maintaining the same "tick-tock" rhythm for every single one. Let the length of your swing dictate the distance, not the speed or "hit" you put on it. Master this, and you'll disarm the unseen saboteur and turn your short game into a reliable strength.