Part II – How do we measure?

Question #1: How do we measure this difference? When working with tempo the way you measure things is with time. So, we can easily measure the elapsed time of different elements of the swing. You can measure it in the standard seconds….or you can look at in a different way, we use FPS, Frames per Second. In standard video there are 30 FPS. So if something takes 10 frames, we know that is .33 seconds. The advantage of FPS is that it makes the #’s less cumbersome and also patterns become more apparent. For example, tell me about the relationship of these #’s:

81 27

not very apparent. However, if I use FPS, then we have 27 and 9 and it’s clearly evident that you have a 3:1 ratio. Furthermore, when working with a golf swing on video it’s really easy to say, “you went from here to here in 3 frames” (as opposed to saying .09 seconds). You just tap the frame counter FWD 3x and you have your 3 frames. No EXTRA math needed.

So, let’s measure Rory and our amateur. See chart below.

We can see they both started at the same time. Rory raced out ahead and got to the top of his swing in 22 frames. Then back to impact in 7 more. This gives him a ratio of backswing to downswing of 22/7. Also, total elapsed time from takeaway to impact is 29 frames (just under 1 second).

Conversely, our amateur, was still moseying back at 29 and took another 10 frames to get to the top. 8 more frames down to impact and we have a grand total of 47! If you look at the video closely, Rory has completed his FULL swing by the time the am gets to IMPACT! Also, Am’s ratio is 39/8, for a 5:1 ratio.

“Do what the pro’s do and don’t do what the amateurs do” John Novosel Sr.

So, how do we get our amateur to “do what the pro’s do”?


Tune in next week to literally witness the magic of Tour Tempo.

13 thoughts on “Part II – How do we measure?

  1. shaun cunningham says:

    i use V1 video which has a timer in the top right hand corner.I timed my backswing to be 1.11 and downswing 0.26. What is the downswing/backswing ratio? P.s great books and CD. thanks

  2. John Novosel Jr. says:

    to make the conversion: divide each number by .03, so 1.11 would be approx. 34 and .26 divided .03 would be about 9. looks like I made a mistake in my original reply, but the #’s would still be around 34/9 which is roughly 4:1, so that is the same.

    • shaun cunningham says:

      Hi John,Thanks again for your help.Tour tempo has helped so much in my coaching.Anyway i have another question.By using your advised formular to work out the tempo using v1 video (time divided by 0.03) my student has a ratio of 44/15. Anyway this is of course 3-1 (almost) but would you advise him to speed it up?

      • John Novosel Jr. says:

        Definitely speed them up. This is the type of person that will see an INSTANT 15-20 yards of increased distance!! Keep in mind that they will probably struggle as it will feel like MACH 10/Speed of Light, so don’t worry about the ball in the beginning, just focus on the tones. If possible, get us some before/after video as it will be really cool to see the results!!

  3. Scott Frantz says:

    Hi John, I just purchased the TourTempo iTunes App after buying the Tour Tempo 2 book. I have the chipping yips and have been chipping one handed for a couple of years now. I am finding it hard to choose the correct tempo to practice with. 14/7 is way to fast for the putter but it seems like the correct choice for chipping?? What do suggest? Thanks, Scott

  4. John Novosel Jr. says:

    Scott, thanks for purchasing the book/app! I love to practice one handed chipping, very good for the game. To answer your question: you will have to experiment with each tempo to see what works for you. For me personally, when I use one hand, I have to go to a slightly slower tempo to get good results. Hope that helps and let us know which one you decide on…..

    • Scott Frantz says:

      John thank you for the quick response. I have experimented with each tempo and still have questions…

      I am about a 7 handicap and I have the chipping yips. Yes practicing one handed is great but I now (and for the last 2 years) I have been playing one handed from about 30/40 yards and in because my chipping misses are so bad.

      I am very hopeful that I can resolve the chipping yips with TourTempo. My putting tempo seems to be 16/8 but my chipping is like 14/7…… Can a person be one tempo with the putter and another with chipping? Also can I use frame counter to try and find my chipping tempo?

      Thanks again for your help.

      The research and information is awesome!

  5. John Novosel Jr. says:

    Yes, you can use different tempos for putting/chipping. Yes, frame counter is excellent for measuring chip tempo.

    My other suggestion would to be try chipping/pitching with left hand low aka cross handed. It will take a while to get use to, but well worth it!

  6. Simon says:

    Hi John, just taking Ernie’s swing at into a video editor and measuring his backwing:downswing time, he’s just about spot on 2:1 rather than the 3:1 (24:8) mentioned in your book.

    Also tried a few other slow mo videos just in case the broadcaster mucked around with the timing and also get 2:1.

    I considered the downswing starting when the hands (and coincidentally clubhead) change direction

    What am I doing wrong if you don’t mind?


  7. John Novosel Jr. says:

    Simon – you probably aren’t doing anything wrong, however, sometimes on slo mo videos they don’t keep the motion consistent. I don’t like using slow motion for tempo unless I took the slow motion myself, so I can be sure that it’s consistent.

    Ernie Els is a tricky one because his tempo has changed over the years. When we first researched the book, his tempo was basically the 3:1 ratio. Over time, he has sped up his backswing and slowed down his downswing and that has led to more a 2:1 ratio for Ernie. There are a few guys on tour that do this, Brandt Snedeker is one of them. So, you’re probably right on with Ernie.

    RE: start of the downswing: we usually use the club (not the hands). Typically they’re the same thing, so that’s kind of a technicality, but it can change some players tempo’s.

    Best thing to do is to get video with your phone of the best players hitting the best shots while you’re watching a tournament.

    Interesting side note: most amateurs swing at 3.5 or 4 to 1. Most pros swing from 2.5 or 3 to 1. Tiger Woods is actually making the amateur swing tempo mistake: too slow going back, then too fast coming down.

    hope that helps!


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