In search for new training aids that I had not yet heard of I came across a book called Tour Tempo.  My first thought was that anything with Tour in the title is a gimmick.  Then I read some stuff that people had to say about it and I thought that they must be crazy.  One person said that Tour Tempo is the be all end all to training aids and books related to golf.  That is a bold statement, and with that I ordered it.  

    I did not know what to expect from a book written about tempo.  I expected the it to talk about swing slow and smooth.  That is what Golf Digest and Golf Magazine tell us all every month. When I got the book I was excited to find out that it was the exact opposite of that.  I have had a quick tempo since I started playing golf so I was happy when the book said it was ok to swing quick. (I still need to slow down though)  The book  Tour Tempo explains that virtually all great tour players male or female, past or present fall in to one of three main tempos.  I was astounded to learn that Ernie Els has a faster overall tempo than Nick Price.  Every golf teacher I have talked to tells me about Ernie’s slow tempo and Prices’s quick one.  Intrigued and in disbelief I was anxious to try out the new methods the book teaches. 

    Tour Tempo comes with a cd that has all of the tempo choices on it.  Basically you put on the tempo tracks and find which one works best for you.  I actually had to slow down in-order to swing with the fastest track.  It was extremely hard for about ten minutes.  Then all of the sudden I started hitting the ball fairly well.  In fact I had my ball striking back to the dead center of the club face like it used to be.  I am a fan of  Tour Tempo.  

Conclusion:

    I think that everyone could benefit from spending some time with this book.  The evidence is pretty concrete.  Think about it: when you hit it good you will always feel like you're in tempo.  When you hit it bad you will always feel like you are out of tempo. (ad least to a certain degree}  Is your tempo good because you are hitting it good?  Or is it that you are hitting it good because your tempo is good?  I think you know the answer to that.  I do think that  Tour Tempo could be the “be all end all” training aid for many people.  If the tempo is good enough for Tiger, Hogan, Phil, Els, Price, Nicklaus, Palmer, Treveno, Seve, Sneed, and Nelson it is good enough for me.  It should be for you too.