Dan Whittaker is an English PGA professional whose channel, Dan Whittaker Golf, has built a loyal following for practical, no-nonsense lessons on the full swing, short game and putting.
His June 2019 video “How To Find Rhythm And Tempo For Your Golf Swing” runs to just over four minutes and focuses on one feeling: a sense of having time at the top of the swing.
DE-SHANK isn’t affiliated with Dan Whittaker, and nothing here suggests he endorses our app.
The starting point: loads of time
Whittaker opens by noting how we all admire players whose rhythm looks effortless, as if they have all the time in the world. He then shares something he heard from a leading biomechanist who worked with European Tour players: that players say they feel they have loads of time when they’re swinging their best, almost as if there’s a little pause at the top of the backswing.
He’s been building that pause into his own practice, and points out that on video it barely looks like it’s there, even though it feels significant.
Why the pause helps
Whittaker explains several benefits:
It lets you finish the backswing
He calls not completing the backswing “an absolute killer” for consistency and power. If you don’t finish your turn, the club can’t load properly and you can’t sequence the downswing.
It prevents a hurried downswing
Without that moment, he says, golfers start a hurried downswing and try to add power through the arms and wrists, instead of letting the body’s sequence create club speed.
It allows the lower body to lead
The pause gives time to complete the wrist set and the shoulder turn, so the lower body can start the downswing first.
The feeling to aim for
Whittaker describes feeling as if the arms and club rest at the top for a moment, while the lower body starts down. He’s honest that it may affect your timing at first, especially if you’ve always rushed, and that you might not want to take it on the course straight away. He suggests it’s perfect for your warm-up.
All credit for this lesson goes to Dan Whittaker.
What golfers can learn
Feel and real are different
A pause that feels long may be invisible on video. That’s useful to know, because many golfers abandon a good change because it feels exaggerated.
Rhythm comes from completion
A rushed swing is often an unfinished one. Completing the backswing gives everything else a chance to happen in order.
Start in practice, not on the course
Whittaker’s advice to use it in your warm-up first is sensible. New feelings need time.
How to practise it
Please watch the original video for Whittaker’s demonstration. Then:
- Slow rehearsals (5 swings). Swing to the top, feel the arms and club rest for a moment, then start down with the lower body.
- Half shots (10 balls). Keep the feeling of time at the top.
- Full shots (10 balls). Don’t worry if timing feels odd at first.
- Warm-up routine. Add five “pause” swings to your pre-round warm-up.
Measure the change
Because the pause feels so different from how it looks, measuring is useful. DE-SHANK’s tempo score reflects the rhythm of your backswing and downswing. Record ten normal swings, then ten with Whittaker’s pause feeling, and compare. You’ll also see head movement, hip sway and posture change scores, so you can check nothing else has changed. See all our features. DE-SHANK is free during the beta and £12.99 a month from launch; see our pricing.
DE-SHANK gives estimates from one camera view. It’s designed for practice feedback, to help you spot habits and track trends.
How it fits with other tempo ideas
Whittaker’s “pause” is close to what Padraig Harrington calls a “barely imperceptible pause” in his own rhythm video, and it’s consistent with the widely used 3:1 tempo ratio. Different coaches, similar message: don’t rush the top.
Why we like this video
It’s short, focused and honest about how the change will feel. Explore more on the Dan Whittaker Golf channel.
Browse more profiles in our YouTube Coaches section.
Try DE-SHANK free
Find out whether a pause at the top improves your rhythm. Try the free DE-SHANK beta. It’s free during the beta.
