Tempo, rhythm, sequencing.  Whatever you call it, it is the most important thing in playing good golf.  I recently had an annual tournament at my club, where my friend Tom and I were defending champions.  The tournament format is great; it’s 2 days, and each 9 is played in a different format.  First day is Best Ball and Alternate Shot, second day is Scramble and Aggregate.  Tom and I were in good shape after the first day, but I could feel tension in my swing.  During the scramble, we were grinding just to make pars, and I could feel even more tension and worse tempo.  Unfortunately, from my younger day playing more active sports, I tried harder, meaning I swung harder.  This made things worse.  By the time we hit the Aggregate 9, I knew I didn’t have a swing.  I missed a 1.5 foot putt on the first hole for bogey, and things went south from there.  After that disaster, I returned to the course determined to find my swing again.  Vinnie, our pro, has been on me about rhythm and swinging too hard for a long time.  I was lucky enough to play a round with him, and I was amazed at a 72+ year old man was as long as he was with such a smooth swing.  That did it.  I was going to smooth myself out.  I became a believer.  I have been trying to stay fluid and commit to the shot.  It’s been difficult since I have a tendency to swing hard, but good range time has helped.  It’s also true on putts and distance control.  Trust your rhythm. Make sure you can find it uder pressure.  I’ve been shooting much better in some rounds, and I am sure consistency will come.  Lesson learned, tempo is everything.