Welcome to this great forum community, @alanbedell!
Finding our own ideal tempo is a critical part of the process. Too fast and there's a good chance that the "hit" instinct is going to kick in, destroying our transition and downswing. Too slow = too deliberate and mechanical, bringing about its own set of issues.
Let's begin with some preliminary advice to help you get off to a good start in the school. This may also help you to find your tempo and the proper sequencing:
1) Regardless of a member's skill level, this swing necessitates a complete reboot for someone transitioning from a shift & lift swing (which is typically the case), and therefore it is imperative that one take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift & lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built. Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this.
2a) GSS: One of the many great things about this swing is that you can achieve solid ball striking even at the most basic levels. This is why I oftentimes will suggest that students park themselves on Chapter 2 of the GSS course for an extended period of time after locking down Chapter 1's foundational elements. Chapter 2 reinforces the body motions and the weight-forward component, and it culminates with what I call "The Best Golf Swing Practice Drill of All Time". Work yourself sequentially and gradually through the chapter, and then commit yourself to that drill in Lesson 2.8. Learn it. Practice it. Master it. You can even use this partially abbreviated swing on the course and play quite well with it as it will provide plenty of distance. (It actually is the full swing minus just a couple of power accumulators.) Once you've got that down, you will be well prepared to move forward in the curriculum and well on your way towards taking ownership of YOUR swing!
2b) GOGP: This quick-start program is exactly as it sounds - it is designed to fast-track you out onto the course so you can have fun - and success - playing as you learn! Should you choose this path, everything in #1 above still applies, and as implied above in 2a you will still want to work through it sequentially and gradually, mastering each lesson before moving ahead to the next one. In this program, Drill #5 - The Flying Wedge is the one you'll want to park yourself on and nail down.
Beyond that, try putting Mike Bennett's swing on a continuous loop in your head. I'm not suggesting that you need to copy his tempo or precisely mimic his swing, but ultimately the goal should be to build a nicely connected and sequenced motion that flows rhythmically from address to finish.
I find that the more relaxed I am an address and throughout the whole swing the easier it is to slow down. Also you may want to try taking some swings at 50% speed and effort and get the feel for a more leisurely pace. When I do that I am surprised how well I hit the ball and from there just speed it up a bit, but never give it 100%
The main issue a lot of amateurs have with tempo is swinging too fast. You’re taking it back, you get excited about ripping it, and suddenly the club doesn't have a chance to even pause at the top before it’s back on it’s way down.
“If you snatch it back too quick, you’re going to swing too fast," says Tway. "To hold your finish, your whole swing has to be slow. Everybody gets a little too quick, but if I just try to hold my finish there for a few seconds, it slows everything down. It also enables me to keep better balance.”
It sounds almost too simple to be true, but think about it: If you’re out there swinging hard like a maniac, you’re never going to be perfectly in balance at your finish. If your swing thought is Swing to a balanced finish you’re going to have to be in control throughout the whole swing in order to get there. Your swing won’t have a choice but to slow down, and thus be in better tempo.
Welcome to this great forum community, @alanbedell!
Finding our own ideal tempo is a critical part of the process. Too fast and there's a good chance that the "hit" instinct is going to kick in, destroying our transition and downswing. Too slow = too deliberate and mechanical, bringing about its own set of issues.
Let's begin with some preliminary advice to help you get off to a good start in the school. This may also help you to find your tempo and the proper sequencing:
1) Regardless of a member's skill level, this swing necessitates a complete reboot for someone transitioning from a shift & lift swing (which is typically the case), and therefore it is imperative that one take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift & lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built. Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this.
2a) GSS: One of the many great things about this swing is that you can achieve solid ball striking even at the most basic levels. This is why I oftentimes will suggest that students park themselves on Chapter 2 of the GSS course for an extended period of time after locking down Chapter 1's foundational elements. Chapter 2 reinforces the body motions and the weight-forward component, and it culminates with what I call "The Best Golf Swing Practice Drill of All Time". Work yourself sequentially and gradually through the chapter, and then commit yourself to that drill in Lesson 2.8. Learn it. Practice it. Master it. You can even use this partially abbreviated swing on the course and play quite well with it as it will provide plenty of distance. (It actually is the full swing minus just a couple of power accumulators.) Once you've got that down, you will be well prepared to move forward in the curriculum and well on your way towards taking ownership of YOUR swing!
2b) GOGP: This quick-start program is exactly as it sounds - it is designed to fast-track you out onto the course so you can have fun - and success - playing as you learn! Should you choose this path, everything in #1 above still applies, and as implied above in 2a you will still want to work through it sequentially and gradually, mastering each lesson before moving ahead to the next one. In this program, Drill #5 - The Flying Wedge is the one you'll want to park yourself on and nail down.
Beyond that, try putting Mike Bennett's swing on a continuous loop in your head. I'm not suggesting that you need to copy his tempo or precisely mimic his swing, but ultimately the goal should be to build a nicely connected and sequenced motion that flows rhythmically from address to finish.
I find that the more relaxed I am an address and throughout the whole swing the easier it is to slow down. Also you may want to try taking some swings at 50% speed and effort and get the feel for a more leisurely pace. When I do that I am surprised how well I hit the ball and from there just speed it up a bit, but never give it 100%
I found this also from https://www.golfdigest.com/story/this-little-trick-will-fix-your-tempo: