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I used to believe these myths 😬
Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read
All right, here’s a controversial myth that we talked about in this weeks video.
Curious what you think about this one...
“Always go through your full pre-shot routine when practicing. That’s how you simulate the course.”
Sounds logical, right? If you want to play like you're on the course, you should practice like you're on the course.
But Dr. Luke Benoit says: myth.
Why This Doesn’t Hold Up
You’ll get way fewer reps. If you do a 30-second routine before every swing, you might hit 50 balls in an hour. That’s not enough feedback to develop skill. Want to get better at hitting the ball solid? You need volume and variety.
Your brain learns better with faster, messier reps. Kids don’t slow down and rehearse every shot. They hit, miss, adjust. That’s real learning.
A Better Practice Model
Instead of full routine every time:
Use rapid-fire drills with variable targets. Switch targets every shot. Hit high, low, left, right.
Use your routine sparingly. If you’re prepping for a tournament or working on performance under pressure, go through your full routine for maybe 25% of your practice.
🎯 Bottom Line
Slow, “perfect” reps don’t make you better. They make you feel better.
But if you want to actually improve (especially face control and contact) you need fast reps, variable targets, and practice that looks nothing like the course.
This is just one of sixteen really interesting myths that Luke tackled in our latest video.
I Asked a Golf Scientist How to Get Faster… Here’s What He Said
I sat down with Dr. Alex Ehlert, sport scientist and researcher to talk about his insights on gaining speed. He shares so many interesting ideas on his IG I wanted to dive deeper.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Why vertical jump impulse is the #1 fitness metric that predicts clubhead speed
The surprising reason grip strength might limit your speed ceiling
How speed sticks actually help... and why they’re more about learning than just training
The exact training split between "upgrading the engine" (body) and "learning to drive it" (swing)
I'm loving recording these podcast episodes, and I have so many coming! Make sure to follow along wherever you listen to podcasts.
You're awesome! Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and reading it every week.
As a way to say thank you we're going to randomly pick a subscriber to win this Pinned rangefinder (I've been using it all year and honestly really enjoying it!)
How do you win? Just hang out. I'll send you an email if you win 😁
Thanks Again!
— Cordie
🙌 Well Played: This Week’s Top Finds:
💪 Non-golf related but really enjoyed this vid. Made me think about doing something like this for golf. Playing rounds of golf and adding on an additional golf tip each time.
Disclosure: Some things in this newsletter may be a sponsored post, or Golfwell may be getting a small commission if you sign up / fill out their form, or Golfwell might own a percentage of the business. In particular, but not always, those sponsored, commissioned, or owned posts, or they might have an * in the subject headline.
Hi, I’m Cordie Walker! I spend time with the most interesting players, coaches, and researchers in golf, uncovering what the best are doing to succeed.
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