We just finished up one of the coolest projects we've ever done!

We ran a proper experiment. We had 7 golfers come test out spike vs spikeless shoes and the results were pretty cool when I crunched the data...

Watch the video to learn all the details (or keep scrolling)
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​[ALSO IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER my updated Bandon rankings and what I learned from the trip]

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Spikes vs Spikeless: The Experiment

Most people assume spikes help you hit it farther. But by how much? And does it work for everyone?

SoftSpikes gave me free rein to design a test to figure it out.
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I asked for the help of my friend Dr Luke Benoit on this one. Wanted to get his input on how to set up a test and then his insights on looking at the data. He's the best!

So here's what we did.

• We had golfers warm up before hand and hit some drives before starting the test.
• Had spike and spikeless version of the Air Jordan Low. (I put the SoftSpike Tour Flex Pro into the spike version)
• Use a Foresight GC Quad to measure all the data.

The Test:

• Hit 24 shots rotating between spike and spikeless shoes every 4 shots. (it’s annoying but key to now skew the data)
• The first 16 the goal is to hit it normal... As long and straight as possible.
• The last 8 simple as far as possible. We labeled these as the "smash" in our data set in our

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So what did we find...

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We started with 7 golfers hitting 177 total shots. We had a mix of speeds and handicap levels to get a well rounded data set.

We pulled all the shots from Foresight. (For transparency​ here's all the shots and data​ we exported from Foresight and analyzed.)

Then ran an outlier equation to figure out what should be removed. We found 13 which were definitely outside of the normal.
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Interesting early note: there were fewer outliers with spikes than with spikeless shoes.​
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Overall results:

• Spikes gained about 6.7 yards (roughly 7) on average.
• Ball speed up 3.5 mph, club speed up 1.5 mph.
• Offline accuracy about the same between shoes.
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Impact data:

• Shots were more centered horizontally with spikes.
• Vertical impact higher
• That led to slightly higher launch and carry for most players.

What I think is most interesting...

Spikes helped way more on controlled swings than all-out smash attempts.

On normal swings, spikes produced 8.8 more yards of carry. On smash swings? Just 2.1 yards.

Club speed jumped about 5 mph when everyone tried to kill it (from ~106 to ~110 mph average), but distance barely increased because contact quality fell apart.

Translation: Spikes give you a stability advantage when you're swinging within yourself.

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This is a super fun video and project to tackle. Love for you to watch it. ​
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​👉 Curious what you think we should test next, as I'd love to do more experiments like this

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​ 🙌 Well Played: This Week’s Top Finds: ​ Few tweets from the week that I think are worth re-sharing. ​ Andy Johnson @AndyTFE I had been wanting to ask Rory this since the Masters and loved the answer. His answer gets to the spirit of the game and getting your mind to a place where you feel free. 6:26 PM • Dec 17, 2025 12 Retweets 314 Likes Read 4 replies ​ ​ ​ LKD @LukeKerrDineen A lot of people don’t know that when Tiger measured his stroke on a SAM PuttLab they found some surprising stuff - Toe strikes - Tons of face rotation - Aim right - Closed clubface Not textbook, but didn’t matter. His consistency was off the charts. Unfathomably good. https://twitter.com/tourswingstommy/status/2000702241167069447 Tour Swings Tommy @TourSwingsTommy Pardon my ignorance, but I didn’t know Tiger’s putting stroke lacked any technique? https://twitter.com/golfdigest/status/2000672210709831885 11:58 AM • Dec 16, 2025 18 Retweets 417 Likes Read 28 replies ​ ​ Club Champion | Custom Club Fitter @clubchampmedia Introducing.....the putters and putter shafts that Club Champion fit most in 2025. Which one are you rolling on the greens? ⛳ #BetterFitLowerScores #Golf #Putters #2025 #Recap 6:0 PM • Dec 16, 2025 1 Retweets 27 Likes Read 8 replies ​ ​

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I Can't Rank Bandon's Courses Anymore (And What That Taught Me About Being Present)

Lucky enough to head back to Bandon for the 3rd year in a row last week.

Here's the report.

It's still the most amazing place in the world.

The drive from Eugene to Bandon takes about three hours. You leave the valley, wind through forests, follow a river carved between hills, and eventually hit patches of coastal fog that make the whole thing feel like you're driving into another world.

It's become one of my favorite part of the trips.

The Ranking Problem

I feel like I used to have a course ranking. I could tell you which Bandon course was best and why.

I'm lost now.

I feel like could rank any of these courses as the best I've ever played depending on the day, weather, or which holes I'm thinking about when you ask me.
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Bandon Dunes has a special place for me. Walking down the fairway on 4 and seeing the ocean open up. It's hard to beat.

The back nine is just absurd. Playing 10 and 11 are just as good as getting to 12 and seeing the ocean there. That stretch from 12 through 18 might be the best finish in golf.

Then I think about Trails. I just didn't like it the first couple times.

But... leading up to the trip I was genuinely looking forward to specific shots.

The second shot on 8, the approach into 11, trying not to make double on 14. When you start craving certain holes before you even get there, you know you might actually like it. 😂

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And Sheep Ranch? Walking down the first hole in the sun with friends after ripping a drive - that might be the best walk in golf.

I'll plant my flag here: Sheep Ranch in the sun is the best course on the planet.

Playing Pacific Dunes 10 and 11 at sunset is unreal.

I've gotten super lucky and been able to play it during a perfect sunset two years in a row now, and both times I've stood there thinking, "This can't be real."

Was able to FaceTime the family while they were eating dinner back home. Showed the kids where I was. Great dad moment.

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I can't rank them. They're all the best.

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Will yelled at me a lot on this trip...

Hopefully by now you know Coach Will from all the videos we've done together (That's who I was on this trip with), and he yelled at me a lot on this trip.

Here's why 😂

You've probably seen I've been doing my speed training pretty religiously lately, and I've seen some really good gains in my simulator home.

But how do you get those to the golf course?

Will was watching and thought how I was trying to hit it on the course was just wildly different than what I'd do at home in the simulator.

I wasn't pumping myself or doing the same kind of pre-shot stuff, and so he started really trying to ramp me up to get that same golf swing

And guess what? It worked.

I hit it better, the harder I tried to swing, and the more I tried to get in the same head space and state that I would be when speed training.

If I can get the sequencing right and pressure shifts I was hammering it. It's not easy to make the huge backswing... and I really need and move through onto the lead side but when it happens.... It's a wonderful thing.

The Speed Project will continue!!!

The Thing I Didn't Expect to Learn

Here's what I wasn't ready for: realizing how stressed out I am.

Bandon is supposed to be the a pretty relaxing week of my year. And in a way, it is.

But taking five days completely away from normal life made me acutely aware of how much stress and tension I carry every day without realizing it.

I kept thinking. And going. And thinking. And going.
About nothing, really. Nothing important.

I'm stressed about being on time. About doing the right thing. About making the most of every moment.

I'm always thinking about the next thing. We all are, right? We're just waiting for whatever comes next. Even when the current thing is incredible.

And that leads back to ranking. While yes I could probably rank them for a definitive list if you want me to from this trip (Dunes, Trails, Pacific, Sheep, Old Mac)

It's these moments.

The drive on 5. The sunset on 10 and 11. The walk down 1 at Sheep Ranch. The back nine at Bandon Dunes. Will yelling at me to swing faster.

None of those moments needed me to be anywhere else. They didn't need me to optimize them or worry about them or think three steps ahead.

They just needed me to be there.

I'm not sure I was.

But I'm trying.

And that's golf. Learning how to keep showing up.

How to be present. How to stop waiting for the next thing and just be here.

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Have some fun reels and stuff coming on IG from the trip. Brought along the Meta glasses and made some cool stuff. So follow along for that 😁
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Till next week!

-Cordie

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✍️ Written by Cordie Walker​​
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