What we'll cover this week

• DON’T - Drills that ruin your swing.

• Dead Grandpa - When filming golf > family.

• Weather - The sky is messing with your shots.

Estimated read time: 7 minutes

This Week I Learned

Slow down!

Early-season golf always brings out some bad habits, and this year, mine was rushing shots to “keep pace.”

Case in point: I topped a 7-iron from a fairway bunker. It dribbled out a few yards. Instead of grabbing another club, I tried to “just play a soft 50% shot” with the same one. The problem is, I had zero confidence in it. The result was an ‘at best’ 10% shot that rolled maybe 10 yards.

I finally grabbed my 50°, took a proper swing, and landed on the back of the green.

The worst part? We had to wait three minutes when we got to the next tee.

I had plenty of time. I just didn’t take it.

Useless golf videos we’ve watched this week, so you don’t have to:

21 = 258 minutes saved

Drills NOT to Do

Golf has its fair share of hand-me-down drills—some that have stood the test of time and others that really should’ve been retired with persimmon woods.

This video highlights 3 classic drills that sound smart but are now proven to mess with your swing more than they help. If you’re still using them, it's time for a reset. And if your coach is still teaching them, it might be time to send them this link.

Video length: 14:04 (skips the 2-min intro, easily watchable at 2x speed)

TL:DW

• Takeaway Hand-Flipping Drill
  The idea: Stick a tee into the grip and rub it along your front pocket during the takeaway. The goal was to “prevent hand flipping.” The problem? It triggers a bunch of small compensations, adds tension, and makes your backswing less stable. Basically turns your swing into Jenga.

• Towel Under Armpits
  Towel drill for wedges = good.
  Towel drill for full swings = nope.
  In the full swing, you actually need your trail arm to lift and separate a bit. Keeping it pinned down ruins your natural motion and kills power. Don’t ruin your swing to “stay connected.”

• Alignment Stick + Grip Extension
  You’ve probably seen this: Someone attaches an alignment stick to the grip to stop flipping at impact. Sounds logical… until you realize that you’re supposed to release and accelerate the clubhead right before impact. This drill trains you to do the opposite of what generates distance.

I like this video so much because it doesn’t just tear down—it replaces. Each “bad” drill is followed up with something way more effective. The final BB Drill is especially brilliant. It shows exactly what proper acceleration through impact should feel like.

Stop grinding on drills that work against you—and start training smarter.

Are you alright, Grandpa?

This dude has pinpoint accuracy to hit the EXACT shots he shouldn’t hit. I see a bright future ahead of him as a meme creator.

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Weather Affects

I’ll be honest—I’ve usually been in the “ball went straight, mission accomplished” camp. Wind? Air density? Altitude? It felt like there was too much to worry about when I could barely strike the thing clean.

But this video changed that. It’s not about becoming a meteorologist. It’s about understanding just enough to make smarter decisions when conditions shift.

Video length: 14:52

TL:DW

• Temperature Cold air is denser, which means more resistance and less carry. Your shots won’t fly as far in spring as they do in summer heat. Don’t worry—you didn’t suddenly lose clubhead speed.

• Altitude Higher elevation = less air = longer ball flights. You'll likely gain distance if you're traveling and playing somewhere above your usual altitude. Just don’t forget to adjust when you come back down.

• Lie & Spin A fluffy lie in the rough or a wet ball off damp grass won’t spin like you expect. Instead of launching high and spinning back, it’ll come out lower with less control—and probably roll further than you think.

• Runout Pros use a simple 1:1 rule:

  • 1 yard downhill = 1 extra yard of rollout

  • 1 yard uphill = 1 yard less

  It’s a great way to adjust without overthinking it.

• Wind We generally overestimate how many yards we gain from tailwind and grossly underestimate the effect of headwind. Headwind takes more yards away from your shot than tailwind adds at the same wind speed. Good to know.

You don’t need to factor in every element on every shot. But even picking one or two per round—wind direction, uphill landing, or a wet lie—can help you club smarter and avoid some of those “what the hell just happened?” misses.

Quick Bites for the Road

Quiz

If you liked this newsletter, refer it to a friend. If you hated it, send it to the ONE person you desperately want to beat (on the course).

Quiz answer

The Masters Tournament is always played at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. What did you expect from a trivia question on Masters Weekend?

Sincerely, your Magic Rabbit.

Leader through the rabbit hole. Needs to take lessons before his next tournament—memory of a goldfish.