What we'll cover this week

• Ugly Good Golf - The reality of a 5 handicap

• Chipping King - If only this was on purpose...

• Power Move - Use your foot to unlock extra distance

Estimated read time: 8 minutes

This Week I Learned

Tee Positions Fixed My Driver

Winter golf struggles are real, and I’ve had one standout issue: launching my ball straight into the stratosphere (yes, the range roof incident lives rent-free in my mind). Turns out, it wasn’t my swing after all—it was my tee position.

I remembered the golden rule: to hit the driver lower, tee the ball lower and move it further back in your stance. Out of sheer desperation, I tried it. The result? One epic worm burner. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it didn’t scrape the clouds, and it even went straight.

Now my goal for 2025 is to regain full control of my driver with this new insight. Lesson learned: it’s always the basics.

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

18 = 195 minutes saved

Ugly Good Golf

Apparently, good golf doesn’t have to be pretty. The phrase “no pictures on the scorecard” comes to mind watching this video. Adam from Not A Scratch Golfer proves it’s better to have smart on-course strategies than a picture-perfect swing.

This video takes you behind the reality of being a single-digit handicap golfer—and guess what? The difference between them and us higher-handicappers isn’t as big as you might think.

Video length: 10:01

TL:DW

• Knowing Where to Miss - Ask yourself: Where can I afford to miss on this hole? Spoiler: it’s not over the lake or into that sneaky bunker. Give yourself room for bad shots—don’t aim for perfect because, well, we’re not perfect.

• Not Everything is Perfect - “When one thing comes, another goes.” For me, it’s always something. If my driver’s hot, my putter’s gone cold. If both are on fire? My irons freeze. Adam reminds us to roll with it—appreciate what’s working that day and stop dwelling on what’s not.

• Play Aggressively at Conservative Targets - Don’t chase pins. Aim for the safe middle of the green and give yourself margin for error. But when you swing—commit! (Pro tip: club up if you’re in doubt.)

• No Hero Shots - Think you might make that miracle shot out of the rough, over the bunker, and onto the green? Nah. Go for the shot you know you can make. Back to the fairway is better than a disaster in the bunker.

• Reset Your Mind - Your last shot? It’s gone. You can’t fix it. What you can do is avoid compounding mistakes. Take a deep breath, avoid the hero shot, and make your next shot count.

• No Doubles, No Triples - Compounding mistakes leads to doubles, triples, or worse (looking at you, OB slice off the first tee). Play smart, keep it simple.

• Positive Self-Talk - “I’ll never sink this putt.” Well, not with that attitude! Be nicer to yourself: “This is my moment—I’ll make it.” Or my favorite: “Statistically, I can’t miss every putt from here, so this is the one.”

What I like about the video is that it’s not just lesson after lesson. It’s almost as if you were on a round with a friend who’s much better than you and he takes the time to explain a few things. Just the right video to start the new year without a lot of stress.

P.S. Over the holidays, I found a Golf Digest article about Adam, and wow—his story is as inspiring as his channel. After a liver transplant at 28, golf helped him recover and find joy again. It’s a must-read if you have a few minutes to spare.

What Could Go Wrong?

With skills like that he should turn pro or start a circus.

Deals for the Feels

Wallet feeling a little light? Yeah, same here. But don’t worry—this is the final stretch to snag some really good deals. Keep your eyes peeled!

New ProV1 Releasing in Late January

• Titleist has teased the next-gen ProV1s, so unless you find a killer discount (20%+), hold off on stocking up this month. The new ones are just around the corner.

Cobra Aerojet 50th Anniversary Driver

• Let’s take a moment to appreciate this fine-looking driver. And at $249 (down from $599), it’s not just pretty—it’s a steal. 😍

Pro Tip: Before clicking “add to cart,” check out your local stores. They’re clearing inventory to make room for the new season’s gear and often have way better prices. I just booked a fitting for a new fairway wood because my local shop’s prices are unbeatable right now.

* Please note: none of these are affiliate links. These are genuinely great finds that we recommend without compensation.

Foot For Power

Ever notice how all the big hitters have their front foot lift during their swing? It’s not just a coincidence—it’s physics. This quick YT Short breaks down why it happens, how it works, and gives you a sense of what it feels like to harness that power.

Video length: 0:59

TL:DW

• Generating Ground Force - The ground is your BFF when it comes to speed. The harder you push into the ground, the more it pushes back during your swing, adding explosive power to your impact.

• Pushing Into the Ground (at an angle) - As you start your downswing, shift your weight onto your front leg. But don’t sway (we know that’s bad) to the outside of your foot. Instead, focus the weight on the balls of your front foot and push at an angle. Here’s a trick: sit in a chair, push your weight into your toes, and feel how it pushes you back into the chair. That’s the feeling you want to replicate on the course.

• Get Pushed Out - When you push into the ground, it resists (because, well, it’s not going anywhere). This resistance rotates your front foot and opens your hips, creating that powerful, whipping motion. Hello, physics.

Caution: I wouldn’t recommend trying this too much without a trainer. Try pushing into the ground without a club right now, repeat it a few times until you get the feeling right. Then, on the range, get a coaching lesson and ask them to help correcting anything you might be doing incorrectly. This is one of the moves that, if you’re not doing it naturally, will screw up your swing if not learned in the right way.

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

It’s a public putting course with exaggerated slopes and hills, making it feel like mini-golf but in full-scale size.

Sincerely, your Magic Rabbit.

Leader through the rabbit hole. Two weeks without golf? What’s wrong with him!