Better Golf Academy: Strategy to Awesome Golf

In 1978, researchers found people would pick a drug they believed would make them worse at a test, on purpose. The reason why is one of the sneakiest things our brains do, and it shows up on the first tee every Saturday.

Even pro golfers have been caught doing it. If you've ever said I haven't played in a while before your first shot, you'll want to hear this one.

A classic Harvard experiment from the 1950s showed something wild about fear: the more you avoid it, the longer it sticks around. When I read it, I immediately thought about the club I'd been hiding in my bag.

If you've been laying up a little too often lately, this one's for you. I'll show you how to tell smart golf from fear in a costume, and how to get that scary club back.

Annika Sörenstam used to three-putt on purpose as a junior. Not because she was afraid of losing, but because of something way more surprising. Her story opens the door to research that breaks fear of failure into five separate pieces.

I'm pretty sure you'll recognize yourself in at least one of them. I found myself in three. And once you know which one is yours, the fix gets a whole lot simpler.

Scott Hoch stood over a two-foot putt to win the Masters, and missed. I found a psychiatrist's idea that explains exactly why a putt that short can feel that terrifying, and it has a lot to do with the smoke detector in your kitchen.

This kicks off my new series, Scared Money, all about the fear that quietly costs you strokes. If your heart has ever pounded over a short putt, start right here.

About seventy percent of amateur golfers barely warm up, and one study showed exactly what that's costing them. The number surprised me, and I've been playing this game a long time.

This is the Winter Game finale, and it's all about your first round back. I'll show you how to turn that rusty first tee into an actual fresh start. And I made a free worksheet that puts the whole series on one page.

Seve Ballesteros wasn't allowed to play the course as a kid, so he taught himself on the beach with one beat-up 3-iron. That story turns out to be the perfect example of a study that totally changed how I think about practicing at home.

If you've ever made fifty putts in a row on your carpet and then three-putted on Saturday, this one explains why. And the fix is surprisingly simple.

Harvard researchers had beginners practice piano without ever pressing a key, and their brains still changed. When I read what happened next, I immediately thought about every golfer stuck inside this winter.

Jack Nicklaus had his own version, and he won 18 majors with it. I'll show you how to borrow it in five minutes a day, no club required.

teve Stricker went from one of the best players in the world to Q-school, then rebuilt his game hitting balls out of a heated trailer into the snow. What happened next is wild, and it ties right into a surprising study on British postal workers.

If you think you need a free Saturday to get better, I want you to hear this one. The answer to how much you should practice might be a lot less than you think.

Annika Sörenstam walked away from championship golf for thirteen years, then came back at fifty and won by eight. I dug into the research on why that's even possible, and it's way better news than I expected for anyone taking a break this winter.

If you're putting the clubs away for the season, or you're just slammed at work, this one's for you. I'll tell you what actually goes rusty first, and spoiler, it's not your swing.

A study once found golfers made more putts just because they were told their ball was lucky. The magic didn't fully hold up, but what it says about trusting your clubs absolutely does.

In this series finale I bring everything together, the numbers, the driver, the shafts, the fitting, and the one spec no launch monitor can measure. It might be the most important one in your bag.