The “flat left wrist” (or lead wrist) has been a staple of golf instruction for decades, but what does “flat” actually mean, and is it even a useful goal? The guys discuss why grip type changes the appearance of the lead wrist, why a flat-looking wrist at the top can encourage a laid-off or “off-plane club,” and why many Tour players actually have some extension in the lead wrist at the top. They also get into the more important distinction between the wrist’s appearance and its function, including moving toward flexion during the downswing and achieving an inline impact position rather than trying to force a particular wrist shape.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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A launch monitor can be useful for far more than simply checking how far you hit a club. In this episode, the guys break practice into four broad phases — initial diagnosis, swing-change practice, ongoing maintenance, and skills practice. Erik, Jayson, and Tyson discuss how the information you need from a launch monitor changes with each phase. Early on, you may want to examine everything from speed, low point, path and face-to-path relationships to swing plane and ball flight. Once you’re working on a specific movement, however, narrowing your attention to one or two meaningful parameters can make the feedback much more useful.

The conversation also gets into the danger of chasing numbers without understanding what creates them. A launch monitor can tell you what happened, but good coaching and practice still require understanding why it happened. As a swing change becomes established, the monitor can shift into a maintenance role, where a handful of key parameters (and particularly their consistency) can help ensure the player’s movement hasn’t drifted. And when the goal becomes skill development, the numbers become targets: can you curve the ball, hit a particular trajectory, carry a specific distance, or repeatedly produce a desired shot?

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Links to the studies referenced:

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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How useful are Tour-player ranges and “windows” when teaching amateur golfers? Why do outliers create so much confusion? Erik, Jayson, and Tyson revisit the idea that elite players can look dramatically different while still operating within effective ranges for dozens of important movements and impact conditions. They discuss how just a handful of variables (wrist hinge, trail elbow bend, arm lift, and lead-arm adduction) can combine to produce an enormous variety of swing appearances, especially when timing is added to the equation. The key distinction is that great players may occasionally have an outlying movement paired with an effective compensation, while struggling golfers often have multiple variables outside useful ranges at the same time. Rather than trying to copy a single Tour-player outlier, the discussion focuses on using real data and broad windows to help golfers build simpler, more repeatable swings.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Why do so many golfers feel fine for the first 12 holes and then suddenly start struggling? The guys discuss the difference between being genuinely fatigued and simply losing focus, along with the importance of building up your ability to walk and play 18 holes rather than expecting your body to be ready without preparation. Sleep, hydration, nutrition, footwear, walking fitness, and even playing longer practice rounds all get attention, as does recognizing how your swing and decision-making change when you’re tired. Recent research supports the idea that walking substantially increases the physical and physiological demands of a round, while proper fueling and hydration can help limit fatigue and maintain performance.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Cooper Dossey joins the Spin Axis for a wide-ranging conversation about his path from junior and college golf to professional golf and the Korn Ferry Tour. A Baylor standout and two-time All-American, Dossey won the 2019 North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 and turned professional in 2021; he has since competed on PGA TOUR Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour. He talks about his instructional journey, what he learned along the way, how practice changes as you progress through the professional ranks, and what it takes to make the jump from simply being a very good player to believing you can compete at the highest level. With Dossey sitting 12th on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour points list at the time of the episode, there’s also plenty of discussion about the realities of trying to earn a PGA TOUR card. Cooper’s bio on the PGA Tour site is here.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Topics:

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Mike Granato returns to join the guys for a candid discussion about some of their biggest pet peeves in golf instruction. They tackle common myths and bad ideas, including the idea of the “effortless” golf swing, instructors relying on their own feels instead of measurable reality, demonstrations that don’t actually help students, and the growing or ongoing misuse of ground reaction forces and 2D video analysis. Along the way, they explain why good coaching should be grounded in objective data, clear communication, and an understanding of how golfers truly move, NOT just how someone thinks they move. If you’ve ever wondered why so much conflicting advice exists online, this episode offers an inside look at what experienced instructors wish would disappear from the game.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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