What we'll cover this week

• Smooth Swings - A video for “just in case”.

• Eye For An Eye - Painful to watch. For him.

• 6 Rules You Break - It’s too easy to break these.

Estimated read time: 8 minutes

This Week I Learned

I won.

Last week I mentioned I'd play my first tournament of the season and... I won it in the net category. Out of 119 players, no less.

After sucking horribly in my last few tournaments, my goal was simple: "just swing smooth." The shots fell into place.

I didn't play perfect - lost a ball into the sun that I swear I saw land on the green but couldn't find anywhere. But I maintained a smooth rhythm, kept a sharp mental game, and it was enough to take the crown.

What changed since last season? Definitely a stronger mental game, not taking risky shots, and my putting improved by 7 strokes (goes to show how horrible it was before).

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

25 = 243 minutes saved

Smooth Swings

Right now, I'm swinging better than I have in years. Everything's clicking. But I know how this story goes - somewhere mid-season, something will go sideways and I'll be standing on the range wondering what the hell happened.

That's exactly why Matty's video is gold. It's a masterclass in getting back to smooth swinging when your game falls apart. I'm bookmarking this one for when (not if) I need it, but watching it now sets the mental foundation for later.

Video length: 10:56

TL:DW

• Take Two More Clubs, Swing at 75% - When things go sideways, grab two more clubs than normal and hit 9:00 shots only. No hero swings, no trying to smash it. This gets clubface control back and helps you feel compression again. I've done this exact thing when my swing gets fast and snatchy - 50% of the time, it works every time.

• Charlie Chaplin Feet Drill - Open your feet like a penguin and hit 3/4 shots. The point hits home: you don't need to swing hard to hit good shots.

• Rhythm Fixes Your Driver - The weirdest part: working on little pitch shots improves your driver. Focus on rotation and creating a U-shaped swing path instead of a steep V. When you get V-shaped, everything falls apart. Smooth tempo translates up through the bag.

• Watch LPGA Pros - Study smooth swings, not power swings. Matty mentions how playing with different pros changes his tempo - smoother players make him swing smoother. Sometimes the best lesson is just watching better rhythm in action, and yeah that comes rarely from watching Bryson nuke it 400yds.

• Bonus: Wedge Distance Control - Those 9:00 rhythm swings give you consistent carry distances with wedges. Now you've got 3-4 partial shots in your arsenal just from working on tempo. Two birds, one stone.

What I’ve realized over the last 6 - 9 months is also the core message: whenever I try to muscle out some super hard shots, my game falls apart. So when you notice these tendencies yourself, maybe it’s time to slow down and just let the club do its thing when you swing it smoothly.

Watch the full breakdown - Matty shows exactly how to use training aids and demonstrates each drill.

See The Ghost?

He kept his eye on the ball the entire time. Great Student.

Deals for the Feels

Some mid-season deals disguised as Memorial Day sales are trickling in, but it's still too early in the season to expect major savings.

GoodGood Memorial Day Sale

• GoodGood is dropping a 20% automatic discount on all apparel. This discount applies to every line, new and old, and it's one of the few discounts they give all year. If you've had your eye on some GG gear, now's the time.

Vice Pro Galaxy Special Edition Is Back

• If this isn't the most beautiful ball you'll ever see, I don't know what is. I missed my window when the special edition last dropped, but now it's back. Won't become my regular round ball (too hard to spot in the rough), but perfect for replacing my old chipping balls.

Callaway Supersoft Stars & Stripes

• Play Callaway Supersofts? Love red, white and blue? Today's your lucky day - you can have both at once. Check out the new patriotic drop.

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

Rules You’re Breaking

Golf Monthly teamed up with rules expert Fergus Biss to break down the six most commonly violated rules in golf. Spoiler: you've probably broken at least half of these without realizing it. Worth watching because knowing these could save you penalty shots - and the embarrassment of getting called out by that one rules stickler in your group.

Video length: 10:16

• Sand Removal - Green vs. Fringe - You can brush sand off the putting green but not the fringe, even if they're right next to each other. Touch sand off the green? Two-shot penalty. This one catches everyone because the distinction seems arbitrary, but the fringe isn't technically the putting green.

• Wrong Ball Disaster - Play the wrong ball and you must correct it before teeing off the next hole or face disqualification. Can't just add two shots and move on. You have to go back, find your original ball (3-minute search), and play from there with the penalty. This can ruin entire rounds.

• Asking "What Club?" - You can't ask what club someone hit, but you can peek in their bag. Seems backward, but asking counts as seeking advice and costs you two shots. The look-but-don't-ask rule is golf being golf.

• No Provisional for Penalty Areas - Ball heading toward water? You’re not sure where it landed? You can't hit a provisional. Only works for out-of-bounds or lost balls in the general course area. Hit another ball from the tee after going in water, and that becomes your ball in play, even if you find the original. It’s better to assume the ball is in play, and if it’s not, take the usual drop from where you think it crossed the penalty area. This is probably the rule I’ve broken the most.

• Ball Identification Mistakes - Lifting your ball to check if it's yours? Mark it first or get a one-shot penalty, even if you put it back exactly where it was. Also, you can't clean it beyond what's needed for identification. The simple fix: don’t get into the habit of lifting balls for identification. Most of the time, your ball should be easy to identify, and only in those rare circumstances when it’s not, mark it first.

• "Take Your Time" Commentary - Simple encouragement is fine, but anything more specific ("you rushed that last putt") counts as advice. The line between sportsmanship and rule-breaking is thinner than you think. My usual rambling, “Man, those greens are slow today,” would undoubtedly be advice. Gotta watch that.

These aren't obscure tournament rules - they apply to every round. The scary part is how easy it is to break them innocently, especially the sand removal and wrong ball situations.

Then again, when you’re playing with friends or anything non-competitive… who cares?

Watch the full breakdown - Fergus demonstrates each scenario with clear explanations.

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

Don Mueang International Airport Golf Course in Bangkok, Thailand. A runway splits it, and golfers must wait for planes to land before crossing.

Sounds like an awesome golf course but like a terrible airport. Would hate to be hit by someone’s slice mid-landing.

Sincerely, your Magic Rabbit.

Leader through the rabbit hole. Has regained confidence in his game. Time for a catastrophic meltdown during the next round.