What we'll cover this week

• Play Smarter - Course management tips that actually work

• FP Splash - The most relatable shot you’ll see all month

• Cheating A Pro - Garrett from GoodGood plays dirty

Estimated read time: 6 minutes

This Week I Learned

I will forever rent a cart.

Every time I skip it (some macho “golf is a sport” energy), I regret it deeply. This week was a new low.

Three of us teeing off. I assumed we’d all walk. I was wrong. The other two rolled up with a cart like royalty. I, on the other hand, was the lone idiot hiking up and down a very hilly course, trying to keep pace with these traitors.

It was like trying to beat Uber on foot.

This happened for the second time in two months. This time, I’ve learned my lesson.

From now on, if there’s a cart, I’ll rent one.

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

18 = 195 minutes saved

Play Smarter

What if better golf wasn’t about fixing our swing, but fixing our decisions?

In this video, Rick teams up with course management expert, nay guru, Scott Fawcett and shoots one of his best rounds ever on camera. He didn’t tweak his swing or use any complicated systems; it’s just about making smarter decisions.

Video length: 35:40

TL:DW

Note: It’s a long video, but packed with gems and worth every second. If you don’t have much time, watch the first 10 minutes. To apply the tips from the video, you don’t even need a session on the range. It’s just a smarter approach to course management.

• Commit to Tiny Targets
  Instead of avoiding trouble (“don’t go left”), always pick a specific, narrow target and commit to it. The brain responds better to precision than fear-based avoidance. We’ve heard this about a million times, but maybe this time it’ll actually stick ;)

• Judge Wind with Simple Math

  • Into wind: Wind speed (mph) ≈ % to add to distance (15 mph = +15%). A 100-yard shot with 15mph headwind becomes a 115-yard shot.

  • Downwind: Use half of that (+7.5%)

    This almost feels like a cheat code, but it made me finally understand how wind can be calculated. It’s also a gut feeling and not a science if you don’t have perfect data at any moment. So make an estimate and don’t overcomplicate things.

• Club Up
  Most golfers overestimate their distances. In one instance, Rick’s 6i wasn’t enough because it would’ve been too short in this situation. “Club up” is my mantra whenever I think, “Oh, I can reach that with my usual X iron/wedge.” 95% of the time, clubbing up is the right choice. In the other 5%, I’ve pured the shot, and it flew much further, but never catastrophically, so it was still the best decision. CLUB UP!

• Mistakes Are Inevitable
  Tour pros plan for 1–2 mistakes per round. If you shank one or chunk a wedge—call it “one of your two” or “shit happens” and move on. It’s not a meltdown, it’s math.

• Long Putts: Aim for a Circle
  This has been a true revelation. Instead of “never up, never in,” think: get inside a X-ft circle. X = 30% of the length of a putt. If you’re 10ft away, just get the ball within 3ft, and you’re doing just fine. Tour pros don’t hole long putts—they just leave easy second ones. It’s okay to leave it short. It’s all about expectation management. We don’t need to be perfect.

• Be an Athlete, Not a Robot
  Once your plan is set, get out of your own head. Rick’s best swings came after Scott’s mantra: “Be an athlete. Just hit the shot.”

If your course strategy is usually “I’ll just try not to screw this up,” this is the best 35-minute reset you’ll watch all year (and it contains many more mini-nuggets that may change your game).

Play It As Lies

This may be my highlight of recent Bob Does Sports content. It’s short, relatable, surprising and funny. Just my type of situational humor.

Deals for the Feels

Happy PGA Championship weekend everyone 🚀 (don’t expect massive discounts though)

Golfdiscount Apparel Closeout

• Golfdiscount is clearing its inventory for last year’s apparel. Let’s be honest: I would rather buy last season’s gear for 40-50% off than pay $80 for the SAME grey Nike polo or Adidas pants just with slightly different stitching.

TaylorMade Queen City Special Edition

• I love my Ping Hoofer but daaaaamn this bag looks 🔥 ! This is a truly marvelous special edition celebrating this year’s PGA Championship course and it comes with matching head covers. You don’t even need to buy it to admire its beauty. I seriously would be tempted if I needed a bag. (expensive as hell though)

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

Cheating Like A Pro

This is by far one of the funniest videos I’ve seen in a while.

Garret plays a round against fellow GooGood golfer Brad and cheats the entire round. It starts with some “missing” clubs, improved lies, misplaced balls and whatever you can think of.

The video offers little from an educational point of view, but its entertainment value is unparalleled!

Video length: 56:55

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 record for the fastest round of golf played by a professional is held by Wesley Bryan, who completed 18 holes in 1 hour and 29 minutes during a PGA Tour event.

Good ol’ Wesley “Suspended from Tour” Bryan.

Sincerely, your Magic Rabbit.

Leader through the rabbit hole. Feels good about the upcoming tournament tomorrow. Will probably still suck. Oh, wait, “Good thoughts ONLY!”. Won’t suck as much.