Author: Steve A Furman
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Tracking Your Delta
Some golfers watch their handicap index the way investors watch a stock price—refreshing it after every round, hoping for movement in the right direction. It’s a natural instinct, and serious golfers should register and enter scores into the system. The Handicap System The USGA’s World Handicap System calculates your index from the best 8 of…
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Scottie and Collin: Practice the Motion, Play the Memory
Two of the best golfers in the world recently said something that should stop every serious player in their tracks. Neither used the words mindfulness, presence, or flow. But that’s exactly what they were describing. Pay attention. Pebble Beach: February 2026 Collin Morikawa stood on the 18th fairway needing a birdie to win the AT&T…
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The Motion is the Memory
We often talk about “muscle memory” in golf. Grooving your swing. Pitch shots or putts you’ve practiced so many times they’re automatic. Repeatable motions you can trust under pressure. But your muscles don’t have memory. The proper term is “motor memory.” Memory lives in your brain—specifically in the neural circuits that produce the motion. Understanding…
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A Robot Never Misses (And What It Reveals About Your Game)
The Golf Labs robot can replicate Tiger Woods’s swing or a weekend hacker’s slice. Set the parameters, press start, and it delivers the exact same shot—perfectly—every single time. The Golf Labs robot has been the industry standard for testing equipment for over 30 years. It’s how manufacturers know if that new driver really adds 10…
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Waiting Between Shots
You’re standing on the tee. The group ahead is still in the fairway. Five, maybe seven minutes before you can hit. What happens in your head? If you’re like most golfers, you find this annoying. A violation of your right to play when you’re ready. “What is that guy doing? Why doesn’t he just hit…
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The Second Mistake
The shot after a mistake is one of the most important one of any round. You hit a poor shot. The ball finds the trees, or the water, or buries in a bunker. What happens in the next 90 seconds determines whether you save par or make a double. Most golfers spend those 90 seconds…
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Why Golfers Can’t Commit (And How to Fix It)
I hear golfers say to themselves while addressing the ball, “Commit to the shot.” Or, after a poor shot, “I didn’t commit.” Commitment is essential to skilled performance; full stop. But commitment is mental, not mechanical, which means it usually ends up at the bottom of a long list of things to remember while holding…
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Thinking About Your Stroke Makes You Putt Worse
Ever stand over a putt, thinking through every detail of your stroke, only to pull it badly? There’s a cognitive reason for that—and the research backing it up is fascinating. Psychologists and neuroscientists have been studying golfers’ brains for decades in an attempt to better understand why we can make a pure roll that finds…
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Course Management: Before the Shot, Not After
Most golfers believe course management means avoiding trouble. Don’t three-putt. Don’t make double bogeys. Stay out of the water. This thinking isn’t wrong—it’s just incomplete. These are outcomes, things that happen after shots are played. Real course management happens before you ever address the ball. Consider the three-putt. The obvious solution is becoming a better…
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Think During Your Routine, Not Your Swing
Today I was paired with Doug and his wife Lea in one cart, and Ted with me in the other. All three of my playing partners were excellent golfers with great swings and a clear understanding of what it takes to play the game. Such a pleasure to play with. They taught me a lot.…