Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Don't Get Me Started podcast, host Christopher Smith engages with guest Max Williams, a caddy a 'sometimes caddy' and full time golf teacher and coach, discussing the evolving landscape of golf instruction, particularly in the age of social media. They explore the challenges posed by misinformation from self-proclaimed experts on platforms like Instagram, the importance of practical coaching experience, and the balance between talent and hard work in achieving success in golf. The conversation also delves into the significance of teaching kids in a way that fosters enjoyment and skill development, as well as the mental aspects of playing golf under pressure. In this conversation, Christopher and Max delve into the complexities of the golfer's journey, discussing the transition from competitive play to coaching, the importance of real-world practice, and the emotional challenges faced on the course. They emphasize the need for coaches to help players respond to adversity and the significance of creating a supportive learning environment. The discussion also touches on the current landscape of golf instruction and the responsibility of coaches to provide genuine, effective guidance to their students.

Guest: Bruce Rearick – 30-Year PGA Member, Founder of Burnt Edges Consulting, Pioneer in Putter Fitting & Design, and former member of the SAM Putt Lab Research Team

"What you prefer rarely is what you need" - Bruce Rearick

Episode Overview

In this no-nonsense episode of Don't Get Me Started, host Christopher Smith sits down with longtime friend and putting guru Bruce Rearick for a deep dive into the art, science, and unfortunately, the pseudoscience of putting. With decades of experience working with everyone from major champions including Arnold Palmer to weekend warriors, Rearick pulls back the curtain on what actually works and what's just clever marketing.

The conversation tackles the massive disconnect between how golfers want to putt and how their bodies are actually designed to move, introducing listeners to the groundbreaking Nine Putting Profiles and the concept of core movement patterns.

Key Topics Discussed

The Preference Bias Epidemic: Why most golfers and instructors chase a linear stroke when human anatomy is rotary, the danger of forcing your body into positions that fight your natural movement, and how Instagram experts and marketing hype create confusion rather than clarity.

The Nine Putting Profiles: How Rearick discovered these patterns after analyzing thousands of strokes, why great putters like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, and Arnold Palmer all had different strokes and why that matters, the connection between body type, hand position, and natural stroke tendencies, and why one-size-fits-all instruction is holding golfers back.

Core Movement Patterns: Understanding that your body has ingrained movement patterns you can't simply fix, why trying to change these patterns leads to worse speed control and inconsistency, and the importance of working with your natural motion rather than against it, with insights from Dr. Debbie Cruz.

The Mallet vs. Blade Debate: Why tour players use mallets and why endorsement dollars play a role, the truth about forgiveness and whether mallets actually help or just mask problems, when a blade makes sense versus when a mallet might genuinely help, and what Scottie Scheffler's switch really tells us.

Debunking Putting Myths: The truth about gear effect in putters and why it's misunderstood, whether the ball really has spin off the putter, why deceleration isn't always bad and acceleration graphs are often misinterpreted, and the reality of shaft torque and whether it matters.

Feel, Feedback, and the Right Hand: Why feel is often just marketing and why results matter more, the importance of accurate feedback for improvement, how your trail hand position dictates your stroke, simple tests to determine your natural hand tendencies, and the eyes closed drill to reveal your true impact position.

The LAB Putter Discussion: What makes Lie Angle Balance putters genuinely different, the genius of front-weighting versus rear-weighting, why the two-degree forward press grip is underrated, the adjustment period when switching from a blade to a LAB, how the nine profiles fit within the LAB family, and important setup considerations.

What All Great Putters Do: They have a crystal-clear picture of where they're going, they possess an innate sense of square that comes from the hands, and stories from Arnold Palmer, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, and Jackie Burke Jr. about the difference between face aware and path aware players.

Practical Advice for Golfers: How to find the right putter by hitting it in the center of the face, why heel-hitters should try blades and toe-hitters should consider mallets, why kids should start with blades as Tiger made Charlie do it for a reason, the problem with forgiveness masking poor contact, and simple video tests to assess your natural stroke.

In this episode of the Don't Get Me Started podcast, Christopher Smith engages with Ward Jarvis, a mental performance coach on the PGA Tour, discussing the intricacies of mental performance in golf, particularly focusing on the YIPS and its psychological implications. They explore the journey of golfer Brendan Todd, the connection between stuttering and performance anxiety, and the role of neuroscience in understanding these phenomena. The conversation delves into the misconceptions surrounding neuroscience in golf coaching and emphasizes the importance of prediction in the brain's functioning. Additionally, they address the fear factor in golf and how it parallels high-stakes professions like surgery. In this conversation, Christopher Smith and Ward Jarvis explore the intricate relationship between confidence, competence, and performance in golf. They discuss the myth of consistency, the importance of an approach mindset, and the challenges posed by the yips. The dialogue emphasizes the need for context-specific practice and effective strategies to enhance performance. They also touch on the role of neuroscience in understanding these phenomena and the integrity required in coaching and marketing within the sports industry.