The 3 Worst Pieces of Golf Advice Club Golfers Still Follow

Mark Pearson
Mar 27
2 min read

If you’ve played golf for any length of time, you’ll have heard them.

Passed down on the range. Said with confidence. Repeated for years.

And yet… they’re responsible for more poor swings than almost anything else I see.

After 40,000+ lessons and swings analysed, these are three of the biggest myths still holding club golfers back.

1. “Keep Your Head Down”

This one refuses to die.

It sounds logical — but in reality, it causes far more problems than it solves.

When golfers try to keep their head down:

They restrict movement
They struggle to shift pressure onto their lead side
They stop rotating properly through the ball

The result?

❌ Poor strike

❌ Inconsistent contact

❌ Loss of power

Here’s the reality…

👉 In all the swings I’ve analysed, we never see golfers “looking up early” as the root issue.

What actually happens is:

The body stalls
The club takes over
Strike quality drops

Better focus:Think about turning through to a balanced finish, not freezing your head.

2. “Slow Down Your Swing”

This one might be even more damaging.

Most club golfers are already swinging too slowly.

And yet… they’re constantly told to slow it down.

Why this is a problem:

Speed is a major contributor to distance
Distance is one of the biggest contributors to scoring
Slowing down often kills sequencing and rhythm

In reality, as coaches…

👉 We spend far more time helping golfers speed up, not slow down.

When players move better and sequence properly:

Speed increases naturally
Strike improves
Distance jumps significantly

Better focus:Don’t “swing slower” — learn how to move better and create speed efficiently.

3. “Keep Your Left Arm Straight”

This one is everywhere.

And like the others… it’s misunderstood.

Trying to force a straight left arm often leads to:

Excess tension
Restricted movement
Loss of natural flow

And guess what tension does?

❌ Reduces speed

❌ Reduces feel

❌ Reduces consistency

Great players don’t force positions — they create movement.

Yes, the lead arm is often relatively straight…

But that’s a result of good motion, not something you try to manufacture.

Better focus:Stay athletic and free, and let the structure come from movement — not tension.

The Bottom Line

Most golfers aren’t struggling because they don’t try hard enough…

They’re struggling because they’re trying to do the wrong things.

If you:

Stop restricting your movement
Allow speed to develop
Remove tension from your swing

You’ll see improvements almost immediately.

Want to Know What Your Swing Actually Needs?

The biggest mistake golfers make is guessing.

At PMG Academies and GOLFiN, we use:

Full swing data
Video analysis
AI tracking

To show you exactly what’s happening — and more importantly, what to do next.