5 Outdated Golf Tips To Leave Behind In 2026

So much golf advice. Some sticks around for a long time. Some is helpful. Some made sense with older equipment or older instruction. Not all of it ages well.

Based on modern instruction, testing and what we see repeatedly in MyGolfSpy testing, these are five golf tips that are worth leaving behind as we head into the new year.

1. The wedge with the highest spin is best

Spin matters. We aren’t giving up on that. What has changed is the idea that the highest-spinning wedge is the best. More spin does not automatically lead to better short-game results.

Predictable spin and launch matter more than peak spin numbers.

Wedges that produce reliable spin and consistent flight tend to be easier to control on partial shots and in less-than-perfect conditions. They also help golfers develop distance control because they are getting the same results each time they strike the ball.

What to leave behind: The idea that the highest-spinning wedge is always the best option.
What to focus on instead: Consistent launch, repeatable spin and predictable carry.

2. “Low and slow” is the right way to start the backswing

“Low and slow” sounds helpful but not if you don’t know how to do it.

The problem is that “low and slow” is not clearly defined. How low is low? What is slow? For many golfers, keeping the club low for too long pulls it too far inside early. And then slowing everything down removes the rhythm needed to organize the rest of the swing or get the body moving.

This often leads to a backswing that feels controlled from the start but requires more compensations later. The club gets out of position early and, in the downswing, you are forced to make compensations just to save impact.

The takeaway is not about staying low or moving slowly. It is about keeping the club in front of the body early and letting speed build naturally as the swing develops.

What to leave behind: Trying to drag the club low and deliberately slow for the first part of the swing.
What to focus on instead: A structured takeaway that stays connected to the body and allows the backswing to develop with natural rhythm.

3. A 3-wood is safer off the tee than driver

If you look at the data from Shot Scope, most amateurs do not hit a 3-wood more consistently accurate than a driver. Strike quality with fairway woods is often worse, leading to similar dispersion with less distance.

The result is shorter tee shots without a meaningful accuracy gain.

What to leave behind: Automatically reaching for 3-wood when accuracy matters.
What to focus on instead: Using the club you strike most consistently for that hole whether that is driver, hybrid or something else.

4. Choose a putter based on your stroke type

For years, golfers were told to match putter style to stroke shape. Straight-back strokes needed face-balanced putters. Arcing strokes needed toe hang. Simple and easy to remember, right?

Modern putter testing and fitting guidance have shown that stroke labels alone do not explain face behavior through impact. Face stability, torque and how the putter behaves dynamically matter.

Many golfers misclassify their own stroke and end up fitting themselves into a putter that does not help them control the face.

What to leave behind: Picking a putter based solely on stroke type.
What to focus on instead: How stable the face is through the stroke and at impact. Get fitted.

5. You need to “create space” in the downswing

You have probably heard some version of this tip. If the backswing is in a good position and the downswing is sequenced correctly, the arms will “fall” into place.

That part is true.

Where this advice goes wrong is how golfers try to make it happen.

When players hear “create space,” many of them try to manufacture it. They push their arms away from their body or force their hands outward because that is what they think they are seeing on video. The problem is that what looks like space in a good swing is not created by the arms.

What we see in the swings of great players is that space shows up as a result of rotation and side bend. The arms stay more connected to the body and move into position because the body is turning, not because the golfer is trying to place them there.

When golfers try to actively create that space with their hands or arms, sequencing often breaks down and contact gets worse instead of better.

What to leave behind: Trying to manufacture space by pushing the arms away from the body.
What to focus on instead: Letting rotation create the space the arms move into.

Final thought

Most outdated golf tips are not completely wrong. Sometimes, they are just incomplete. Leave these ideas behind this year and see if it helps your game improve in any way.