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Golf Beneath The Surface · Thursday · 59 min

Codebreakers 2.0 - Skill vs Swing vs Strategy

What actually makes practice work? We’re joined by Rob Failes and Garrett Chaussard from Codebreakers to talk about how coaching, practice, skill development and adaptability all fit together. We get into block practice, why looking good on the range doesn’t always mean you’re learning, the difference between swing and skill, how great players calibrate on the fly, and why adaptability might matter more than repeatability. We also dive into putting, habits, confidence, freedom and some of the ideas behind this year’s Codebreakers Retreat at Skokie Country Club. A really good conversation for coaches, players, or anyone interested in what actually helps golf transfer from practice to the course. Codebreakers is made up of Rob Failes, Garrett Chaussard, Mark Grace and Sean Kennedy. The group started through years of sharing ideas, reviewing each other’s coaching and challenging each other’s beliefs around player development. That eventually grew into small, hands-on coaching retreats built around open discussion, research and learning directly from experts in different areas of performance. The 2026 Codebreakers Retreat is October 26–27 at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illinois. Raymond will be joining the group as a featured presenter, covering the neuroscience and psychology of habits, along with block and random practice. More info at codebreakersgolf.com.

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show notes

What actually makes practice work?

We’re joined by Rob Failes and Garrett Chaussard from Codebreakers to talk about how coaching, practice, skill development and adaptability all fit together.

We get into block practice, why looking good on the range doesn’t always mean you’re learning, the difference between swing and skill, how great players calibrate on the fly, and why adaptability might matter more than repeatability.

We also dive into putting, habits, confidence, freedom and some of the ideas behind this year’s Codebreakers Retreat at Skokie Country Club.

A really good conversation for coaches, players, or anyone interested in what actually helps golf transfer from practice to the course.

Codebreakers is made up of Rob Failes, Garrett Chaussard, Mark Grace and Sean Kennedy. The group started through years of sharing ideas, reviewing each other’s coaching and challenging each other’s beliefs around player development. That eventually grew into small, hands-on coaching retreats built around open discussion, research and learning directly from experts in different areas of performance.

The 2026 Codebreakers Retreat is October 26–27 at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illinois. Raymond will be joining the group as a featured presenter, covering the neuroscience and psychology of habits, along with block and random practice.

More info at codebreakersgolf.com.


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