Five Yards Changes Everything at the Highest Level

A conversation with elite amateur golfer Landen about five yards of extra distance on a driver turned into one of the clearest lessons I've had in a while about what separates competitors at the highest level. The higher you climb, the smaller the gap between good and great, which means you have to be relentless about finding your edge. In this episode I talk about the sloth superpower concept from my book, how I used being big and slow as a racing advantage to land early brand deals, and why you have to keep tinkering even when your current process is working. This one will make you stop and ask yourself a question you probably haven't asked in a while. Key Takeaways The higher the level you operate at, the smaller the margin that separates competitors. You have to treat every small edge as significant. Your unique advantage is not what everyone else values. Find what is distinctly yours and lean into it without apology. A working process deserves your trust, but that trust should never become an excuse to stop testing new approaches. Tinkering is not recklessness. Testing new ideas with honest self-evaluation is how you discover what actually moves the needle. Self-awareness about what makes you stand out is a competitive weapon. If you cannot answer what separates you, that is the problem to solve first. Action Steps Write down one thing that is uniquely yours, something others might overlook or even laugh at, and identify one way to turn it into a competitive advantage this week. Pick one area of your current routine or process and run a short, intentional test of an alternative approach. Document what the results actually tell you. Ask yourself directly: at the level I am trying to reach, what five-yard edge am I not pursuing? Then take one concrete step toward closing that gap today. Notable Quote The higher the level that you go, the smaller the distance of what separates you. You have to find every little edge you can.