Practice makes perfect.

Although it’s a glib cliché, to be sure but it serves a purpose. One cannot truly master a task without repetition. It’s certainly true for forging shoes — and golfing.

“When I started playing golf, my shoe making improved,” Welsh farrier Billy Crothers told attendees at the Anvil Brand Shoe Co. winter clinic in early February. “Any idea why? Repeat, repeat, repeat — that’s all golfers do. That’s why they’re so good. Their swing is the same every time. When you get a lesson from a decent pro, that’s what he’ll teach you — how to repeat your golf swing. If you can do that in your shoe making, it will really help you.”

The more one practices, the easier it becomes to successfully repeat the individual tasks that must be accomplished while forging a shoe. Although practice and repetition improve efficiency, it’s important to have a plan.

“When forging, think about your technique,” says the…