Hack It Out Golf

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. When comparing golfers of different skill levels, the Saturday Morning Stat often asks about their differing performance from the same yardage. But in general , golfers with lower handicaps also hit the ball further which each club than higher handicap golfers, and physics dictates that it is easier to hit a PW straight...

"That's good." Ah, but is it? In this episode, Greg, Lou, and Mark discuss what turns out to be a vast chasm of golf culture: whether gimmes and mulligans are a part of golf. The guys talk about the ways in which gimmes were treated in their early years in golf and how they work in social games—and when people take them for their handicap rounds. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newslett...

During the PGA Show, Greg took the opportunity to have a lesson with Dr. Scott Lynn using the Catalyst Force Plates. Mark was there for the lesson as well. In this episode, they review what Greg learned about how he uses pressure in the golf swing, and speculate how the lesson would have gone if Lou had been on the plates. For all of us, learning how we interact with the ground can help us make be...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this episode, Lou pulls up the all-time Top 40 money list and asks Greg and Mark what those legends average on par 3s, par 4s, and par 5s. The answers are probably the ultimate "manage your expectations." Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss what yo...

Men's professional golf continues to rebuild itself on the fly. Recently, the PGA Tour announced a major partnership with SSG, bringing billions of dollars of investment into the Tour. Our Greg Chalmers was on the call with the PGA Tour commissioner, and in this episode, he talks with Mark Crossfield and Lou Stagner about the recent news and the future moves the PGA Tour might make. Where to find...

Last month in Orlando, Greg and Mark and Lou met in person for the first time. In this episode of the Hack It Out golf podcast, the guys recount their visit together to the PGA Show. They'll hit both highlights and lowlights, and give you sound advice about what to do if Mark ever asks you, "Would you like my honest opinion?" Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.cross...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this week's episode, Greg and Mark try to guess how many double bogeys or worse 20-index golfers and scratch players average per round. Lou comes with the bonus stats this week, as they also take a look at birdies or better. Listen in for one of the most important pieces of advice for learning how to drop your handic...

Project Lou continues! In this episode, Mark and Lou update us on the work they are doing to make Lou a better golfer, while Greg sits comfortably on the sidelines and enjoys the show with the rest of us. Here, the guys discuss working through injuries, changing club delivery with wrist positions, bringing changes to the iron swing to the driver, and the difficulties of making changes in the winte...

There are some prominent PGA Tour players who have adopted AimPoint to help them read the greens, and much has been written (especially on Twitter/X) about how much it slows down the pace of play. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg discuss AimPoint, and in particular its effect on pace of play. Incorporating both data and Greg's experience on Tour, you'll want to hear what they say—and whether c...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this week's episode, Lou asks about the importance of approach play. In particular, in your best overall rounds, how likely is it that you also had one of your best approach play rounds? And how about the opposite: in your bad rounds, how likely was it that your approach play was a major factor? This week, Greg and M...

We're seeing another batch of players confirmed—and rumored—to be signing up with LIV Golf. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg discuss who's going and who might be next, with a special focus on the young players who might sign with LIV instead of pursuing a PGA Tour card. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: h...

This week, an internet-only relationship gets real : Mark, Lou, and Greg are meeting in person for the first time! The occasion? The PGA Show in Orlando! In this episode, the guys talk about what to expect at the show and make some plans. Will Greg steal clubs? Will Mark and Greg have a long drive contest? Will Lou acquire all the training aids? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newslette...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this week's episode, Mark and Greg are asked to guess how often a Tour Pro hits his approach inside 10' from 100 yards and 200 yards away. Contrary to what the TV announcers might suggest, it isn't all the time . Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss...

There are some golf myths that seem to live on endlessly: zombie golf myths, if you will. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg take aim at some of the most enduring: never up, never in; lag in the golf swing; and laying up to prefered yardages. This is a practical episode that will help you shoot lower scores! Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/su...

This episode features special guest Jarrett Phillips, the trainer who has helped Greg overcome back pain and add more driver speed as he prepares for his run at the Champions Tour. In this episode, Jarrett joins Mark, Lou, and Greg to talk about the ways that training benefits the typical middle-aged golfer, both for golf and for all of life. You can find more about Greg's program here: https://ww...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this week's episode, Mark and Greg are trying to guess how often a 10-index golfer hits the green from 100 and 200 yards in the fairway. The discussion that follows is absolute gold , as Greg gives us some insight as to how an elite golfer manages his own expectations on difficult shots. Each of these will be a mini-...

It's a new year, and in this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about their own personal goals for the 2024 season. This becomes a fun wide-ranging discussion, with bits of Project Lou, a proposed Excel-centered date night for Greg and Lou, and Mark and Lou having a semi-heated debate as to whether 1.9=2. This episode might give you some ideas for your own 2024 golf goals, be they serious or light....

Last week, Rory had some new and interesting comments on the ongoing PGA Tour vs. LIV saga. In this episode of the Hack It Out golf podcast, Mark Crossfield, Lou Stagner, and Greg Chalmers offer their reflections on Rory's seeming about-face and what his words might mean for the future of professional golf. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subsc...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. From 20 yards away and in the rough, what percent of the time would a 5 and then a 15 index player get up and down? Lou puts this question to Greg and Mark. Can Mark win a Saturday stat? Are Greg and Lou cheating? And Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discu...

Let's look ahead to this new year in golf! In today's episode of the Hack It Out Golf Podcast, Mark, Lou, and Greg make some forecasts about this year's majors, golf at the Olympics(!), and how the big stories in golf might unfold in the next twelve months. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.co...

There were events in golf this past year. Mark, Lou, and Greg gather round the mics to recap the year in golf that just closed, revisiting memories personal and global, fresh and (perhaps by many) forgotten. So as we open a new year, let's close the book on Golf 2023. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https:/...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. If a scratch player and a 10-index are both hitting PW from the fairway, how often are they hitting the green? Is the scratch player hitting it more often, or because he's (generally) hitting PW from a greater distance, is it about equal? In this episode, Lou poses this question to Mark and Greg, and then they discuss s...

The image of the complete golfer—the one who has all the shots—is that he's regularly carving balls in either direction to find the "optimal" approach to his target. But is this an ideal that most golfers should pursue? Is there an advantage to practicing this kind of creative golf? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg give advice to help golfers increase skill and scoring. Where to find us: Mark...

Putting from off the green—the Texas wedge—is polarizing. In some parts of the world, it's completely normal. For some golfers, it smacks of desperation: a shot that indicates that a golfer lacks the skill to use a more lofted club. In today's episode, Lou begins with some data that indicates that way more of us should be using the putter from off the green, and then he and Mark and Lou give advic...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Not all 10-index golfers are the same. In today's episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg to guess the strokes difference between the best and worst 10-index putters and the strokes difference between the best and worst 10-index golfers in approach play. The numbers give insight into where different golfers should focus their e...