Hack It Out Golf

In this episode, Mark and Greg talk forecasting—projecting future outcomes during a round. Drawing from personal experience and Tour insights, they offer strategies for staying present. Mark shares how his most relaxed and enjoyable golf happened when score didn’t matter, and Greg offers practical ways to build awareness of forecasting tendencies that all of us can use in our next round. If you ha...

Par is just a number. But so is course rating. How much better will a 10 index golfer play at an "easy" course? And what impact will a "hard" course have on his average score? Lou puts Mark and Greg to the test, and we all come away with better expectations for our next rounds of golf. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss what yo...

Social media swing tips and training aid adverts are full of help to get you to shallow your swing. Should you? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about shallowing. What does it even mean? How do cameras deceive us about what's happening in the swing? Is there a connection between a shallowing downswing and a shallow angle of attack? And can you play good golf without trying to shallow? If...

A useful, technical listener question: what is the relationship between swing path and angle of attack? Mark takes the lead on answering a listener question (that might be from Lou?). If the driver head is ascending into impact, isn't it more likely also turning back to the inside of the arc? Mark attempts to offer some conceptual clarity on a good question—a concept that could have you hitting lo...

Tour pros are good—we all know that. But how much better are the very best Tour pros compared to their peers further down the leaderboards? In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg about how often Tour players hit the green from 175 yards in the fairway. The comparison: the top 10 players in the world versus those ranked from 150–175. How big is the gap between these elite golfers? There's a scorin...

There has never been more information available to a golfer who wants to improve as there is now. But how can you separate the good information from the bad? And perhaps even harder: in the good information, how can you know what's relevant for you ? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg bring their different perspectives to bear on these questions. Mark, as one of the first to use YouTube for golf...

A bit of a grab bag of listener questions in today's episode. Greg and Mark take on three good ones. The first: what should I expect from a clubfitting? Am I good enough for a fitting? How much can getting fitted for clubs matter for my game? The second: how can an amateur golfer have fun on the course and not allow this game to drive him crazy? And finally, how and when should junior golfers be i...

A 10-index golfer misses the green, but he's close to the green. Would he be better to be in the rough or the bunker? And by how much? In this episode, Lou brings the question to Mark and Greg. The first drama: can Greg continue trotting? Will the podcast continue when Lou needs to be rebooted mid-episode? And how can ordinary golfers make bunkers less penalizing? Each of these will be a mini-epis...

What can you do with speed on the course? In this episode, a Lou-less Mark and Greg answer a listener question about speed gains. Surely, more speed means longer drives, but what other options does it offer? Greg has gained speed over the past several years, and Mark is working hard on his own speed-gaining project now. They talk about shots off the tee and into the green that are possible with ad...

Today's episode begins with a list: the driver speeds of some of the younger, up-and-coming Tour pros. Mark, Lou, and Greg (at least until his internet failed and/or he bailed on the call because he was intimidated by the speed of Mark and Lou) jump from there to a discussion of the future of speed in the professional game. They talk about why these younger pros are so much faster than those who c...

Longtime listeners of the pod will know that for typical golfers, the key to lower scores isn't making more birdies. Today's episode drives that point home. How many birdies will a 10-index golfer make when he shoots in the 90s versus his rounds when he shoots in the 70s? Mark and Greg offer their guesses, and there is no small surprise when Lou reveals the correct answer.... Each of these will be...

Today, a listener question: is changing grip a good way to change a shot shape on a particular shot? Mark brings this topic to Lou and Greg, and they discuss whether they themselves would use differing grips on the course to hit specific shots. From there, there's a bit of a deep dive into the various ways (and there are many) that grip changes can change ball flight—with maybe a dash of Project L...

Picking up with more on hitting greens. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg dig deeper into the stats of GIR, in a way that emphasizes just how much it matters to hit greens, and how vast the gap is between great and less-great golfers in their approach play skill. Take this as motivation to work on your skill with the full swing. Episode 1 of this series Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.co...

The dreaded 3 putt. You know the odds of it increases the further you get from the hole. How often, from 35 feet, will a Tour pro, a scratch golfer, and a 20 index take three putts to finish the hole? Lou poses this question to Mark and Greg, and two of their answers are off by shocking margins. This might help manage expectations, but it's also a wake-up call: here's an element of the game that i...

GIR remains, by far, the best of the traditional golf stats. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg start with their definitions of a GIR (should there be some flexibility?), and then transition into the most important—and overlooked—question: Why are you missing greens? Until you can get a clear answer to that question, it's hard to make consistent improvement in your golf. Where to find us: Mark C...

Our recent episode about prepping your bag for the upcoming season encouraged you to ditch the club you never use. For many amateur golfers, that club is the 3 wood. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg offer advice for making the most of your strongest fairway wood. From swing tips to tweaks you can make to the club itself, let's make that slot be a contributor to your best scores. Where to find...

You're a solid handicap golfer. On the tee, how often should you expect to make a bogey? And how does that change when the hole is a par 3, a par 4, and a par 5? Lou puts that question to Mark and Greg, and after they answer, they dissect the data. Where could you pick up lost shots most easily, to help lower your scores? Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesti...

Not all the traffic with LIV Golf has been back to the PGA Tour. Recently, one of the top amateur golfers in the United States joined the team league. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg discuss his signing and what it might mean for the future of LIV. Can they develop a generation of young star golfers? Even if they do, will anyone notice? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: h...

For many of our listeners, we're in the hard part of winter. You're still interested in golf improvement. When the course is cold and wet, will you get more improvement from indoor practice or from playing outdoors in less-than-ideal conditions? In today's episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg take their shots at answering this listener question. They off suggestions for maximizing both routes, including i...

A simple stock wedge from 90 yards: how often will a scratch golfer, a 10 index, and a 20 index player finish within 30 feet of the hole? The catch: the ball doesn't need to be on the green. In this episode, Lou puts this question to Mark and Greg, and after sorting through the wreckage of their answers, they discuss ways to make the most of these scoring opportunities. Each of these will be a min...

If you want to play better golf, 1) hit the center of the face 2) while controlling the face. But how? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about practical ways to work on strike and shot shaping. What are some tips for improving strike? How about some drills and games to measure your improvement? The instruction here can make a real difference in your scores. Where to find us: Mark Crossfiel...

Today's episode is a grab bag of listener questions. First up: Greg, Mark, and Lou stop in with early reflections on the second season of TGL. Are the new holes working? Then they turn to this season's big new driver releases from the major manufacturers: how should ordinary golfers react to the new models? And finally, how should recreational golfers choose which tees to play from? Where to find...

This episode is unbelievably exciting. Please read that in your very best Lou monotone. (But it is really good!) In today's Saturday Stat, Lou highlights the skills of the best players on the planet. How often, hitting approaches from the fairway at 120 and 180 yards, are they making birdie and bogey? Greg and Mark offer their guesses, and the answers raise yet another question.... Each of these w...

Brooks isn't the only one coming back to the PGA Tour: this past week, Vijay Singh played on the PGA Tour for the first time in years. In today's episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the status that allowed Singh to play on Tour again, its consequence for other Tour members, and whether these kinds of exceptions should exist on a competitive Tour. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly news...

Brooks returns! In today's episode, Mark and Greg discuss the big news in professional golf: Brooks Koepka leaving LIV and being reinstated to the PGA Tour. They talk about the terms of his return and what it might mean for others on LIV and what it might mean for the PGA Tour under its new leadership. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe...