Off TRAQ Podcast — Golf's Real Conversations

Does playing in golf tournaments actually make you a better golfer, or does it just expose the weaknesses you already have? This week on Off TRAQ, Charles and Roy debate whether amateur golfers should compete in tournaments and what tournament pressure teaches you that a casual round with friends can't. Charles shares his experiences in individual competitions, team scrambles, and the Audi Qua...

Brian Kim, founder of Liteyear Golf, joins Off TRAQ to talk about what it really takes to build golf equipment from scratch and why most junior clubs are designed the wrong way. Brian shares how he went from DocuSign to launching a golf equipment company, what goes into designing clubs specifically for kids, why Liteyear chose blade style irons, and how weight, shaft design, feel, sizing, and manu...

Which golf stats actually help amateurs improve, and which ones are mostly noise? Charles and Roy go through  driving distance, fairways hit, putts per round, greens in regulation, double bogeys, and handicap  and decide what they would keep, kill, or replace. They also reveal the three stats they would track if they could only choose three. Then, they break down  LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 restructuri...

Golf instruction has never been more accessible, but has it actually made golfers better? Charles and Roy break down golf’s biggest swing trends, including the one plane swing, Stack and Tilt, Sean Foley’s controversial years with Tiger Woods, George Gankas and the shallowing craze, and the modern “hold and turn” release. Which ideas can actually help amateurs, which require very specific physical...

What does it actually take to build a golf company from scratch? This week, Charles and Roy share the story behind TRAQ — from the early range session that sparked the idea, to failed prototypes, manufacturing problems, 3D printing, supply chain chaos, and figuring out how to turn a golf obsession into an actual business. We also break down how we personally use TRAQ, what happens when your passio...

Charles just played his worst golf in years: shanks on the range, topped drives, push slices, a triple, and more doubles than he would care to remember. In this episode, Charles, Roy, and new co-producer Alex break down exactly what went wrong, why a medicine-ball drill may have quietly thrown Charles’ swing out of sync, and the one swing thought that helped him turn things around on the back nine...

Mini drivers and 7 woods are two of the hottest clubs in golf right now, but do they actually belong in the average golfer’s bag? Charles and Roy break down why mini drivers have surged in popularity, what they are really designed to do, and why buying one may not solve your driver problems. Then they dig into the 7 wood boom, why more tour players are using one, how it compares with long irons an...

On this episode of  Off TRAQ , Charles and Roy ask a deceptively simple question:  is modern golf actually better?  With better equipment, launch monitors, rangefinders, YouTube instruction, and more data than ever, golfers should be getting dramatically better… so why has the average handicap barely moved? They break down how golf has changed from the early 90s and 2000s to today, where technolog...

What if the biggest thing hurting your golf game isn’t your swing… it’s the golf you’re watching? This week on Off TRAQ, Charles and Roy explore why the modern PGA Tour may actually be teaching amateur golfers all the wrong lessons. From flop shots and hero recoveries to going for par 5s in two, they discuss why what works for the best players in the world often leads to bigger scores for the rest...

The PGA Tour has changed forever. In a surprise emergency episode of Off TRAQ, Charles and Roy break down the biggest structural change to professional golf in decades. Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour will split into a new Championship Series and Challenger Series featuring promotion, relegation, smaller fields, and dramatically different purses. We discuss: • What actually changed • Why the Tour i...

Most golfers improve quickly at first… until they hit the same wall. The scores stop dropping. The handicap stays stuck. And no matter how much they practice, nothing seems to change. In this episode of Off TRAQ, we break down why golfers plateau at every stage of improvement — from beginners trying to break 100 all the way to low handicaps chasing scratch. We talk about the biggest mistakes golfe...

This week on Off TRAQ, we ask a massive question: Could YouTube golf actually become the future of the sport? With YGT officially launching and creator golf exploding in popularity, we break down why this could be one of the biggest shifts golf has seen in years and why the PGA Tour may need to pay attention. We dive into: • Why YGT feels different from LIV Golf and TGL • Why YouTube golf connects...

This week on Off Track, we discuss the end of LIV Golf funding and whether the league ultimately failed or changed golf forever. We break down why fans never fully connected with LIV, what the PIF may have originally wanted from golf, and what happens next for players like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. We also discuss Bryson’s possible PGA Tour return, YouTube golf’s growing influence, and the P...

Roy gets fitted for a new putter… but does a putter fitting actually make you better? In this episode of Off TRAQ, we break down our real experiences with putter fittings — what actually matters, what most golfers get wrong, and why a “perfect fit” doesn’t always translate to better results on the course. From high-tech tools like TrackMan and SAM PuttLab to simple setup adjustments, we explore th...

Rory McIlroy wins the Masters in dramatic fashion, but the bigger question remains: is something happening at Augusta? In this episode of Off TRAQ, we break down Rory’s performance and what this win means for his legacy, while also examining the subtle shifts surrounding The Masters. From changing broadcast dynamics to course setup and scoring conditions, this year’s tournament raised new question...

Can you win the Masters… without ever hitting a tee shot? We created a 125-yard challenge at  Augusta National Golf Club  to test a simple idea: Would an amateur actually have a chance? In this episode, we go hole-by-hole through Augusta, breaking down strategy, scoring expectations, and where things fall apart fast. Because it turns out… distance isn’t the real defense of Augusta. By the end, we...

Is the golf ball rollback actually necessary… or is it solving a problem no one asked for? In this episode, we break down the rollback rule (00:00), what the USGA and R&A are changing, and why the PGA Tour might not fully adopt it. We debate whether distance is really an issue in golf, who could be behind the decision, and what it means for both pros and everyday players. We also cover: • Coli...

In this episode of  Off TRAQ , Charles and Roy go through the bag and debate which brand performs best in each category. Starting with the first brand that comes to mind, they talk through their picks for: • Drivers (00:49) • Irons (09:25) • Wedges (16:09) • Putters (23:22) • Golf Balls (28:58) The episode also covers two other big topics in golf this week: - Rory McIlroy withdrawing from The Play...

In this episode of Off Traq, we unpack the business drama behind Bryson DeChambeau’s reported push for 51% ownership of LA Golf and what majority control really means in corporate structure. We also discuss: • Michelle Wie joining WTGL as both player and investor • LIV Golf receiving another $267M from PIF • The evolving power dynamics in professional golf • A legacy debate: Masters vs the other t...

Should you master one reliable stock shot… or learn to shape it both ways? This week on Off TRAQ, we debate whether golfers are overcomplicating the game by chasing all 9 windows instead of building one predictable pattern. Then we shift gears: Tiger Woods hints at another Masters run — is a 50 year old Tiger good for the game even if he misses the cut? (26:15) Is the PGA Tour finally making struc...

Does the PGA Tour have a marketing problem — or a personality problem? In this episode, we compare golf to leagues like the NFL and NBA and ask why professional golf feels so different. Is it the lack of rivalries? Not enough storytelling? Too much focus on stats and not enough on drama? We also cover: • Rory going back to blades • The Luke Kwon controversy • Anthony Kim’s comeback win • And wheth...

In this episode of  Off TRAQ , we talk through what it really takes to break 90, why you don’t need great golf to do it, and how most amateurs quietly sabotage their rounds without realizing it. We dig into the real numbers behind breaking 90, the mistakes that blow up scorecards, and how managing penalties, putting, and expectations matters more than chasing birdies. We also cover what’s happenin...

What if Tiger’s entire career starts in 2010 instead of 1996? We break down the alternate timeline and debate whether Tiger still becomes “GOAT Tiger” in the modern era. How much of his dominance was skill, how much was timing, and how much was psychological pressure on the field? We also get into what GOAT even means, the majors math, and how the modern tour changes the ceiling. After the main de...

Are the driver and iron swings actually the same, or are they two completely different swings? In this episode of  Off TRAQ , we kick things off with a deep debate on one of golf’s most argued questions:  driver vs iron swings . We break down setup, mechanics, feel vs reality, and why so many golfers stripe irons but lose their driver or vice versa. From there, we recap the most interesting tech f...

Buying a new driver shouldn’t feel this complicated — but for most golfers, it does. In this episode, we cover three core topics: • How we personally approach buying a new driver • The biggest current headlines in golf and what actually matters • Why finding a good club fitter is harder than it should be We cut through marketing noise, talk honestly about gear decisions, and dig into the structura...