There's always more to learn about the golf swing: even if you're a career Tour player playing in your first Champions Tour Playoff finals. In this episode, Mark pulls up the data for how the torso of the average Tour player moves throughout the swing and leaves Lou and Greg baffled and guessing. Because the results are unexpected, there is a good amount of explanation here that will help you understand how the big movements in the golf swing happen for successful golfers. Where to find us: Mark...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou asks Greg and Mark the scoring difference a scratch golfer well see between hitting and missing a green from the fairway at 125 yards. After Mark concludes his complaint about the question, the guys offer a good reminder of the critical importance of getting the ball on the putting surface on the approach shot—that missing the green near the pin is likely to cost more shots than you might think...
Nov 02, 2024•10 min
This week, the PGA Tour announced a pretty substantial overhaul of who gets to play on their Tour and how qualification takes place. In this episode, Greg, Mark, and Lou discuss these changes: why they're being done, who they benefit, and whether they'll make the PGA Tour a better product for those of us who watch it. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline Mark Crossfield on YouTu...
Oct 31, 2024•28 min
Welcome back to another episode of the world's hottest PGA Tour Champions podcast! In this episode, recorded before the playoffs started, Greg takes Mark and Lou through the schedule of the final three events of the season: the Schwab Cup Playoffs. Greg enters the playoff in the low-20s, hoping to make a run up the standings for the final event. Join in to hear his plans, as this week is the Schwab Cup Final! Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/s...
Oct 28, 2024•22 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, the subject is Greg's peers: the guys on Tour. From 110-119 yards in the fairway, with a wedge in their hand, expectations are high: their expectations, the audience's, and certainly the announcers. What percent of the time do they actually make birdie? What about bogey? In this episode, Lou brings the data to Mark and Greg, and from there, a great conversation unfolds about dealing with setbacks o...
Oct 26, 2024•14 min
It's been a hot topic in the short game in the past couple of years: what is the ideal angle of attack? But this measurement has application throughout your bag, not just in your short game. In this episode, Mark guides Lou and Greg through the meaning of angle of attack, how changing it tends to influence other elements of club delivery, what AoA numbers are ideal for driver and irons, and how to go about changing your attack angle. A mountain of good information for golf improvement here. Wher...
Oct 24, 2024•26 min
Is the driver swing different from the iron swing? If so, how ? In this episode, which is the sequel to last week's episode on iron shaft lean, Mark quizzes Lou and Greg about the driver shaft lean at address and impact. The numbers are...not the same as the iron swing. Stick around in this one: the guesses that Lou and Greg provide lead to a further discussion of driver setup that might really surprise you—and might help you set up for your drives more like a tour pro. Where to find us: Mark Cr...
Oct 21, 2024•12 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, you've hit the green, but you're a long way from home. How many putts does it take, on average, for a scratch golfer to hole out from 50' away? What about the (notorious) 20-handicapper? Mark and Greg offer their best guesses to Lou's question, but then offer some really helpful advice on how to approach these very long putts. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an inter...
Oct 18, 2024•10 min
Today's episode is a thoughtful one. Mark, Lou, and Greg have all been playing golf for years. In those decades, we've learned a lot about the game and the game has changed a lot. If they had to start over, knowing what they know now and how golf would evolve, what would they do differently? This is an important question, for at least two reasons: 1) it's useful for helping other who might just be starting to play, and 2) most of these things are items that, while you might have wanted to start ...
Oct 17, 2024•25 min
Like lag, shaft lean can be one of those golf buzz/fad terms that can make golfers chase the wrong things. To start, it's good to know what a reasonable standard might. In this episode, Mark has Lou and Greg guessing the average shaft lean for a Tour pro at address and then at impact. From this, they offer useful advice about how ordinary golfers can improve their club delivery to play better golf. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Ma...
Oct 14, 2024•13 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou puts Greg and Mark to the test on their knowledge of long approach shots from an average golfer. What's the difference between a 15-handicap golfer from 200 yards in the rough versus being in the fairway? The answer here is important, because it can alter your entire strategy for a hole, all the way back to the tee. Listen in to improve your game! Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 min...
Oct 12, 2024•16 min
The SG revolution has taught us that driving the ball a long way and hitting irons close are the key to consistent scoring. But the fact remains: you have to get the ball in the hole, and most of the time, that means you have to putt. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and (one of the greatest putters in the history of ever) Greg give their thoughts on improving your putting. They talk grip (and playing with new grips), alignment and setup, and the best ways to go about your practice to shave strokes o...
Oct 10, 2024•25 min
Mark continues to use measured Tour pro data to help us all play better golf. In this episode, he has Lou and Greg guessing how the pelvis moves vertically through the golf swing? Is it going up or down on the backswing? By how much? And how does it move returning to impact? Here is a useful episode, because your guesses here (like those of Lou and Greg) may well be entirely wrong, and so learning what really is happening (or is supposed to happen) could help your game enormously. Where to find ...
Oct 07, 2024•21 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou addresses the long-standing argument that while scratch players are better than handicap golfers at a specific distance, it's chiefly because they're generally hitting a higher-lofted club from the same distance. So here, the question to Lou and Greg is how far away from the hole, on average, will a scratch golfer be with his 7 iron in the fairway versus a 15-index with his 7 iron? Each of thes...
Oct 05, 2024•8 min
It's a debate that arises from time to time, especially in conjunction with team events like the Ryder and Presidents Cups: what is an "appropriate" celebration in golf? In today's episode, Lou, Greg, and Mark talk about the unwritten rules about the decorum of celebrating. Where are the lines? Is anything over the top? Or should we all just lighten up and enjoy the entertainment product that is professional golf? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf....
Oct 03, 2024•17 min
Today's episode of the podcast looks at another element of a top level swing: the speed the grip is moving. For Rory, when hitting driver, how fast are his hands moving? Is he faster in his downswing than his backswing? If so, by how much? And maybe even more importantly: when are his hands moving the fastest in his swing? Mark leads Greg and Lou through these questions and their answers, and then they discuss why this matters—and how putting the speed into your swing at the right time can help ...
Sep 30, 2024•21 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss what you can learn, and most importantly, how you can apply this on the golf course to lower your scores and lower your handicap. Listen on your drive to the golf course or over your Saturday morning coffee! Data is sourced from Arccos Golf. They have over 750 MILLION shots in their database. Check them out at: ht...
Sep 28, 2024•8 min
You're looking to buy new clubs, and you know you should get fitted for them. But what does that mean? How many clubs in your bag should be customized for you? Is there a difference between your 8 iron fitting and your 6 iron? In this episode, Mark leads a discussion with Greg and Lou about what we should be expecting from custom fitting. They cover a ton of ground: the benefits of fitting, why individual club fitting isn't done (though it has real benefits), who should be fitted, and what you s...
Sep 26, 2024•22 min
Mark, Lou, and Greg continue to take measured data from Tour swings and see what it tells us for making real improvement in our games. In this episode, Mark quizzes Greg and Lou about the elbows: particularly, how far apart Lydia Ko's elbows are at address versus at the top of the swing. Do they get closer together, further apart, or maintain the same distance? And what about one of Mark's own measured swings? You've seen training holds that either hold the elbows together (with a sleeve or a st...
Sep 23, 2024•17 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode is a "manage your expectations" special. We have a very good player, a 5-index, 75 yards from the hole in the fairway. How often is he getting up and down from there? How often is it taking him 4 or more shots to finish that hole? This is certainly an episode that will confound the Twitter golfers! All three of our hosts then offer sound strategies for improving your scores—realistically—in these "gree...
Sep 21, 2024•13 min
If you're a golfer, your putter should come inside with you regularly. Indoor putting practice can be a huge benefit for your game, especially for those who live in climates where it can be the only significant practice for a portion of the year. In this episode, Mark and Lou talk about ways to make your indoor putting practice more beneficial. Some of these are simple drills that anyone can do. Others highlight tools that you can buy (for less than that driver you're eyeing)—tools that will lik...
Sep 19, 2024•21 min
Golf's handicap system is one of its most enduring features: the ability for golfer's of differing skill levels to have a match against each other remains a major draw. But that system is complicated, and most golfers have a very rudimentary understanding of how it works—if they don't misunderstand it altogether. In this episode, Lou and Mark (Greg is out chasing the Schwab Cup) talk about the handicap system: what goes into it, how it's misused, and how it's changed over the years. Where to fin...
Sep 16, 2024•24 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today, we're with a solid golfer. He's hit a tee shot on a par 5, leaving him 200 yards to the hole. How often should he expect to birdie the hole from there? How often will he make bogey? After Mark and Greg register their answers to Lou's question, they talk about strategies and equipment choices that can maximize your chances of shooting your best scores from long range. There is advice here to help everyone's golf...
Sep 14, 2024•12 min
Mark, Lou, and Greg continue to take measured data from Tour (and, in this case, also amateur) swings and see what it tells us for making real improvement in our games. In this episode, Mark quizzes Greg and Lou about hip movement at setup and through the swing. Lou asks a perceptive question: does the pelvis movement create the good swing, or is it an effect of other parts of an elite golf swing? From there, the discussions goes in a number of directions that can help all of us learn how to lea...
Sep 12, 2024•20 min
WIthin the past couple weeks, Scottie Scheffler capped an amazing season on the PGA Tour by winning the Tour Championship and with it, the Fedex Cup and its giant pool of bonus money. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg discuss how the Tour structures its season-ending playoff, with the pros and cons of determining a season-long champion using a playoff. Can significance for an event be created simply with money? Is there another format that might work better? And what are Greg's chances of the...
Sep 09, 2024•26 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this edition of the Saturday Stat, Lou returns to Greg's wheelhouse: putting. Here, Greg and Mark take their best guesses at how often a scratch and a 20-index golfer 3-putt from 16–20'. Turns out, the answers surprise them—and likely you as well. Three-putt avoidance is a key to solid scoring (as Greg knows very well), and this episode will give you some keys to avoid wasting unnecessary strokes on the greens. Eac...
Sep 07, 2024•11 min
Today's episode is all about lining up your putts. Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about using the line on the ball vs drawing lines, whether to use a line at all, how the line on your ball might interact with any alignment lines on your putter, and then, in a discussion for the ages (and one to be continued): an epic new ball marker, invented by Lou, that might be so revolutionary that it's banned by the governing bodies. Lots of good content in this podcast that should help you hole more putts in you...
Sep 05, 2024•29 min
Today's episode is the second part of Mark's interview in Sean Foley. Here, Mark asks Sean what Sean regards as his greatest accomplishment in coaching. The discussion turns philosophical, as Sean reflects on what he really values most in coaching, what he's learned over the years, and what he appreciated most when (as a surprise gift) his wife compiled thank you videos from all his students over his coaching career. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgo...
Sep 02, 2024•15 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this edition of the Saturday Stat, a golfer is sitting in the fairway, 175 yards from the hole. How likely is he to make double or worse if he's a scratch golfer? What if he's a 15-index? Mark and Greg register their guesses, and the actual number surprises them quite a bit. The takeaway: a lot of us have a lot to learn about making smart decisions on the course. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes ...
Aug 31, 2024•13 min
Welcome to another episode of the top-ranked Champions Tour podcast in the world.* In this episode, Greg gets us (and Mark and Lou) up to date as his first season on the Champions Tour draws near the playoffs. We'll hear from Greg how he thinks the season has gone, what has worked well and what hasn't, what has led to a couple of rough closing holes in his good rounds, and what he's hoping for as the Schwab Cup playoffs get under way. * I assume. I haven't confirmed this. Where to find us: Mark ...
Aug 29, 2024•26 min
