What does Collin Morikawa owe you? In recent weeks, Morikawa ducked the typical post-round press conference following a tough defeat. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg bring their differing perspectives to this incident. Should Morikawa have taken questions? Do we really learn anything from these interviews? What role does he have as an example to others? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter...
Mar 24, 2025•23 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. How close do you need to be to the hole so that more of your shots finish outside 30 feet than inside? That's the question Lou puts to Mark and Greg in today's episode. It turns out, amateurs are often harder on themselves than they should be—and that we don't have enough awe at how good professionals are at this game. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will di...
Mar 22, 2025•11 min
The TGL regular season has ended, and so Mark, Lou, and Greg offer their thoughts on the first year. In this episode, they talk about the viewing numbers, the format of the game (and the rule changes), and the ways that the league could be tweaked to make it even more engaging going forward. 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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min
Greg came thisclose to winning the 2025 Cologuard Classic. In this episode, Mark and Lou don their media hats to do the post-round interview, Hack It Out-style. We get Greg's thoughts on some of the crucial shots down the stretch, the pressure of sleeping (twice) on the lead, the challenge of bringing some new swing movement into tournament pressure (and having the old pattern show up at the wrong time), and why Greg loved Sunday. Gregulators: this is a must-listen. Where to find us: Mark Crossf...
Mar 17, 2025•34 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode is a curveball: Lou wraps up in his Tiger Woods throw blanket and puts some trivia questions to Greg and Mark about the magnitude of Tiger's dominance. In addition to highlighting just how great Tiger was, we learn how much Mark dislikes trivia questions and what it was like to play with Tiger from Greg. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will d...
Mar 15, 2025•14 min
From Lou's swing laboratory: Lou is working on a way to practice hitting shots from slopes, not only to work on those shots, but to work on the various pressure shifts in the golf swing. In this episode, he talks with Mark about his plans. The discussion includes the various effects of slopes on shots (which are different with different clubs) and the different ways in which golfers apply ground forces in the swing. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgol...
Mar 13, 2025•24 min
Almost a year ago, Mark had a lesson with highly-regarded golf coach Sean Foley. Sean recommended a number of changes—big changes—to Mark's swing. In this episode, Mark and Lou talk about Mark's process of making those changes. Mark talks about what Sean wanted him to do (and why), and then the process he's pursued to work those changes into his swing. A key idea: not all swing training needs to take place on the course or the range, or even when you have access to a golf club. Video of Mark's l...
Mar 10, 2025•31 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode: how far away is 3.19 strokes? Take a Tour Pro and a 15-index and drop them both in the fairway at the point that they will, on average, take 3.19 more strokes to get in the hole. What distances are they at? Lou puts this question to Mark and Greg, they guess, and much astonishment follows. Turns out: Tour Pros are really, really good—and most of us have a lot of room to get better, and would be helped...
Mar 08, 2025•13 min
Greg's second season on the Champions Tour is underway. This season, Greg is aiming to do more data-collection, so that he can know and not just guess what's working and what's not in his game. In today's episode, he and Mark talk through his first round using Arccos. They discuss alternatives to the tags on the grips, getting comfortable with the app, and getting started with the multitude of stats that Arccos tracks for you. Whether you're a tech guy or not, there are things to learn here to i...
Mar 06, 2025•29 min
Amateur golfers obsess over swing path and face angle, and with good reason. But golf is a game of distance and direction, and much of the test of distance is distance control : having a very clear idea, within a few yards, of how far your typical shot will go. In this episode, Greg and Mark (Lou is out with a bout of flu) talk through a whole series of pointers that will help you play better by hitting shots as far as they need to go. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https...
Mar 03, 2025•30 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode remains one of the most important concepts to grasp if you want to improve your scores. All golfers have a fairly wide range of scores. For a 10 index, breaking 80 is a good round while shooting over 90 leaves him frustrated. The question: how many birdies does he makes in those good rounds vs in the bad rounds? Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. W...
Mar 01, 2025•10 min
In this episode, Lou and Mark begin with some competitive banter about a hole they recently played together—especially their quite differing approaches to reading putts. Both speak of what they look for on the greens, and then they turn the stage over to Greg: statistically, one of the best putters ever to play the game. You need to putt on almost every hole you play. Reading greens is a skill that you can sharpen, and it will lower your scores if you work on it. Where to find us: Mark Crossfiel...
Feb 27, 2025•19 min
You've waited for this: this is the episode in which Lou, Mark, and Greg recap Lou's lesson when they were together at the PGA Show. If you are a regular listener to this podcast, there some chance that the technical changes that Lou's swing needs apply to you. But there's an even better chance that we together need to learn how to learn: how to make changes to our game that make a difference—and that transfer into our game on the course. There's much to learn here that will make our golf, not j...
Feb 24, 2025•34 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. We've been on a roll lately with episodes that are surprising. Today, Lou's question is about really good shots: how often does a Tour pro finish within 10 feet from 85 and 120 and 170 yards? Mark and Greg guess, and the longer you've been listening to good information, the more surprised you might be by the answers. Turns out: Tour pros are really, really good. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long...
Feb 22, 2025•12 min
Mark, Greg, and Lou take a listener questioner: for this player, his 7 iron swing speed is right around Tour average, but his driver swing caps out at 105mph. Why might that be? Each of the guys offer possible reasons for this discrepancy but also encourage him—and all golfers struggling with a specific issue—to seek out specific advice. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline Mark...
Feb 20, 2025•17 min
Today, the Gears shift: instead of Lou's measurements, Greg's swing gets analyzed and tweaked. When the Hack It Out team was together, Greg had his swing measured, in today's episode, Mark, Greg, and Lou discuss what they learned. Greg talks through some of the technical changes he's been making, but the broader discussion of how to implement intentional changes in your golf swing is relevant to improving golfers at all levels. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.c...
Feb 17, 2025•35 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode brings us to new territory, as the TOUR's allows for more granular stats: how does green firmness affect how close a Tour pro can get to the pin? In this episode, Mark and Greg guess the median proximity for soft, medium, and hard greens. Lou brings the answer—and it will likely surprise you. How much difference do you think it makes? The guys then give a short discussion about how to make changes to y...
Feb 15, 2025•14 min
Project Lou continues, with Lou getting on the Gears system and getting measured. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about what Lou learned. An important takeaway for all golfers: even if you think you're a "feel" player, getting measurements about your swing can help you better match your feels to your intentions. In this discussion, you'll see how that happened for Lou, what Greg is anticipating with his own measurements, and how Mark wants to use this information as a coach to help Lou...
Feb 13, 2025•27 min
The PGA Tour recently announced several changes that are designed to speed up play, including allowing rangefinders during tournament rounds. In this episode, Lou, Mark, and Greg discuss these changes. Among the topics: will this actually speed up play? What other technology should be permitted for tournament rounds? And is determining distance for your shot one of the skills of golf? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield ...
Feb 10, 2025•23 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today's episode highlights a decent 10-index golfer, 90 yards from the hole in the fairway: expectations are high. Lou's question: how often will he get up and down from there? On the flip side: how often is it going to take him 4 (or more) shots to finish this hole? Mark and Greg offer their guesses, a winner is crowned, and we all get a lesson in what to expect on these "attack the flag" situations. Each of these wi...
Feb 08, 2025•10 min
Gregulators: another seasons dawns, and it's time to mount up! Today's episode releases as Greg begins his second season on the Champions Tour, and so he joins Lou and Mark to talk about the final off-season preparations, his opening tournament in Morocco, and his expectations for the season ahead. Lou continues his campaign to take the bag from Dougie. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/...
Feb 06, 2025•22 min
Mark, Lou, and Greg took the opportunity again this year to meet up in person at the 2025 PGA Show in Orlando. In today's episode, the recount the show itself, a battle with food poisoning, new revelations about Lou's proportions, others in the golf industry they were able to reconnect with, some of the more interesting displays, and the beginnings of some in-person measuring and coaching of Lou. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark...
Feb 03, 2025•31 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, we have three golfers hitting their approach into the green on a par 4 from 150 yards: one scratch, one a 10 index, and the last a 20 index. What are the odds that each make double-bogey or worse? Lou brings the Arccos data, Mark and Greg offer their guesses, and all three give advice that will help you score better during your rounds. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about...
Feb 01, 2025•13 min
The legendary golf instructor Harvey Penick said, "Golf tips are like aspirin. One may do you good, but if you swallow the whole bottle you will be lucky to survive." There's wisdom there—but maybe not in your practice, when you're trying to change your swing. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg make the case for dramatically overdoing your swing change. Why would you intentionally practice "wrong?" Because pushing to extremes just might unlock the target you're after in golf. Newsletter video ...
Jan 30, 2025•34 min
Would you rather shoot better scores or play with flair and style? I think most of us know , if we're trying to lower the handicap, we should want to get the ball in the hole in the fewest shots, regardless if our style impresses our playing partners. In this episode, Lou brings a recent golf study to Mark and Lou: most golfers get their chip shots much closer to the hole when they hit those shots with a hybrid rather than a wedge. They talk through the study, the pros and cons, and ask you to c...
Jan 27, 2025•25 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. As always, the best Saturday Stats the ones when Mark and Greg's guesses are furthest from the number. Today, Lou's topic are the green-light shots: a wedge from the fairway for Tour pros. How often are they hitting the green, what's their average proximity, and what's the scoring average? Once again, this is a masterclass in expectations management! Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an i...
Jan 25, 2025•15 min
Today's episode takes us to one of the "fundamentals" of golf, but perhaps not in a way you'd expect. Mark, Lou, and Greg talk ball position, and one idea that Mark leads with is that while your ball position needs to be intentional , it might not always need to be the same . You probably know that ball position can change ball flight, especially height. Have you thought about the way it influences club delivery and body movements? Here's an episode that shows that small changes can produce sign...
Jan 23, 2025•24 min
Professional men's golf continues to remain in flux. There was a time when the European Tour was a near peer if not a full peer of the PGA Tour. That is no longer the case; indeed, the current arrangement has the DP World Tour sending its best players each year to the PGA Tour. Has the DP World made poor decisions? In today's episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the past, present, and future of the DP World Tour. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgol...
Jan 20, 2025•24 min
Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. There probably isn't an "expectations management" issue that is more obvious than driving distance. In this episode, Lou asks Greg and Mark about an amateur male golfer with a median driving distance around 270: where does he rank compared to his peers? Turns out, he's way better than most—which means most of us aren't hitting it as far as we claim, and need a more realistic understanding of what a good drive is for u...
Jan 18, 2025•13 min
Project Lou returns! In this episode, Lou is the student and Mark is the coach, and Greg might be the crisis negotiator brought in to defuse the situation. The guys update us on what Lou has been working on, providing important information on the relationship of plane to path. But the conversation becomes bigger: how quickly should swing changes take root? When is it not worth it to make a change? Most crucially: why is it so hard for many of us amateurs to make a swing change? You'll learn some...
Jan 16, 2025•42 min
