Hack It Out Golf

Former professional Stuart Grehan earned a spot in this year's Open Championship by winning an Amateur Championship. In this episode, Mark and Lou revisit the controversy surrounding former tour pros returning to the amateur ranks to secure major championship exemptions. Has Lou changed his mind after the last conversation? Is there are fair line that can be drawn? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/contact/ Listeners can also

Can golf crowds be rolled back? In this episode, Mark and Lou take up the points of the new spectator Code of Conduct for the 2026 Open Championship. Will a stated code help with fan behavior? Is it unnecessary—or perhaps worse, hypocritical? The full text can be found here: https://www.theopen.com/tickets-and-hospitality/spectator-code-of-conduct If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/contact/ Listeners can also leave us a voicema

We've been doing Saturday Stats for 3 years now: it's time for a best of! In today's episode, we pull up two classics. The Saturday Stat episodes have become a standard because they might have the best banter and bits, but also because our regular listeners have built up a storehouse of reasonable expectations. Let's see if you can recall these answers from episodes on putting and driving, while enjoying some of the best moments in Stat history! Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minut

Mark has been aiming to play at a serious level—and his chipping is holding him back. In this episode, Mark makes a plea for help: do Greg and Lou have any practice tips to improve his game within 30 yards? Mark isn't alone here: many amateur golfers cost themselves strokes in this range. Lou and Greg offer practice games and (even contrasting) ways to think about these delicate shots to get the ball closer to the hole more frequently. If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please

Golf is a maddening game—sometimes even at the highest levels. In the recent US Open, penalties were issued to a player who melted down on a hole, and they were costly. In this episode, Greg and Mark talk about the new code of conduct penalties. Is it odd that there was no video of the incident? Are strokes or fines a better way to handle these situations? And what are Greg and Mark's worst tournament scores? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.ha

How far is far enough? In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg about a standard drive on a typical hole. How far do you need to hit it—in the fairway—to break even on a strokes gained against your handicap peers? The answer might surprise you. But the takeaway for your own game might also surprise you. 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 lo