Episodes

You step into the shot and start to settle in. How do you know when you've nailed your setup and are ready to go? In today's episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg reply to a listener question about setup. The quest for "perfect" is itself a challenge: you can make a bad swing out of a good setup and a good swing from a bad setup. But there are ways to learn your own tendencies, what works for you, and how to keep those good setup positions in place for future rounds. If you have a question you want cove...

How many holes can you go without a double (or worse)? In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg to compare to very different skills levels (scratch and 15-index) at double-bogey avoidance. After Greg gives what might be the least accurate answer in the history of the Saturday Stat, the guys get it back on the rails and discuss ways to avoid the card-wreckers. 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 imp...

Ryan Fox wins the Open! In this episode, Mark and Lou recap an eventful edition of the Open Championship. They discuss the (several) rules incidents, the brilliant play of Ryan Fox (and others), and Mark offers some comments on Fox's unusual, but obviously very effective, swing. 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 voicemail! https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/ Where to find us: Mark ...

The 2026 Open ended yesterday, but Mark has questions about its future. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg start with an obvious premise: the way that the Open Rota links courses play tends to be more determined by weather than is the case for the majors based in America. As weather patterns change, has the Open gotten too baked out? Should links golf subject its competitors to more cold and rain? And how much luck is too much? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit...

Three-putts ruin rounds—especially when you're not that far away from the hole. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg compare the 3-putt percentages from 25 feet of Tour players to 5-index and 15-index golfers. It turns out, Tour players and good and 15-index golfers are less good. But it might surprise you by how much—and light a fire to practice the things that will actually help you avoid wasting shots on the greens. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesti...

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...

Recently, the governing bodies scuttled the plan for the incremental rollout of the rollback. Why? And what's next? In the episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg continue discussing the ongoing saga. Key the whole debate: what actually is the problem? 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 voicemail! https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/ Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https:...

The PGA Tour has recently released its new Championship Series/Challenger Series two track tournament format, and Rory(!) seems unimpressed. In this episode, Mark, Greg, and Lou take Rory's comments as a jumping off point to discuss how the new format might play out—and how it could have been more creative. Is it just the same thing the Tour had before LIV showed up? Are the Challenger Series events nothing but glorified Korn Ferry tournaments? If you have a question you want covered on the pod...

We often talk about managing expectations for particular shots. What are reasonable expectations for a full round? In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg about a 10-index golfer: in a typical 18-hole round, how many birdies, bogeys, and doubles will he make? When the dust settles, the guys give advice for reducing the number of big numbers—the key for most golfers to make the biggest improvement in their scores. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting gol...

With the third major of the year completed, Greg and Mark offer their takeaways from Wyndham Clark's impressive victory at Shinnecock Hills. They discuss the quality of his play, the reputation that has followed him since the last US Open, the crowd behavior as he closed in on his victory, and the way he handled the pressure and the crowd as he claimed his second US Open title. If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/contact/ Listen...

Most beginning golfers slice, and the draw becomes an early aspiration. But should more amateurs just love their fade? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk shot shapes. Is there an advantage hitting one shape over the other—or shaping it both ways? Should most golfers try to change their shape, or instead play smart, strategic golf with the shape they have? And what do you do when either shape could show up on any swing? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit her...

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 1 BILLION shots in their database. Check them out at: https://www.arccosgolf.com/ Use code DATALOU15 for 15% off! If you have a questi...

We're in a major week—there's only one more in 2026, and it seems like the season just started? Are the majors too compressed in the schedule? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk golf from the fan's perspective. Should the majors be spaced out a little more during the season? And with the World Cup happening right now, the biggest spectacle in sports, what could professional golf learn to bring more attention to our game? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit h...

The first editions of next year's PGA Tour schedule are releasing, and changes are afoot. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg break down the latest attempt to create tiers of events, a lower one for elite golfers and a higher one for elite-r golfers. Does this have any more promise than previous iterations? Will the Tour ever do better than Monday Q Info at promoting ascending golfers? And should Mark get a sponsor's invite? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit her...

Not every par 72 is the same. In this episode, Lou sends out the good golfers—scratch and 5 index—to "hard" and "easy" courses (distinguished by their course rating). Are these difficulty ratings accurate? How often will these good players break part on courses of different difficulty? And has Mark turned in Lou's DM guy, who doubts the numbers because it isn't what he sees? Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss what you can le...

During the week of the Memorial, Jack Nicklaus made a new set of comments at a press conference in support of a rolled back golf ball. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg consider his opinion. Does winning 18 majors convey expertise on this topic? Are opponents of the rollback just parroting the talking points of their OEM sponsors? 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 voicemail! https://ww...

A listener question sends Lou on a deep, deep dive into the Arccos database. We know that "never up, never in" is poor advice, especially on longer putts. But if a putt rolls past the hole, how much more likely is a golfer to make the comebacker than a similar-length putt where he hasn't seen the break? Lou, Greg, and Mark talk about the way that gathering information from balls rolling on the green can help you putt fewer times and shoot lower scores. If you have a question you want covered on...

Among the most prominent themes of this podcast is the need to manage expectations. That's not just a "each shot" idea; it's a "whole round" idea. How often will golfers of differing handicaps have one of those rounds, scoring at least 5 shots higher than his typical scoring average? Lou puts this question to Mark and Greg, and after the scoring is settled, they give advice for keeping in the round when things aren't going your way. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) abou...

The 2026 PGA Championship was won by an incredible performance by Aaron Rai. So shouldn't that—and maybe not how he chooses to cover his hands and his irons—be the lead story? In this episode, Tour Slayer, Lou, and Greg talk about the way Rai's victory was covered, and how it tended to overshadow just how spectacular his play was. They also discuss the future of LIV players and take a few stabs at predictions for the upcoming US Open at Shinnecock. If you have a question you want covered on the...