Episodes

SMS - How Long Is a 270 Driver?

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...

Project Lou: Episode 6

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...

Backswing Basics

Have you ever taken a swing with a towel or headcover held in your armpit? If so, have we got an episode for you! The truth of the matter is that you need some arm lift in your backswing. In today's episode, Mark helps Lou understand how arm lift works in the backswing, while Greg offers his thoughts as well. This is useful all the time, but especially if you're working on changes to your swing in the off-season. Better arm lift will help generate easier power and also give room for a shallower ...

SMS - 10 Index, Angles and Scoring Average

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. There's a certain approach to golf strategy that insists that there is a *best* angle into the green, and to get that angle, you should try to favor one side of the fairway over the other. In this episode, Lou looks at the data for 10-index golfers, on relatively wide fairways, with the hole cut definitively to one side of the green. On those holes, what do the golfers average from the good angle vs the poor angle? Ma...

Long Irons and Hybrids

The top of your bag, just below your driver, is probably the part of your bag where you have the greatest number of options for how your set is built. How do you know what set makeup is best for you? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the strengths and weaknesses of long irons and hybrids. What's the longest iron you play? What advantages might you gain replacing that iron with a hybrid? This episode will help your clubs help, not hinder, your best scoring on the course. Where to f...

The TGL

This week is the debut of the new tech-heavy indoor team golf league headlined by Tiger and Rory, the TGL. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg break down the news reports of the anticipated format. What aspects of it seem promising, and which might flop? Will the TGL have any impact on the wider popularity of golf? And should the three of them attend a TGL event soon? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: h...

SMS - Percent Not Getting Out of Greenside Bunker, Scratch and 15

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. A couple of episodes ago, Lou asked Mark and Greg about bunker play; today's episode is the much-anticipated follow-up. How often do golfers (scratch and 15-index) leave a greenside bunker shot in the bunker? It's an incredibly frustrating moment on the course, and the guys give advice to minimize the chance of it happening to you, to improve your game. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about ...

Off-Season Golf Stats and Improvement

Today's episode is a listener question. If you listen to this podcast, you know that you ought to track your stats on the course—if you're serious about improvement. In this episode, the question is: what stats and measurements should you track in the off-season if you want to improve? Mark, Lou, and Greg offer their answers and a variety of advice for making the most productive use of the winter months. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subs...

Stretch in the Golf Swing

Today's episode is one that will likely help you hit the ball with more power but less effort: Mark talks about stretch in the swing, mostly the backswing, with Lou and Greg. What is stretch in the swing? How can someone like Rahm, with relatively little stretch the backswing, hit the ball as far as someone like Bubba Watson, who had a ton of stretch? And how can everyday golfers incorporate this idea to improve their own games? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://ww...

SMS - 10 Index, FW, Strokes to Hole Out from 50/100/150

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou joins our 10-index player at 50, 100, and 150 yards from the hole in fairway. How many strokes, on average, will it take him to hole out from each distance? Mark and Greg offer their guesses, and what unfolds is a great discussion (with data!) about what you really cost yourself when you lay up to 100 yards instead of pushing the ball up as close to the green as possible, even if you're left wi...

Was Your Golf Season a Success?

Whether or not your playing season is determined by the weather, the turn of the calendar is a good time to look back over your play this last season. In this episode, in reply to the listener question, Lou, Mark, and Greg give their counsel about how normal golfers should go about evaluating their seasons. Key topics: setting goals and getting accurate data about how you really played. Bonus: fashion critiques and a movie recommendation. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: ...

Volunteers at Pro Golf Events

Professional golf tournaments at the highest level are huge undertakings. It is customary at these events for the tournament to rely on hundreds of volunteers. Increasingly, those volunteers are asked to pay—sometimes, quite a lot—for the privilege of volunteering. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about this practice and how defensible it really is. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twit...