Episodes

How do you get ready for a round? Is your warm-up the sprint from the car to the first tee? Or do you have a scripted-to-the-minute routine, complete with a full physio, range session, short game practice, and a putting schedule? (Looking at you, Lou.) In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg give pointers from their own experience on Tour, coaching, and playing as to the best ways to get the most out of your pre-round warm-ups, so that you put yourself in the very best position to play your best go...

SMS - 100-109 yards, Up and Down, Scratch vs 15

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, the shot under consideration is the obvious green light: the chance to get up and down from about 100 yards away. How often does a scratch player actually accomplish that? What about a 15-handicap? In this episode, Lou brings the numbers for Mark and Greg, and then the guys talk about the proper expectations for this shot—including something too far from many amateurs' minds: avoiding the big numbe...

Professional Tour TV Ratings

How much golf have you been watching? In this episode, Greg brings the numbers (Lou is impressed) on this season's steep decline in TV viewership of the Tour. Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the factors that might be contributing to this downturn, including the play, the product, and the switch to streaming instead of TV. They also discuss the link—if there is any—between golf viewership on TV and golf participation at your local course. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: ht...

Walking vs. Cart/Buggy vs. Trolley/Pushcart

How do you get around the golf course? Do you walk and carry your bag? Or do you push a pushcart/trolley? Or do you typically ride a cart/buggy? [Also, could we please get an the English speakers around the world to adopt one language?] In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about how they prefer their golf commute. Lou talks about the effect of walking vs carting on scoring, and Greg talks about removing regulators, but not Gregulators. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter...

Saturday Morning Golf Stat - 20 Yards, 15 Index, PW vs LW

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In this week's stat, an ordinary golfer is 20 yards from the hole with a reasonable amount of green to work with. Should he use his LW or PW? Lou quizzes Mark and Greg on this question, and the three of them have a great discussion that might well help you make choices on the course that will save you fractional strokes—fractional strokes that become full strokes off your score by the end of the round. Each of these ...

Professional Caddies

Caddies have long been part of professional golf—some have achieved remarkable, sustained success. In this episode, Mark and Greg talk about the role of a caddie in professional golf: how they are chosen, what their responsibilities are, the boundaries of on- and off-course friendships, and the challenge of changing a caddie. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline Mark Crossfi...

Dealing With a Slump

A slump. A setback. A downturn in form. A funk. A run of bad play. Whatever you want to call it, anyone who plays golf for any length of time will have a period in which their standard of play isn't meeting the standard that they've already established. How do you turn things around? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg give their advice for shaking off a period of bad golf and getting back to having fun on the course (and it might mean that having fun is how you break the slump). Where to find...

Saturday Morning Golf Stat - GIR, Scratch vs 15 Index

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. This week's stat is simple: greens in regulation, the "traditional" stat that has the greatest correlation with handicap and scoring. In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg to guess the average GIRs of a scratch golfer and of a 15-index player. After, they give advice to help with your approaches to the green—and your approach to golf. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting go...

Using Ground Forces

With Lou out for this episode, Mark and Greg sit down to talk ground forces. Perhaps you caught Mark's video about the lesson Greg had about ground forces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eay0xd61fyY). In today's show, they talk about what it means to use the ground (hint: you are), how to use the ground well, and how wise use of technology can lead to big changes in your swing and improvements in ball flight—sometimes without thinking about how you're swinging at all. Where to find us: Mark C...

Project Lou: Episode Five

Project Lou returns! In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about Lou's current progress, including a recent driver lesson in which Lou learned that he was re-gripping his hands on his driver swing. The guys talk about the importance of lessons—continued lessons—and maybe make some plans for another in-person meeting in the future. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline Mar...

Saturday Morning Golf Stat - 15 Yard Bunker, Scratch and 15, Shots to Hole Out

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. This week's episode takes us to a greenside bunker, where we're joined by a scratch golfer and a 15 index. How many shots, on average, will it take each of them to hole out? In our episode this week, Greg and Mark each take a crack at answering Lou's question, and then they talk about growing in bunker play skill and having reasonable expectations from the sand traps. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minut...

Masters Recap

Scottie dons a second green jacket at the 2024 Masters! In this episode, Lou, Mark, and Greg offer their opinions on the recently-concluded major, from the course setup, the app experience, whether dominance is boring, Tiger's performance—and more. Join us as we revisit the highlights of one of the best events of the season. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline Mark Crossfie...

When to Change Coaches