Episodes

It's Masters Week! In today's episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the otherworldly magic that exist at Augusta National, where the normal rules of reality seem not to apply. Has Scottie peaked? What does Rory do for an encore? And who are they picking to win this year's edition of the tournament? 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/ Wh...

Ah, the short par 5: might as well call them gimme birdies, right? Ahem. In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg how often solid amateur golfers of two different standards will break par on a short par 5. After the answers are sorted, they offer advice for dealing with expectations for scoring on each of the standard par holes—advice that might make you appreciate your birdies even more. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss wh...

Again. Sadly, again. In this episode of the podcast, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about the arrest of Tiger Woods for driving under the influence. They discuss the media coverage and the place of Tiger in the modern golf marketplace. 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://www.crossf...

There are just a handful of notable professional golfers still using the long putters, and whenever they have success, they are often publicly suspected of cheating the no-anchoring rule. In this episode, Mark and Lou discuss this pattern. Should anchoring have been banned in the first place? Is there a performance advantage from anchoring? And there's a putting technique that Lou hasn't tried? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com...

With Greg missing, Lou brings a Tiger question to today's Saturday Stat. We all have the memories of Tiger's clutch moments, many of which were must-make putts that he seemed to always make. But did he? Today's question: how does Tiger's make rate for putts in the final round of tournaments compare with his normal make rate? Mark competes against Lou's newsletter audience as we seek to separate fact from myth. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf s...

The whole golf world knows: one way to lower your scores is to increase your swing speed. But all the swing speed in the world won't help your scores if you can't convert it into ball speed—and that means you still need to find the center of the clubface when you're swinging fast. In this episode, Mark and Lou answer a listener question about exactly this topic, and offer pointers to help ordinary golfers make their best strikes while making their fastest swings. If you have a question you want...

In today's episode, Mark and Lou take on a grab bag of questions. Should the Tour Championship be a match play event? Is match play a decent way to find the best golfer—and is it a good format for watching golf? And the European Ryder Cup team recently announced that Luke Donald is coming back as captain for the third time—should Team USA just concede the 2028 Ryder Cup now? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/contact/ Listeners...

A 5-index golfer is a good player. How close does he need to hit his approach from 40, 100, and 180 yards in the fairway to gain strokes? This is today's question from Lou's dive into the Arccos database, and Mark and Greg's answers lead to some significant surprises. As always with the Saturday Stat: these are numbers that can help you set and maintain expectations on the course, and even help establish better strategy for your approach shots. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minute...

Right now, the question is whether Tiger will play the Masters. But if he wants tournament reps, should he also play the Champions Tour? In this episode, Mark and Greg talk about that possibility. What would make it worthwhile for Tiger to play on the Champions Tour? Would he dominate the field there? Is he just scared of the Greggie? 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://w...

In this episode, Mark and Greg talk forecasting—projecting future outcomes during a round. Drawing from personal experience and Tour insights, they offer strategies for staying present. Mark shares how his most relaxed and enjoyable golf happened when score didn’t matter, and Greg offers practical ways to build awareness of forecasting tendencies that all of us can use in our next round. If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/contac...

Par is just a number. But so is course rating. How much better will a 10 index golfer play at an "easy" course? And what impact will a "hard" course have on his average score? Lou puts Mark and Greg to the test, and we all come away with better expectations for our next rounds of golf. 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 a...

Social media swing tips and training aid adverts are full of help to get you to shallow your swing. Should you? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg talk about shallowing. What does it even mean? How do cameras deceive us about what's happening in the swing? Is there a connection between a shallowing downswing and a shallow angle of attack? And can you play good golf without trying to shallow? If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/...

A useful, technical listener question: what is the relationship between swing path and angle of attack? Mark takes the lead on answering a listener question (that might be from Lou?). If the driver head is ascending into impact, isn't it more likely also turning back to the inside of the arc? Mark attempts to offer some conceptual clarity on a good question—a concept that could have you hitting longer, straighter drives. If you have a question you want covered on the pod, please submit here: ht...

Tour pros are good—we all know that. But how much better are the very best Tour pros compared to their peers further down the leaderboards? In this episode, Lou asks Mark and Greg about how often Tour players hit the green from 175 yards in the fairway. The comparison: the top 10 players in the world versus those ranked from 150–175. How big is the gap between these elite golfers? There's a scoring controversy, but also some good discussion about how thin the margins are between the best golfers...

There has never been more information available to a golfer who wants to improve as there is now. But how can you separate the good information from the bad? And perhaps even harder: in the good information, how can you know what's relevant for you? In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg bring their different perspectives to bear on these questions. Mark, as one of the first to use YouTube for golf instruction, is keenly aware of the gimmicks that are abundant in golf instruction media. Lou is an ...

A bit of a grab bag of listener questions in today's episode. Greg and Mark take on three good ones. The first: what should I expect from a clubfitting? Am I good enough for a fitting? How much can getting fitted for clubs matter for my game? The second: how can an amateur golfer have fun on the course and not allow this game to drive him crazy? And finally, how and when should junior golfers be introduced to competitive play? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www....

A 10-index golfer misses the green, but he's close to the green. Would he be better to be in the rough or the bunker? And by how much? In this episode, Lou brings the question to Mark and Greg. The first drama: can Greg continue trotting? Will the podcast continue when Lou needs to be rebooted mid-episode? And how can ordinary golfers make bunkers less penalizing? 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 mo...

What can you do with speed on the course? In this episode, a Lou-less Mark and Greg answer a listener question about speed gains. Surely, more speed means longer drives, but what other options does it offer? Greg has gained speed over the past several years, and Mark is working hard on his own speed-gaining project now. They talk about shots off the tee and into the green that are possible with additional speed that simply are closed off to those who don't have that same advantage. Where to fin...

Today's episode begins with a list: the driver speeds of some of the younger, up-and-coming Tour pros. Mark, Lou, and Greg (at least until his internet failed and/or he bailed on the call because he was intimidated by the speed of Mark and Lou) jump from there to a discussion of the future of speed in the professional game. They talk about why these younger pros are so much faster than those who came before them. A key for the rest of us: learning to have the courage to take your speed to the co...

Longtime listeners of the pod will know that for typical golfers, the key to lower scores isn't making more birdies. Today's episode drives that point home. How many birdies will a 10-index golfer make when he shoots in the 90s versus his rounds when he shoots in the 70s? Mark and Greg offer their guesses, and there is no small surprise when Lou reveals the correct answer.... Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an interesting golf stat. We will discuss what you can l...

Today, a listener question: is changing grip a good way to change a shot shape on a particular shot? Mark brings this topic to Lou and Greg, and they discuss whether they themselves would use differing grips on the course to hit specific shots. From there, there's a bit of a deep dive into the various ways (and there are many) that grip changes can change ball flight—with maybe a dash of Project Lou here as well. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf...

Today, a listener question: is changing grip a good way to change a shot shape on a particular shot? Mark brings this topic to Lou and Greg, and they discuss whether they themselves would use differing grips on the course to hit specific shots. From there, there's a bit of a deep dive into the various ways (and there are many) that grip changes can change ball flight—with maybe a dash of Project Lou here as well. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf...

Picking up with more on hitting greens. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg dig deeper into the stats of GIR, in a way that emphasizes just how much it matters to hit greens, and how vast the gap is between great and less-great golfers in their approach play skill. Take this as motivation to work on your skill with the full swing. Episode 1 of this series Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hitting-more-greens-in-regulation-part-one/id1543363295?i=1000749377483 Spotify: http...

Picking up with more on hitting greens. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg dig deeper into the stats of GIR, in a way that emphasizes just how much it matters to hit greens, and how vast the gap is between great and less-great golfers in their approach play skill. Take this as motivation to work on your skill with the full swing. Episode 1 of this series Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hitting-more-greens-in-regulation-part-one/id1543363295?i=1000749377483 Spotify: http...