Hack It Out Golf

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 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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 can also leave us a voicemail! https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/

Where to find us:

Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 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 MARK15 for 15% off!

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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/

Where to find us:

Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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/contact/

Listeners can also leave us a voicemail! https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/

Where to find us:

Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 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 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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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/contact/

Listeners can also leave us a voicemail! https://www.hackitoutgolf.com/voicemail/

Where to find us:

Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter: https://www.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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: 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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 on the planet.

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 MARK15 for 15% off!

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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 avid amateur who wants to improve his game and loves to learn. And Greg reminds us that even pro golfers will flip through Instagram, hoping to find a feel or a tweak to unlock some higher level of performance.

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.crossfieldgolf.com/subscribe

Mark Crossfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/4golfonline

Mark Crossfield on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4golfonline

Lou Stagner's weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/subscribe

Lou Stagner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

Greg Chalmers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregChalmersPGA

The Hack It Out Golf Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItOutGolf

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.