Hack It Out Golf

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 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 great, broadly applicable listener question today. In the past couple of decades, drivers have not only experienced increases in head size, but also in shaft length. In today's episode, Mark and Lou ask whether many amateurs might not be better off the tee with a shorter driver shaft. What are the trade-offs in shaft lengths? Is it possible that a shorter shaft might produce tighter dispersion and greater distance? And how should a typical golfer go about testing this?

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.

By this point, we know that we want to avoid short-siding ourselves. But should we think about uphill vs downhill chips? In this episode, Lou offers Mark and Greg a handful of scenarios with Tour players around the green. They have different amounts of green to work with, but some chips are uphill and others are downhill. What effect does that have on scoring? And stay turned for Lou's bonus question: it adds an unexpected wrinkle to the data.

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.

It's just bomb and gouge, right? In this episode, Mark and Lou look at the numbers to see if reality matches the common perception that Tour players almost never have long approach shots anymore. Are there still any 3-shot holes on the PGA Tour? How often does a Tour pro have a short iron left on a par 5? If there is a discussion to be had about distance, it starts with knowing what is *actually* happening on the course, and not just opinions.

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 of Hack It Out Golf, Mark, Greg, and Lou welcome Champions Tour star Steven Alker. They explore his journey from New Zealand amateur golf through the Canada, European, Korn Ferry, and PGA Tours, to his remarkable Champions Tour career: 11 wins, a perfect 104/104 cuts made, and 76 top-10s in just 104 events. Steven shares the key shifts in his game: smarter (not harder) preparation, mental freshness, energy conservation, a simple technical blueprint with strong face stability, and giving himself freedom to enjoy golf with less self-pressure in his 50s. A great listen on career longevity and unlocking peak performance later in life.

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.

Is it a trick question? In this episode, Lou asks about the green light scenario: 100 yards in the fairway on a par 4. How often will a scratch, a 10, and a 20-index golfer make double bogey or worse in that scenario? You'd think it wouldn't be that often—but you might be overlooking something. And if you can fix that thing, your scoring might get better here too.

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.

If you have a course you play regularly, you almost certainly have one hole that gives you fits. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and Greg give advice for troublesome holes. If a hole makes you choose between tee shot lengths, do you know which one creates a better average score for you? Do you have a 'get it in play' shot that you can rely on when there's trouble everywhere? And how do you get past the mental scars on holes like this?

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.

If you're listening to this podcast, there's a good chance you have a swing thought—and there's a pretty high chance that you're thinking about how some part of your body should be moving (or not) during the swing. In this episode, Mark and Greg talk about one of the most important ideas in golf improvement: you can think about something other than your body position during the swing. They discuss the meaning of internal and external focus, when each might be useful, and how an external focus can free you up on the course to hit your best possible shots.

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.

Scratch is a aspiration for most amateur golfers, and it's a very good standard of play. How good? In this episode, Lou brings three different stats about scratch golfers, and Mark and Greg attempt to guess how a scratch player would perform in each. The answers might be surprising—and will absolutely contribute to all of us managing our expectations.

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.

It's hard to play effective golf with an extreme swing path. The problem: most golfers are very consistent with swing path—even when they don't want to be. In this episode, Mark and Greg talk about strategies to dislodge a less-than-optimal path and move it to a place of greater functionality. They explain that path sometimes is the result instead of the cause of the problem and the importance of both measured data and a trained eye to make the quickest progress to good golf.

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.