Links for Life

What makes pros different isn’t just talent. It’s how they approach the game. In this video we break down 5 things the best players in the world do every round that most amateurs completely overlook.

From how they manage their pace to the way they handle pressure and stay locked in on every shot these are the habits that separate elite players from the rest of us. If you want to start thinking more like a pro and playing with more purpose this is where to start.

0:00 Intro

0:17 Habit 1

1:40 Habit 2

2:41 Habit 3

4:04 Habit 4

5:15 Habit 5

6:51 Final Thoughts

Breaking 100 is one of the most rewarding milestones in golf, and it is closer than most people think. In this episode, Tommy walks through five practical tips covering scoring strategy, practice habits, course management, and mindset that will help you get there faster. Whether you are stuck at 105 or hovering right on the edge, these are the adjustments that actually move the needle.

What You'll Take Away:

• Why minimizing triple bogeys matters more than eliminating doubles
• How to get out of trouble without compounding one bad shot with a second bad decision
• Why spending the majority of your practice time inside 100 yards fast-tracks your improvement
• Simple short game alternatives to the 60-degree wedge that will quietly save you strokes
• How to manage the tee box and stop giving away penalty strokes before the hole even starts
• Why aiming for the center of the green and taking one extra club changes everything
• The counterintuitive mindset shift that may lower your score faster than any technical tip

Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction

(0:32) Tip 1: Minimize Triple Bogeys

(1:57) Tip 2: Practice Inside 100 Yards

(3:44) Tip 3: Keep the Ball in Play Off the Tee

(5:10) Tip 4: Aim Center and Take More Club

(6:22) Tip 5: You Are Not Your Score

If you want to lower your scores quickly, putting is the fastest way to do it.

Most golfers lose strokes on the green for one simple reason, they don’t have a clear plan. In this video, we walk through 5 simple strategies you can start using immediately to reduce 3 putts, improve your distance control, and become a more confident putter.

If you can control your speed and eliminate wasted strokes on the green, your scores will drop fast.

0:00 Intro

0:22 Strategy #1: Minimize 3 Putts

1:14 Strategy #2: Know When to Putt Aggressive or Conservative

3:21 Strategy #3: Favor the High Side

4:15 Strategy #4: Make Every Putt a Straight Putt

5:35 Strategy #5: Calibrate Your Speed Pre-Round

6:49 Final Thoughts

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Loren Roberts is one of the most decorated players in Champions Tour history, with eight PGA Tour wins and 13 more on the senior circuit, and Tommy Thompson sat down with him for one of the most personal conversations Links for Life has ever had. Loren walks through his unlikely path to the tour, the 1994 US Open playoff against Ernie Els that still sticks with him, and the faith commitment that reframed everything, including two putts, same prayer, two very different outcomes. He also shares what he sees most average golfers doing wrong on the greens, and the one drill that fixes it.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• How Loren got into golf later than most and almost became a club pro instead
• The story of selling shares of himself to ten club members to fund his first year on tour
• What it felt like to receive the Bay Hill trophy from Arnold Palmer, twice
• The three-way US Open playoff against Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie, and the prayer Loren said over that final putt
• Why representing his country in the Ryder Cup made him more emotional than any tournament win
• His number one putting tip, focused on speed over line, and the one-hand drill that unlocks it

(0:00) Intro

(4:17) Starting golf late, road to tour

(10:36) The Bay Hill win that changed everything

(18:42) Faith on tour and the Bible study community

(22:00) Same prayer, two putts, two outcomes

(27:07) The Ryder Cup and playing for your country

(39:46) Putting tip and the one-hand drill

(44:42) Faith, forgiveness, and a closing life lesson

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In this episode, Tommy sits down with Kris Lynch, founder of Golf Yourself Healthy and host of the Golf Yourself Happy podcast, for one of the most personal conversations Links for Life has hosted. Kris shares the story of his son Innes, who was born still in February 2023, and how that loss became the inspiration behind a platform helping golfers use the game as a path to mental and emotional health. This is a tender, honest episode about grief, golf as therapy, and the choice to embrace the rough instead of running from it.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Kris's journey from Scotland to London to Wales and his complicated early relationship with golf
• Why Kris took redundancy from an 11-year banking career to go full-time on his coaching platform
• The story of his son Innes and the surge of inspiration that founded Golf Yourself Healthy
• The Scottish Gaelic meaning of Innes and the symbolism behind the Golf Yourself Healthy logo
• The tagline "embrace the rough and cherish the fairway" and what it really means
• A PGA study on golf elitism that showed half of UK golfers don't identify as golfers
• The HAPPY framework, habits, acceptance, presence, purpose, and your call to action
• Tommy and Kris on the good hard story and why we often climb someone else's ladder

Timestamps: 

(0:00) Intro & Kris' Story

(24:08) Embrace the rough, cherish the fairway

(31:32) Living an integrated life

(40:52) Founding Golf Yourself Healthy

(48:47) The HAPPY framework explained

(52:42) How to connect with Kris

Resources / Next Steps:

• Visit Kris at golfyourselfhealthy.com
• Follow the Golf Yourself Happy podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube
• Email Kris directly at [email protected] to connect or explore coaching
• Pick up Treasures in the Dark by Katherine Wolf, referenced in the conversation

Tommy sits down with Wally Armstrong, who spent ten years on the PGA Tour, tied for fifth at his rookie Masters, and went on to help start both Links Players and College Golf Fellowship. Wally walks through the full arc of his life, from caddying for Gary Player to writing The Mulligan with Ken Blanchard to the moment in 2004 that finally taught him how to walk with Jesus instead of working for him. It's part golf history, part ministry origin story, part invitation into a more present kind of faith.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Wally's path from the Indiana cornfields and an alcoholic home to captain of the Florida golf team
• Becoming a "chaplain without a prayer" and getting led to Christ before he even realized it
• The origin of the PGA Tour Bible Study and the players who came to faith through it
• Tying for fifth in his rookie Masters after mapping every green by hand
• Why he calls Jesus the greatest mulligan of all time, and how Ken Blanchard helped shape the book
• The empty chair story and the simple practice that ended 34 years of trying to earn God's approval
• Two practical golf tips from Wally on ball position and keeping your swing on plane
• Why he's still planning twenty years out at age eighty
• 
  

Timestamps: 

(0:00) Cold open and welcome

(2:04) Introducing Wally Armstrong

(6:10) Growing up in Indiana

(8:06) Florida golf and the FCA chaplaincy

(10:25) The chaplain without a prayer

(13:08) Caddying for Dave Reagan and Gary Player

(15:21) Eight rounds of Q School and finishing fifth

(22:24) Mapping Augusta for a rookie top five

(28:01) Family life on tour in the seventies and eighties

(29:20) Founding the Links Letter and Links Players

(33:36) Starting College Golf Fellowship

(37:11) Writing The Mulligan with Ken Blanchard

(42:31) The empty chair and the transforming friendship

(47:42) Practicing the Presence of Jesus

(52:24) The Course Less Played and building your bag

(57:32) Refire don't retire at age eighty

(1:00:18) Wally's two golf tips for amateurs

(1:03:27) Where to connect with Wally

Resources / Next Steps:

• Visit Wally's site at wallyarmstronggolf.com
• Pick up The Mulligan, In His Grip, and The Practice of the Presence of Jesus
• Learn about Links Players and find a club fellowship near you
• Become a member of the Mulligan Club, free, all you need is a need for a mulligan

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Anger might be the single most universal struggle in golf, and most of us are carrying more of it than we realize. In this episode Tommy digs into where golf anger actually comes from, why the way we handle it on the course is probably the same way we handle it everywhere else, and what you can actually do about it before it steals another round. Honest, practical, and a lot more useful than just telling yourself to calm down.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Why golf is one of the best mirrors for the anger we carry everywhere else in life
• The three faces of anger on a golf course: visible rage, brooding, and the dangerous kind nobody around you ever sees
• The real root causes: humiliation, thinking we're better than we are, the desire for control, and using golf to escape problems it was never meant to fix
• Why internalizing anger is often more destructive than expressing it
• Tiger's ten foot rule and other practical ways to address and release anger without dragging it through the rest of your round
• Why asking your playing partner a question about themselves is one of the most effective anger tools on the course
• How to tell the difference between managing the symptom and actually addressing what is going on underneath

Timestamps:

(0:00) Intro: why anger is the most universal struggle in golf

(3:28) Golf as a mirror for the anger we carry everywhere

(9:24) The three faces of anger on a golf course

(11:30) Symptoms vs the deeper issue

(15:12) The root causes: humiliation, pride, and unrealistic expectations

(20:51) When you use golf to escape life and it backfires

(32:32) Practical ways to address and release anger on the course

(40:10) Addressing the heart issue not just the symptoms

(47:30) Where to start if anger is wrecking your game

Tommy sits down with PGA Tour winner Robert Wrenn, who played in the 1988 Masters after winning the 1987 Buick Open by seven strokes, to share what it was actually like to experience Augusta National from inside the ropes. Robert co-led the tournament after round one, shot the low round of the day, and was later paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round, and he holds nothing back. This is the kind of conversation you only get from someone who has actually walked those fairways under the pressure of tournament play.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Robert's solo practice rounds at Augusta before tournament week, playing the course alone with full access and no crowds
• His 88-year-old grandmother walking the front nine and watching the back nine from a cabin with a cocktail
• Getting an impromptu lesson from Davis Love Sr. on the Augusta practice tee the week of the tournament
• The birdie on 18 in round one that tied him for the lead and earned him a piece of Masters crystal
• Being paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round and the story that had the whole group laughing on the 11th green
• The hidden design details Augusta National doesn't want you to figure out, from grass grain direction to Alister Mackenzie's visual tricks
• His one tip for playing Augusta National and why knowing your lines matters more there than anywhere else

(0:00) Intro

(3:26) Earning the Masters invitation

(6:27) Solo practice rounds at Augusta

(11:38) Family, the locker room, and the atmosphere

(14:37) Getting a lesson from Davis Love Sr.

(19:31) Round one: co-leading after shooting 69

(22:41) Paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round

(25:07) Hidden design details of Augusta National

(53:54) Robert's one tip for playing Augusta

Resources / Next Steps: Share this one with a golfer who loves the Masters. It's one you'll want to listen to every year during Masters Week.

Why does the Masters feel different from every other sporting event?

For many people who have attended the tournament at Augusta National, the experience exceeds even the highest expectations. The course is immaculate, the atmosphere is calm, and the hospitality feels intentional in ways that are rare in modern sports.

In this episode of Links for Life, Tommy Thompson sits down with author John Sabino to explore what makes the Masters so special and the ideas behind his book, The Augusta Principles.

John explains that the project began with a simple question he asked himself after leaving the Masters one year. Why can the world not be more like the Masters?

From that question came a study of the principles that define Augusta National. These include attention to detail, respect for tradition, thoughtful use of technology, limited commercialization, and a commitment to improving the patron experience every year.

John also shares the personal story behind the book. After being diagnosed with leukemia, he stepped away from his business career and began researching the history and leadership of Augusta National. The project became both a research journey and part of his recovery. Augusta National has spent nearly a century refining the experience of the Masters. The conversation explores how those principles extend beyond golf and into business and leadership.

(0:00) Why the Masters experience feels different

(2:48) John Sabino’s first Masters and the origin of the book

(7:00) A leukemia diagnosis and the journey to writing the book

(12:08) What makes Augusta National such a unique place

(15:58) Continuous improvement and attention to detail

(21:15) Business examples that reflect the Augusta principles

(27:29) Favorite Masters memories and practice round traditions

(34:14) Civility and trust in the culture of the Masters

(36:05) Counterintuitive decisions such as low prices and limited commercialization

Many golfers start playing because the game is fun. But over time something shifts. Golf becomes work. The scorecard becomes the focus. And the joy that originally drew us to the game slowly fades.

In this episode of Links for Life, Tommy sits down with Mia Sundstrom, CEO of the National Institute for Play, to explore how the science of play can reshape the way we approach golf.

Mia shares the story behind the research of her grandfather, Dr. Stuart Brown, whose work helped establish play as a fundamental human need and led to the creation of the National Institute for Play. Together they explore how play affects learning, performance, creativity, and how golfers can reconnect with the reason they started playing in the first place.

The conversation also looks at how reframing success in golf can lead to deeper learning, greater presence, and often better performance.

Play personalities include:

1. Competitor
2. Explorer
3. Mover
4. Dreamer
5. Creator
6. Joker
7. Storyteller
8. Director

Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction to the Power of Play

(3:20) Mia Sundstrom’s Background and the Origins of the National Institute for Play

(7:42) What Play Really Means and Common Misconceptions

(10:06) Play as Both a State and a Personality Trait

(12:53) Understanding Play Personalities

(16:09) Applying Play Styles to Golf

(22:24) Reframing the Way We Approach the Game

(28:53) How Play Can Improve Golf Performance

(33:27) Flow, Relaxation, and Being Fully Present

(37:26) How to Discover Your Own Play Personality

(39:22) Reframing Success and Enjoyment in Golf

(41:16) Resources and Final Thoughts

Resources:

Learn More About the National Institute for Play: https://nifplay.org