On the Mark Golf Podcast

What does it really feel like to stand over a shot with a major tournament hanging in the balance?

Mark Immelman sits down with longtime friend and Players Championship winner Tim Clark for a candid conversation about pressure, trust, resilience, swing thoughts, rhythm, injuries, and learning how to play golf your own way.

Tim shares what was going through his mind on the famous 17th and 18th holes at TPC Sawgrass when he won The Players Championship—and why his breakthrough came when he stopped thinking ahead and simply trusted the game he had built over a lifetime.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What Tim Clark felt standing on the 17th tee at TPC Sawgrass.
• Why pressure can make even elite golfers question everything.
• How Tim learned to trust his swing instead of controlling it.
• Why commitment matters more than eliminating nervous thoughts.
• How past disappointments helped prepare him to win.
• Why golfers should stop chasing “perfect” swing positions.
• How Tim developed his swing around his own physical limitations.
• Why rhythm and footwork mattered more to him than mechanics.
• How too much technical information can actually hurt performance.
• The real reason Tim’s PGA TOUR career ended, and
• Why resilience and finding a way are central to great golf.

Key Takeaways:

Trust What You’ve Trained > Standing on the 17th tee with the tournament on the line, Tim describes feeling pressure unlike anything he had experienced before. His response was simple: “You’ve hit millions of balls. You’ve just got to trust what you do.”

Instead of adding a swing thought, he allowed the motion to happen naturally. Tim believes that trying to consciously control the swing in that moment would have made it almost impossible to make a committed swing.

Don’t Play Scared > After surviving 17, Tim reached the 18th tee with a completely different feeling. Rather than protecting his position, he chose driver and committed to trying to win the tournament. “I’m not gonna lose this tournament by playing scared.”

The result was what Tim describes as one of the best tee shots of his life.

Accept the Thoughts—Then Commit > Tim explains that trying to ignore pressure, fear, or thoughts about winning often makes them worse.

Instead: 1. Acknowledge the thought. 2. Accept that it is there. 3. Gather the information you need. 4. Commit completely to the next shot.

Trying to pretend the pressure does not exist is very different from accepting it and moving forward anyway.

Play Your Own Golf Swing > Tim was born with limited rotation in his forearms, which meant his golf swing could never look exactly like many conventional models.

So he learned to play his own way.

He grew up watching good players, hitting thousands of golf balls, and discovering the simplest way for him to hit the ball far and straight. He never had a full-time swing coach and did not try to rebuild a motion that already worked.

Stop Being So Technical > Tim says one of the reasons he was such a strong ball striker was because he did not think about much during the swing.

He looked at the target and swung the club.

When his short game became overly technical, however, he became rigid and constantly searched for solutions. Looking back, he believes the bigger answer was allowing more feel and natural ability into the motion.

It’s Called a Swing for a Reason > Tim also shares a warning about information overload. After being shown TrackMan numbers that were described as “perfect,” he began thinking about those numbers during his swing—and quickly started hitting the ball worse.

His philosophy remained simple: “It’s called a swing. It’s not called a series of movements or positions.”

Golfers need enough information to improve, but not so much that they lose the freedom to actually swing the club.

 Rhythm Over Positions > Tim believes rhythm, timing, and sequencing are far more important than obsessing over specific club positions.

For him, rhythm started with the feet and lower body.

When pressure caused the mind to race, the swing tended to get quick. When he stayed present and maintained his rhythm, small imperfections in the swing could still correct themselves.

The Truth About Why Tim Stopped Playing > Tim also addresses a misconception about the end of his competitive career.

It was not the anchoring/putter rule that forced him away from the game.

Years of physical limitations contributed to wrist, elbow, and eventually serious back problems. Bone growth and loss of movement in his thoracic spine ultimately prevented him from competing at the level he wanted. Tim says that if his body allowed it, he would still be playing today.

Memorable Quotes:

“You’ve hit millions of balls. You’ve just got to trust what you do.”

“I’m not gonna lose this tournament by playing scared.”

“You have to be 100% committed.”

“If the ball’s going where you want it to, why would you change anything?”

“It’s called a swing. It’s not called a series of movements or positions.”

“Rhythm is way more important than any club position.”

This podcast is also available as a vodcast - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman on YouTube to watch.

What can golfers learn from a former rocket scientist about pressure, perfectionism, confidence, and performance?

Mark Immelman sits down with John Mollura, a former NASA Aerospace Engineer turned Executive and Performance Coach, to explore lessons from mission-critical testing that apply directly to golf and life.

At the center of the conversation is one powerful idea: “The next right action beats the perfect plan.” John explains why perfectionism often disguises fear, why confidence follows action rather than precedes it, and how golfers can learn to respond to mistakes instead of reacting emotionally to them.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why perfectionism can hold you back
• How confidence is built through action
• Why great performance requires course correction
• How to quiet your inner critic after a bad shot
• The difference between reacting and responding
• Why excellence is a better goal than perfection
• How breathing can help reset your nervous system
• Why clarity matters when pressure rises
• How to use John’s HITS framework when things start spiraling, and
• Why small, consistent actions create meaningful change.

Key Takeaways:

1. Confidence Comes After Action - Golfers often tell themselves they will enter the tournament, hit the shot, or take the chance once they feel confident enough. John flips that idea: Confidence is not a prerequisite for action. Confidence is the product of taking action.
2. Replace the Critic With the Seeker - After a mistake, the inner critic says: “What’s wrong with you?” John encourages golfers to shift into what he calls the seeker mindset: “What happened, and what can I do to course correct?” Instead of adding judgment and drama, deal with the facts and decide what comes next. 
3. Golf is a Game of Course Corrections - Even NASA missions require adjustments. The plan does not become a failure simply because conditions change. The same applies to golf. A bad swing, poor break, or unexpected situation requires a response—not panic. The goal is not perfection. It is staying capable of making the next correction.
4. Choose Excellence Over Perfection - Perfection means flawless execution. John argues that perfection does not exist—even in engineering. Excellence means doing the best you can with the time, tools, ability, and circumstances available in that moment. That is a much more useful standard for golfers.
5. Recognize. Recenter. Reroute - When pressure starts building, John recommends first recognizing what is happening physically and mentally. Breathing can then help recenter the nervous system before deciding how to reroute and move forward. But just like the golf swing, the skill needs practice before the pressure arrives.
6. Use the HITS Framework - When things begin spiraling: H – Halt Stop adding more noise. I – Identify what’s immediately important What actually matters right now? T – Take intentional action Choose the next useful step. S – Set a specific deadline Give the action a clear finish line. The framework helps simplify situations that feel overwhelming and brings attention back to the next right action.

Memorable Quotes:

“The next right action beats the perfect plan.”

“Confidence is not a prerequisite for action. Confidence is the product of taking action.”

“Separate the data from the drama.”

“Stop aiming for perfect and flawless.”

“When the stakes are high, vague gets expensive.”

“The key is not giant effort. The key is small, consistent action.”

Golf may be played on the course, but much of the game happens between your ears.

Mark Immelman sits down with sports psychology coach, Tom Field of BTE Sports Psychology, to discuss managing expectations, recovering from bad shots, handling pressure, and getting the most out of whatever game you bring to the course that day.

Tom’s central message is simple: Golfers often perform better when they stop obsessing over the result and focus instead on the shot in front of them. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn 

• Why focusing too much on score can hurt performance.
• How to reset mentally after a bad shot.
• Why one mistake should never define your round.
• How expectations and ego create unnecessary pressure.
• Why elite golfers tend to have more stable confidence.
• How trying harder can actually make golf more difficult.
• Why process goals are more useful than score goals.
• How visualization can help without creating over-control.
• Why accepting imperfect golf can lead to better scoring.
• How to “flip the script” after mistakes.

Key Takeaways:

1. Stay in the Present -  Thinking about your final score, your last mistake, or what other people think takes attention away from the shot in front of you. Tom explains that golfers tend to play their best when they stay present and allow the game to happen naturally.
2. Stop Turning One Mistake Into Two - Bad shots are inevitable. Recognize what happened, learn from it, accept it, and move on. Carrying frustration into the next shot is often what turns a bogey into a double or worse.
3. One Shot Does Not Define You - Confidence becomes fragile when golfers judge themselves by their most recent result. A bad shot is simply one event. It does not mean you are suddenly a bad golfer.
4. Focus on What You Can Control - You cannot completely control your score. You can control your routine, target, attitude, response to mistakes, and commitment to each shot. Tom recommends entering a round with a simple process goal rather than chasing a specific number.
5. Flip the Script - Hit two terrible shots and still make par? Instead of thinking, “I got lucky,” try: “I hit two awful shots and I’m still good enough to make par.” That change in perspective can turn difficult moments into confidence instead of frustration.

Memorable Quotes:

“The best round of your life happens when you stop caring about the result.”

“One bad hole is one event. It’s not an end story.”

“The harder you try, the worse you play.” “

Thoughts become your feelings. Feelings become your behaviors.”

“Be proud about the bad golf.”

This podcast is also available as a vodcast on YouTube.  To watch and learn, search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.

Golf doesn’t have to be complicated.

In this episode, Jimmy Tropicana joins Mark to explain how golfers can improve their swings, lower their scores and enjoy the game more by releasing tension, slowing down and replacing technical overload with simple, athletic movements. 

Jimmy demonstrates how swinging a golf club can feel as natural as hitting a tennis ball, riding a playground swing or rolling a bowling ball. He also shares several of his most memorable swing concepts, including “Swing the V,” “Sheath the Sword,” “Become a Statue” and “Wave to the Camera.”

Rather than chasing speed, perfect positions or complicated swing data, Jimmy encourages everyday golfers to focus on rhythm, tempo, balance and keeping the ball in play. He also explains the Tropicana Technique—his practical approach to playing smarter, avoiding unnecessary hero shots and moving the ball toward the hole one manageable shot at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why a tennis racket can help you understand the golf swing

• The difference between swinging the club and hitting at the ball

• Why slowing down can improve contact, rhythm and consistency

• How “Swing the V” helps quiet the hands and simplify the motion

• Why “Sheath the Sword” promotes rotation and commitment

• How finishing like a statue improves balance

• A simple “Wave to the Camera” drill for controlling the clubface

• Why precision and course management often matter more than power

• How the Tropicana Technique helps golfers keep the ball in play

• Why one clear swing thought is usually better than several technical cues.

This podcast is also available on YouTube where you will be able to watch Jimmy demonstrate his swing drills.

How do you create more clubhead speed without sacrificing center contact, control or the ability to repeat your swing under pressure?

Mark Immelman sits down with respected golf instructor Adam Harrell, longtime coach of PGA TOUR player Michael Brennan, to explore the principles behind one of Mark’s favorite swings in professional golf.

Harrell began working with Brennan as a young player with aspirations of reaching the PGA TOUR. From the beginning, speed was intentional—but never at the expense of fundamentals. The result is a swing built around center contact, neutral fundamentals, an efficient clubhead orbit, proper release, rhythm and the freedom to let the club move fast.

Throughout the conversation, Mark and Adam unpack how everyday golfers can apply those same principles to their own games.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn: 

1. Why speed should be trained as a skill
2. How Michael Brennan developed clubhead speed from a young age
3. Why center contact remains the foundation of distance
4. How to increase speed without losing balance or control
5. Why even a 1 mph improvement matters
6. How a golfer’s mental “governor” can limit speed
7. Why neutral fundamentals make a swing easier to repeat under pressure
8. The importance of grip, setup, ball position and takeaway
9. How the clubhead should naturally orbit around the golfer
10. Why the body and club must work in harmony
11. How the hands and arms contribute to speed
12. Why energy transfer matters more than simply moving your body faster
13. What golfers misunderstand about “flipping” and releasing the golf club
14. How Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy demonstrate an effective release
15. Simple drills for improving plane, release and clubhead speed
16. How a metronome can improve putting distance control and full-swing tempo.

 Key Takeaways:

• Speed Is a Skill You Can Train - One of the most important ideas Harrell introduced to Brennan as a junior was simple: go faster intentionally. Instead of hoping speed would appear as his technique developed, they measured clubhead speed, established numerical goals and practiced producing progressively more speed. But there was an important condition: speed still had to work alongside center contact and a functional golf swing.
• One Mile Per Hour Is Still Progress - Golfers often expect dramatic increases when beginning speed training. Harrell recommends a more patient approach. Establish your current maximum, try to beat it and gradually raise the ceiling. One additional mile per hour may not sound dramatic, but incremental gains accumulate—and a few extra miles per hour can eventually translate into meaningful additional distance.
• Sometimes You Need Permission to Go Faster - Harrell shares the example of a 14-year-old student already swinging her driver around 96 mph. After challenging her to reach 100 mph, she broke through that barrier almost immediately. The lesson goes beyond physical ability: golfers sometimes place an unconscious ceiling on themselves. Giving yourself permission to swing faster can reveal speed you already possess.
• Build Speed on Top of Fundamentals - Michael Brennan’s swing is fast, but it is also exceptionally organized. Harrell emphasizes a neutral grip, sound ball position, proper alignment and a reliable setup before adding speed. His philosophy is to eliminate unnecessary variables so the golfer has fewer compensations to make during the swing. A neutral foundation makes it easier for the motion to repeat when pressure rises.
• Impact Is Everything - Drawing from his time working with Jim McLean and the influence of John Jacobs, Harrell repeatedly returns to impact. The objective is not simply to produce an attractive golf swing. The positions and aesthetics should serve a functional purpose: controlling the clubface, finding the center of the face and delivering the club efficiently. Speed is then layered on top of that structure.
• Let the Club Find Its Orbit - One of the defining characteristics of Brennan’s swing is the journey of the clubhead around his body. Rather than constantly manipulating the golf club into positions, Harrell describes the club as moving in a relatively neutral “orbit.” Even when Brennan swings aggressively, the club continues to travel efficiently around him. The result is a motion that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.
• Neutral Makes Golf Easier Under Pressure - Harrell is a strong believer in building from neutral whenever possible: i. Neutral grip (ii) Neutral setup (iii) Neutral takeaway (iv) Neutral club plane (v) Neutral club path. There are great golfers with unconventional matchups, but every deviation requires another piece of the swing to match it. Starting from neutral can reduce the number of compensations a golfer must time correctly under pressure.
• Don’t Leave the Clubhead Behind - A common mistake when golfers try to create more speed is simply moving the body harder and faster. The golfer turns aggressively—but the clubhead never receives that energy. Harrell suggests training the hands and arms to move quickly as well. One drill uses a wider, almost bow-legged stance to restrict lower-body movement while seeing how much speed the golfer can produce primarily with the hands, arms and club. Many players are surprised by how much clubhead speed they can create without violently moving their bodies. The ultimate goal is coordination: body speed, arm speed and clubhead speed working together.
• Golf Is an Energy-Transfer Game - Creating speed is not simply about how aggressively the golfer moves. Energy has to successfully travel through the system and ultimately reach the clubhead. If a golfer creates enormous force with the body but fails to transmit that energy to the club, the effort is wasted. Identifying those “power leaks” is one of the keys to effective speed training.
• Let the Club Release - The word “flip” has developed a negative reputation in golf instruction. Harrell argues that golfers should think instead about releasing the energy of the club at the correct time. Great players do not simply drag the handle through impact. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy provide excellent examples of golfers who allow the club to release and rehinge aggressively through the hitting area while maintaining control. The timing has to match the golfer’s grip and overall motion—but the clubhead must eventually be allowed to go.
• Try the L-to-L Drill - One of the simplest drills discussed in the episode is also one of the most useful. Swing from an “L” created by the lead arm and club on the backswing to another “L” on the follow-through. The goal is to feel the clubhead moving freely, hinging and rehinging while traveling on a functional plane. Harrell also suggests visualizing two golf stand bags—one behind and one ahead of you—and imagining the club handle fitting into each bag during the backswing and follow-through. It provides a simple visual for getting the club onto a neutral plane without becoming overly technical.
• Let the Turn Multiply the Speed - Once the golfer learns how to move and release the club properly, adding more body turn can multiply that speed. Instead of using rotation as the entire source of power, the body helps add energy to a clubhead that is already moving efficiently. Train the club first. Then allow the body to support and amplify it.
• Find Your Own Tempo - Late in the conversation, Mark and Adam turn to another important component of Brennan’s development: rhythm. Brennan has used a metronome in his putting practice to develop consistent cadence and distance control. Harrell emphasizes that there is no universal perfect tempo. Some golfers naturally move faster while others have longer, more languid motions. The goal is to discover your most effective cadence and train it until it becomes automatic.
• Use a Metronome to Train Distance Control - A golfer can make a six-foot putt and a 40-foot putt using essentially the same overall stroke time. The longer putt simply requires a longer motion and a different acceleration profile. That same principle can extend beyond putting into wedge play and even the full swing. Rather than simply trying to “swing harder,” golfers can develop a consistent rhythm while allowing the length and energy of the motion to produce different distances.

Memorable Quotes:

“There’s no better way to gain speed than to hit the center of the club face.”

“Going fast is a skill you’re practicing.”

“One mile an hour is better.”

“Impact is everything.”

“The club is really orbiting in a nice plane.”

“I’m a big fan of those neutral-looking swings.”

“Releasing the energy that you’ve built up at the right time.”

“Finding that natural rhythm of your swing is unbelievably important.”

This podcast is also available on YouTube to view as a vodcast - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.

What if you could make just 50 golf balls at the range more productive than an entire bucket of mindless practice?

In this episode of The Mark Tribe, Mark sits down with Shy Desai, creator of Cure My Swing, to talk about how golfers can practice with more purpose, transfer their work from the range to the golf course, and ultimately shoot lower scores.

Cure My Swing has grown into a community of roughly 400,000 followers across its platforms, curating golf tips, drills, and ideas designed to make improvement easier to understand and apply.

At the center of the conversation is Shy’s 50-Ball Practice Plan — a structured range session designed to replace random ball-beating with intentional practice. Rather than grabbing a bucket and hitting the same club over and over, Shy breaks practice into specific stages that address warming up, technical development, course simulation, and the mental side of the game.

The 50-Ball Practice Plan:

 Shy walks Mark through a practice session built around:

• Properly warming up before hitting balls.
• 5 wedge shots to loosen up and establish solid contact.
• 5 short-iron shots while progressively changing clubs.
• 20 balls of technical work and drills.
• 10 fairway-finder shots using a driver, fairway wood, or hybrid.
• 9 balls simulating three par-5 holes.
• 1 final shot with your favorite club.

The goal isn’t simply to hit better-looking range shots. It’s to make practice resemble the decisions, routines, and pressure golfers experience on the course.

Shy explains why golfers should combine block practice — working intentionally on a particular skill — with random practice that requires changing targets, clubs, and situations. That transition becomes especially important in his 10-ball fairway challenge and simulated par-5 exercise, where golfers are asked to visualize an actual hole, choose targets, go through their full pre-shot routine, and react to the outcome of each shot.

The conversation also explores why golfers should keep notes after practice sessions. Tracking what worked, what didn’t, and where your common misses appeared can reveal patterns that help both future practice and on-course strategy.

Mark and Shy then move into five areas golfers can focus on to lower their scores.

5 Ways to Lower Your Golf Scores:

5. Course Management. Know your tendencies instead of constantly fighting them. Shy discusses learning to “own” his natural fade and using that knowledge to make better decisions around the golf course. Good course management means knowing your strengths, weaknesses, distances, and common misses — and sometimes taking your medicine instead of attempting the heroic shot.

4. Driving Driving isn’t just about speed. The tee shot should set up the next shot. Shy encourages golfers to develop a reliable fairway finder and think about where they want to play their approach from before deciding what club or target to choose from the tee. As Shy explains, golfers may play the game from tee to green, but they should learn to think about the hole from green to tee.

3. Approach Play Know your actual distances. Shy explains why golfers need to understand both carry distance and total distance while also paying attention to dispersion. The objective isn’t necessarily firing at every flag. Sometimes simply finding the middle of the green — or leaving yourself in a manageable position for the next shot — produces much better scores.

2. Short Game Simplify your options. Golfers can become overwhelmed by the number of wedges and different short-game shots available. Shy recommends becoming extremely comfortable with one reliable club — for him, the pitching wedge — before adding more specialized options. Develop confidence from 100 yards and in, and your ability to recover when you miss a green improves dramatically.

1. Putting. Shy’s number-one priority is simple: Eliminate three-putts. Distance and speed control are critical, especially on long putts that many amateurs rarely practice. Instead of spending an entire putting session rolling 10- or 15-footers, golfers should practice long lag putts and learn how to leave the ball within a manageable distance of the hole. If a golfer can improve lag putting and become more confident from short range, three-putts begin disappearing — and scores can fall quickly.

In This Episode:

• Why most golfers waste practice balls,
• The complete 50-ball practice routine,
• Why you shouldn’t start every range session with driver,
• How to warm up more effectively,
• Why changing clubs during practice matters,
• Turning technical work into actual golf skills Block practice vs. random practice,
• The 10-ball fairway challenge,
• Why every golfer needs a fairway-finder club,
• How to mentally play golf holes on the driving range,
• Why there are no mulligans in purposeful practice,
• Ending every practice session on a positive note,
• Shy’s five keys to lowering your scores,
• Owning your natural shot shape,
• Playing a golf hole backwards,
• Why knowing your real yardages matters,
• Improving your dispersion instead of chasing perfection,
• Simplifying the short game,
• Why golfers should become great from 100 yards and in,
• The importance of lag putting,
• Why eliminating three-putts can transform your score, and
• How routines build confidence under pressure.

This podcast is also available as a vodcast on YouTube.  Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.

What if one of the most criticized ideas in modern golf instruction—being “handsy”—is actually one of the keys to playing better golf?

Mark Immelman sits down with Ethan Bramble, founder of Handsy Golf, for a deep dive into a hands-first approach to the golf swing. Ethan challenges the body-first thinking that dominates much of modern golf instruction and argues that golfers should focus first on the one part of the body actually connected to the golf club: the hands. “The golf swing is decided in the hands, not the hips, not the shoulders, not the ground.”

Throughout the conversation, Mark and Ethan explore grip, intent, pressure, clubface control, ground reaction forces, feel and the relationship between the golfer and the golf club. Ethan explains why he believes better communication between the hands and the club can help golfers self-correct, simplify their thinking and reduce the dreaded “paralysis by analysis.”

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why Ethan believes the golf swing should be approached hands first.
• How intent travels from the mind to the golf club.
• Why “handsy” does not necessarily mean flipping or scooping.
• How grip and hand pressure influence clubface control.
• Why golfers should think about communicating with the golf club.
• The difference between body-first and hands-first instruction.
• Why Ethan views the body as supporting the hands rather than driving them.
• How overthinking rotation, ground forces and body positions can create paralysis by analysis.
• Why golf should feel more like other bat-and-ball sports.
• What Scottie Scheffler can teach golfers about grip and hand awareness.
• Why molded grips are gaining attention among elite players.
• How Tiger Woods used his hands to control and shape the golf club.
• Why feel and tactile awareness matter under pressure.
• What golfers misunderstand about “flipping” the club.
• How the ForceBall and Compact Club help golfers develop a better connection with the club.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Golf Swing Begins With Intent - Every golfer has an intention for the shot—whether that means hitting a draw, controlling trajectory or simply getting the ball into the fairway. Ethan believes the golfer’s job is to send that intention to the club as clearly as possible. The more complicated the message becomes through excessive thoughts about the hips, shoulders, spine and ground forces, the more that signal can become “muddied.” Golf, in his view, is ultimately a game of communication.
2. “Handsy” Doesn’t Have to Be a Bad Word - Golf instruction has often treated excessive hand action as something golfers should eliminate. Ethan wants to reframe that idea. Rather than thinking about “handsy” as an uncontrolled flip or scoop, he describes it as an intentional awareness of how the hands influence and communicate with the club throughout the swing.
3. Hands First Doesn't Mean Hands Only - Ethan isn't suggesting that the body has no role in the golf swing. Instead, he sees the body in a supporting role. When golfers correctly organize their hands, grip and the forces they apply to the club, he believes many desirable body movements—rotation, ground usage and sequencing—can occur naturally rather than being consciously manufactured.
4. Stop Creating Paralysis by Analysis - Golf gives players more time to think than almost any other sport. That can be a problem. Tennis, baseball and other striking sports tend to be reaction-based. Golfers, however, can stand over a stationary ball thinking about dozens of positions and movements. Ethan believes bringing the focus back to the hands, the implement and the intended shot can make the swing feel more athletic and intuitive.
5. Your Relationship With the Club Matters - The golf club is the golfer's instrument. Your hands are the only physical connection between your body and that instrument. Ethan describes this relationship almost like any other relationship: better communication creates a better connection. His goal is to help golfers feel how the club moves, pivots and responds rather than simply trying to place their body in predetermined positions.
6. Scottie Scheffler Offers a Powerful Example - Much of the conversation centers on World #1 Scottie Scheffler. While golfers frequently analyze Scheffler's footwork and ground forces, Ethan believes one of the most remarkable aspects of his swing is how consistently his hands remain connected to the club. Scheffler regularly practices with a molded grip, carefully organizes his hands before the swing and maintains that relationship with the club despite all of the movement happening elsewhere in his body.
7. Grip Is More Than “Set It and Forget It” - Ethan argues that golfers shouldn't simply place their hands on the club and forget about them. Instead, the hands should actively apply pressure, push, pull and influence how the club moves throughout the swing. Understanding those forces can help golfers control the clubface, the swing arc and ultimately the golf ball.
8. Don't Take the Art Out of the Golf Swing - Golfers including Harry Vardon and Henry Cotton emphasized the role of the hands and arms generations ago. Ethan believes modern instruction may have moved too far away from that feel-based approach. The golf swing is not just a collection of biomechanical positions—it is an athletic, tactile and artistic motion.
9. What About “Flipping”? - A flip is often treated as one of golf's cardinal sins. Ethan draws an important distinction between an intentional release of the clubhead and a reactionary flip caused by the club being out of position. At some point through impact, the handle must decelerate while the clubhead accelerates. The goal isn't to eliminate that athletic release, but to properly organize the hands, arms and club beforehand so it can happen effectively.

Memorable Quotes:

“The golf swing is decided in the hands, not the hips, not the shoulders, not the ground.”

“This is just a game. It’s a game of communication.”

“I’m not saying it’s hands only. I’m saying it’s hands first.”

“The relationship with your golf club is the most important thing in golf, bar none.”

“I don’t think golf needs to be any different.”

“We’ve almost taken away the art of the golf swing.”

“Let the body support that pivoting action.”

This podcast is also available as a vodcast on YouTube - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman to watch.

In this episode of On The Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by PGA TOUR winner Jake Knapp for a candid and insightful conversation about golf swing development, tempo, power, trust, training, resilience, and learning how to compete at the highest level.

Jake is known for one of the most admired golf swings in the game, but he shares that he has not always seen it that way. He talks openly about being too critical of his own motion, learning to give himself more credit, and understanding how small changes can make a major difference in performance over time.

Mark and Jake discuss what it really takes to make a swing change that holds up under pressure. Jake explains how his work has been driven by statistics, consistency, repeatability, and finding feels that transfer from the range to the golf course.

He also shares why golfers need to trust the work, get uncomfortable in practice, and recognize that improvement often comes through small, incremental gains rather than instant transformation. The conversation also covers Jake’s use of training aids, his left thumb injury and surgery, his approach to fitness, how he creates power without looking rushed, why his tempo appears so smooth, how he uses a mini driver as a fairway finder, and why golfers should embrace their own natural patterns instead of chasing every swing trend.

This episode is packed with practical lessons for golfers who want to strike the ball better, swing with more freedom, train smarter, build trust under pressure, and understand how a PGA TOUR winner thinks through improvement.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

🎙️ Why Jake Knapp has one of the most talked-about swings in golf.

🎙️ How Jake views his own swing and why he can be overly critical.

🎙️ Why golf improvement takes time, patience, and trust.

🎙️ How small swing changes can create major performance gains.

🎙️ Why tour-level changes should be statistics-driven, not just cosmetic.

🎙️ How Jake works through feels with his coach before taking them to the course.

🎙️ Why golfers must learn to trust swing changes under pressure.

🎙️ How discomfort in practice can help build belief on the course.

🎙️ Why incremental improvements are often more valuable than quick fixes.

🎙️ How Jake has used training aids and why he now keeps them simpler .

🎙️ What training aids can and cannot do for elite players \.

🎙️ How Jake turns technical thoughts into feels he can use on the golf course.

🎙️ What happened with Jake’s left thumb injury and surgery.

🎙️ Why Jake values general athletic training and physical presence.

🎙️ How fitness helps with speed, power, mobility, and difficult lies \.

🎙️ Why Jake’s tempo looks smooth even though he creates tremendous speed.

🎙️ How he uses big muscles instead of small muscles to create power.

🎙️ Why softness in the arms can help create speed and flow.

🎙️ How Jake thinks about heavy clubs and feeling the clubhead.

🎙️ Why golfers should be careful trying to copy another player’s swing.

🎙️ How Jake uses his mini driver as a fairway finder.

🎙️ Why distance should remain an advantage, not become a disadvantage.

🎙️ How Jake embraces his natural steep pattern instead of fighting it.

🎙️ Why resilience helped him through hard seasons, injury, and pressure.

🎙️ What Jake learned from winning on the PGA TOUR in Mexico.

🎙️ How his “W.I.N.” reminder — What’s Important Now — helps him compete.

Key Takeaways:

1. A good-looking golf swing still has to perform under pressure.
2. Swing changes should be connected to better statistics, better patterns, and better scoring.
3. Improvement is rarely instant. It can take months for an exaggerated feel to become a neutral pattern.
4. The range and the golf course are different environments, so players must learn how to transfer feels into real shots.
5. Trust is built by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and learning from the result.
6. Training aids can be helpful, but the goal is to eventually perform without them.
7. Elite players often use simple cues, feels, and checkpoints instead of overly complicated swing thoughts.
8. Fitness can help golfers create speed, protect their bodies, handle difficult lies, and feel more confident.
9. Effortless power comes from sequence, athleticism, big muscles, and freedom in the arms.
10. Golfers should avoid chasing trends that do not match their natural pattern.
11. A fairway finder can reduce stress and help long hitters keep distance as an advantage.
12. Resilience matters when the swing, body, or pressure of competition does not cooperate.
13. Great players prepare for what might go wrong, not just what they hope will go right.
14. “What’s Important Now” is a powerful reminder to stay present and handle the next shot.

This podcast is also available on YouTube. Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman to watch and learn.

Putting improvement does not have to require hours of technical practice.

In this episode of On the Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by Matt Davis, the creator of Putter Cup, to discuss how golfers can develop better speed control, stronger commitment and greater confidence under pressure. 

Matt explains why putting deserves more attention from recreational golfers and challenges the belief that becoming a good putter requires a major investment of time. With focused, intentional practice—even for just a few minutes each day—golfers can begin closing the performance gap much faster than they might expect.

The conversation also explores an often-overlooked part of putting: The human response to pressure. Reading the green, choosing a line and controlling speed all matter, but golfers must still execute when the putt counts. Matt designed the three-part Putter Cup system to simulate that pressure and make practice slightly more demanding than the real thing.

Mark and Matt examine why not every five-foot putt should be played the same way, the relationship between speed and line, and how golfers can stop getting trapped by mechanical thoughts over short putts. They also discuss the importance of identifying “shot number three,” letting the putter become the hero and practicing in a way that makes the golf course feel easier.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why everyday golfers can putt at an elite level

• How better putting can quickly lower your scores

• Why pressure should be treated as a fourth element of putting

• The relationship between read, speed, line and commitment

• Why not every five-foot putt requires the same pace

• How challenging practice can make real holes appear more forgiving

• The difference between practicing a stroke and preparing to play

• How the Speed Bump trains pace and commitment

• How the Center Cup sharpens start line and entry point

• How the portable To-Go Cup creates a target almost anywhere

• Why thinking about mechanics can undermine short-putt performance

• How better putting reduces pressure on lag putts and chip shots

• What “firm in the back of the cup” should really mean

• When “never up, never in” is—and is not—good advice

• Why a few minutes of deliberate practice can produce meaningful results

You can also watch this podcast and see the PutterCups if search and subcribe to Mark Immelman on YouTube.  Do so and make more putts.

In this episode of On The Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by golf instructor, Justin Kraft, for a detailed and practical conversation about one of the most important and often misunderstood parts of the golf swing: The Backswing.

While impact is often called the “Moment of Truth,” Justin explains why the backswing plays a major role in helping golfers control the clubface, swing path, and quality of strike.  A better backswing can make impact easier to repeat, reduce the need for compensations, and help golfers create a more functional delivery into the ball.

Mark and Justin begin at address, discussing posture, spine tilt, shoulder tilt, hip bend, distance from the golf ball, and how setup can either support or sabotage the swing before the club ever moves. 

They then move through the key checkpoints of the backswing, including the takeaway, shaft-parallel position, lead-arm-parallel position, recentering, wrist structure, trail-arm motion, pressure shift, and the top of the backswing.

The message of this episode is clear: If you want to strike the ball more consistently, stop treating the backswing like an afterthought. Build a better setup, understand the checkpoints, avoid the danger zones, and create a backswing that matches your body and supports your delivery. 

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

1. Why the backswing matters even though impact determines ball flight.
2. How a better backswing can improve face control, path, and strike.
3. Why many golf shots are affected before the club ever moves.
4. How posture influences rotation, low point, and delivery.
5. What shirt buttons, belt buckle position, and spine tilt can tell you at address.
6. Why shoulder tilt matters in a proper setup.
7.  How to check your distance from the golf ball.
8. Why an over-arched lower back can restrict rotation and create problems.
9. How hip bend helps create athletic readiness.
10. How to begin the takeaway without snatching the hands.
11. Why the hands and clubhead should not be confused in the takeaway.
12. What golfers should look for when the shaft is parallel to the ground.
13. Why positions are checkpoints, not places to freeze the swing.
14. How to create better depth and wrist structure by lead-arm parallel.
15. Why recentering starts before the backswing is finished.
16. How the trail foot helps stop sway and begin moving pressure back toward the target.
17. What danger zones to avoid at P2, P3, and the top of the backswing.
18. Why the trail arm should fold naturally without getting too narrow or too wide.
19. How a better top-of-backswing position can make transition easier.
20. Why many slicers should avoid trying to “turn open” too soon, and
21. A simple drill to help golfers feel a more functional top-of-backswing position.

Key Takeaways:

• Impact is the moment of truth, but the backswing can make that moment easier or harder to manage.
• A good setup gives golfers a better chance to rotate, shift pressure, and return the club consistently.
• Posture matters because it influences rotation, pressure shift, angle of attack, low point, and delivery.
• The backswing is a motion, not a series of forced positions.
• Golfers should swing through checkpoints rather than try to place the club in perfect spots.
• There are acceptable corridors in the backswing, not just one perfect model.
• Hand path and clubhead path are different, and confusing them can create major takeaway issues.
• Recentered pressure should happen through ground force and athletic motion, not a forced slide.
• The trail arm should fold naturally while still maintaining usable width and structure.
• The top of the backswing should match the player’s mobility, body type, and delivery tendencies.
• Many slicers make things worse by trying to turn open too soon.
• A functional backswing can help reduce steepness, improve contact, and make the swing more repeatable.
• Better ball-striking often begins before the downswing ever starts.

Be sure to watch this episode on YouTube as Justin demonstrates the backswing and how to correctly swing through correct positions en route to a loaded, complete backswing.  Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman on YouTube.