The Cart Barn Podcast

Jim McLean, the teacher behind the X Factor, on living with Bruce Lietzke at Houston, watching Ben Hogan practice, and what’s new in his book X Factor 2.

Description
Jim McLean has taught major champions, tour winners and everyday golfers for decades, and he’s the teacher behind the X Factor, one of the most widely used ideas in the modern golf swing. In this conversation he takes us back to Houston, where he lived with Bruce Lietzke and Bill Rogers during the Cougars’ dynasty years, picked up Ben Hogan’s clubs when nobody was around, and learned lessons that shaped how he teaches the best players in the game.

Along the way we get Lietzke’s banana story, why Lietzke skipped the range after a bad round, and the answer Jackie Burke gave a pro who wanted to hit balls next to Hogan. Jim also tells us what’s new in his next book, X Factor 2, due out at the end of November.

Episode Highlights:

• Growing up in Seattle, caddying for his dad and playing putting games for walking around money
• Choosing Houston over Arizona State and Stanford, and living with Bruce Lietzke, Bill Rogers and John Mahaffey
• A rough freshman year when most of his recruiting class left
• Why Lietzke wouldn’t hit balls after a bad round, and the banana in the headcover
• Watching Hogan practice at Champions and Jackie Burke’s answer to a pro who wanted the same spot
• From mini tours to running the junior program at Westchester Country Club
• Learning from Claude Harmon, Ken Venturi and Jackie Burke
• The four parts of the game he teaches at his golf schools
• Working with players like Keegan Bradley, Cristie Kerr, Lexi Thompson, Gary Woodland and Russell Henley
• How the X Factor started, and what’s new in X Factor 2

Notable Stories:

• Bruce Lietzke and the banana in his headcover
• Picking up Ben Hogan’s clubs in the bag room
• “The very second you win 63 PGA Tour wins and nine majors”
• Lietzke leading a five round Bob Hope Classic at 48 after months away from the game

Links:

• Jim McLean Golf School: jimmclean.com
• X Factor 2 (out at the end of November, audiobook expected in December): [add Amazon link when it’s live]

Keywords
Jim McLean, X Factor, golf swing, golf instruction, Ben Hogan, Bruce Lietzke, University of Houston golf, Jackie Burke, Keegan Bradley, Cristie Kerr, Lexi Thompson, golf podcast

Former PGA Tour player and Golf Channel Morning Drive co-host Charlie Rymer on winning the US Junior Amateur, golf with Jack Nicklaus at 17, and surviving stage 3 colon cancer.

Description (show notes)

Charlie Rymer won the 1985 US Junior Amateur, played the PGA Tour, then spent more than 20 years on ESPN, USA Network and Golf Channel, including co-hosting Morning Drive. In this episode he tells the stories behind that career, and one that matters more than any of them.

He explains why he thinks the best players are born with the ability to perform when they’re scared to death. He walks through the final round of Tour Q School, when he could hear players throwing up in the bushes. He tells the story of how Jack Nicklaus helped steer him to Georgia Tech and why he turned down an Arnold Palmer scholarship at Wake Forest to go there. He also covers his first British Open at age 20, the one time he beat Tiger Woods by a shot, and a Saturday round at the Byron Nelson with Davis Love III that his wife slept through.

Then the hard part. Charlie shares how a routine colonoscopy led to a stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis, why he chose MD Anderson in Houston, and why he now urges everyone to talk to their doctor about screening. He had no symptoms and no family history.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to win a national title as a teenager, why a swing can fall apart on one shot, or how a player walks away from the Tour and into the broadcast booth, this one is for you. You don’t have to play golf to enjoy it.

Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome and growing up around the game
• 03:54 Why golf, and the “can’t miss” kid
• 08:14 Performing when you’re scared (Q School)
• 16:15 Winning the 1985 US Junior Amateur in Buffalo
• 23:34 Choosing Georgia Tech, and a round with Jack Nicklaus at 17
• 30:50 Turning down the Arnold Palmer scholarship
• 32:48 Knowing he could play on the PGA Tour
• 36:06 The 1988 British Open at age 20
• 39:12 Beating Tiger at the 1997 Buick Classic
• 40:50 The Byron Nelson round with Davis Love III
• 44:38 Walking away from the Tour and into TV
• 51:12 The grind of life on Tour
• 55:18 Stage 3 colon cancer and why screening matters
• 1:02:25 Golf today, charity events and course consulting

Guest
Charlie Rymer, former PGA Tour player, former ESPN, USA Network and Golf Channel broadcaster
Instagram: [add after verifying]
Website: [add after verifying]

Listen to more: cartbarnpodcast.com

Keywords/tags
Charlie Rymer, Golf Channel Morning Drive, US Junior Amateur 1985, Georgia Tech golf, Arnold Palmer scholarship, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, PGA Tour podcast, golf podcast, former PGA Tour player interview, golf broadcaster, colon cancer screening, MD Anderson, Q School, British Open, Byron Nelson, Davis Love III, The Cart Barn Podcast

Kenny Knox won three times on the PGA Tour, including the Honda Classic as a Monday qualifier. He’s also one of the best putters you’ll ever hear from, an author, and a songwriter. In this interview, Kenny joins Chris Lemley and Gregg Dewalt on The Cart Barn Podcast to talk about growing up around the caddy shack in Columbus, Georgia, his years at Florida State, and the moment on the Honda Classic’s seventh hole when a voice told him, “just make it.”

In this episode:

• How a Columbus, Georgia caddy shack and the Southern Open shaped a young golfer
• Florida State, and what it took to turn pro
• The Honda Classic: qualifying on a Monday, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Hubert Green telling him he could win, and the voice in the bunker
• What separates tour players who make it from the ones who don’t
• Hubert Green, John Daly, and how the game changed when distance took over
• Putting philosophy from one of the tour’s best putters
• A practice round with Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, and the day Arnold Palmer joined the group
• His new book, Just Make It, with original songs you can reach by QR code

Chapters (approximate, check against the final cut)
0:00 Cold open
0:46 Intro
1:58 Welcome Kenny Knox
3:01 Growing up in the Columbus, Georgia caddy shack
7:55 Hugh Royer, Green Island and the Southern Open
13:58 Florida State
22:04 Winning the Honda Classic as a Monday qualifier
23:28 Chi Chi Rodriguez and Hubert Green: “You can win this”
24:59 The voice that said “just make it”
26:45 What separates the tour players who make it
31:01 The last three holes at the Honda
40:39 John Daly and the distance revolution
42:46 Back injury and life after the tour
47:58 Putting philosophy
54:15 Playing with Nicklaus, Norman and Arnold Palmer
58:11 The book, Just Make It
1:08:56 Where to find Kenny and the book

Get the book: Just Make It by Kenny Knox is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978737490

Kenny Knox: [add his handles here once they’re in Section 20 of the Playbook]

Kenny is speaking to college golf teams in Loxley, Alabama on October 29 and 30.

Subscribe to The Cart Barn Podcast for weekly stories from the people, places, and history of golf in Alabama and beyond. New episodes every Wednesday at cartbarnpodcast.com.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Keywords / tags
Kenny Knox, Just Make It, PGA Tour, Honda Classic, golf podcast, golf interview, Hubert Green, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, John Daly, putting tips, Columbus Georgia, Florida State golf, Alabama golf podcast, The Cart Barn Podcast

Summary
Alabama Open champion Carter Goodwin on missing the cut at Shoal Creek, winning the Spirit of America the next week, and heading into Q School first stage.

Description / show notes

Carter Goodwin is an assistant pro at Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club, a former UNA golfer, and the 2026 Alabama Open champion. He joins Chris and Gregg in the Cart Barn to talk about how he got here.

In this episode:

• Starting in the cart barn at Shoal Creek on his 16th birthday and working there for seven and a half years
• How he became lead assistant at Turtle Point while still playing competitively
• Missing the cut in the state amateur, then winning the Spirit of America at Burning Tree the next week
• Cashing his first professional check on the mini tour
• Missing Q School first stage by one shot after shooting 14 under
• Winning the Alabama Open on the Capitol Hill Legislator course
• Winning the Alabama PGA Section Rolex Series points race
• What he learned from his swing coach and his hip slide tendency
• Why he picked Lake Caroline for Q School first stage, which starts the first week of November
• His favorite hole at Turtle Point, and why the club’s view is “one of one” in Alabama

Stories of the people who built the game, from The Cart Barn Podcast.

Former LSU and South Alabama golf coach Greg Jones explains why every hole is a par three, why wedges win tournaments, and tells stories about Floyd Horgan, a silver watch that never arrived, and walking with Jack Nicklaus.

Greg Jones grew up as a cart boy at Skyline Country Club in Mobile, played college and pro golf, and went on to win five Sun Belt titles at South Alabama before rebuilding the LSU program. After a stint as a State Farm agent, he returned to teaching and is now director of instruction at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama.

In this conversation, Greg shares:
- His cart boy days and first job beating the rough at 13
- Floyd Horgan, the old school coach who shaped his game, and the story of the silver watch
- Playing a college round with Alabama football in his headphones
- Winning a playoff on his 21st birthday, the day Jack Nicklaus won the Masters, then walking with Jack at Pinehurst
- Coaching LSU and what the sideline looks like in Tiger Stadium
- His three part swing: pivot, elevate, hinge
- Why rhythm is the glue of the golf swing
- The "every hole is a par three" offense, the 50 to 120 yard golden opportunity zone, and why par fives are not worth the risk

Find Greg: Finish First Golf with Coach Greg Jones on YouTube, gregjonesgolf.com, and Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Huntsville golf coach Craig Bocking of The Ledges explains how Tyler Watts uses the ground to hit a 355 drive at 140 pounds, how force plates and 3D motion capture shape his lessons, and why he tells players to have fun.

Craig Bocking coaches golfers from his studio at The Ledges in Huntsville, Alabama, using force plates, TrackMan and 3D motion capture to work with everyone from weekend golfers to college and professional players. He joins Chris Lemley and Gregg Dewalt to talk golf instruction, how the body is designed to move, and what he has learned from more than 25 years of coaching.

We get into how he works with Tyler Watts, who pushes nearly 200 percent of his body weight through his lead leg alone, and how that helps a 140 pound player hit a 355 drive. Craig also explains why rotation only works when the lateral move comes first, how he took Gabi Nicastro from 190 yards in the air to 250, and why he wants players in the studio when they are hitting it well, not just when something is wrong.

In this episode:
- How Craig went from the pro shop to teaching, and why he would have refunded his first lessons
- How force plates, TrackMan and GEARS 3D motion capture change what a coach can see
- Using AI and the TPI screen to see how a player is designed to move
- Tyler Watts and ground reaction forces
- The shared habits of elite junior, college and pro players
- Why Craig coaches players on the course, not just in the bay
- Why golf instruction on YouTube often fails players who cannot physically make the move
- Why he tells his players to go have fun, not go win

Guest: Craig Bocking, PGA Master Professional, The Ledges, Huntsville, Alabama
https://www.pga.com/coach/craigbocking

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to The Cart Barn
00:11 From the pro shop to the teaching side
02:09 The first lessons he would refund
04:28 Technology then and now
05:54 How Craig uses AI in coaching
07:53 TPI, Dr. Greg Rose and Swing Catalyst force plates
10:29 Tyler Watts and ground reaction forces
14:44 Who Craig coaches now
18:38 What elite players have in common
20:17 Gabi Nicastro and the lateral move
22:27 What a lesson with Craig looks like
27:45 25 years of coaching
29:40 Why come in when you are hitting it well
32:15 Tyler's Sunday 63
35:31 How to get on Craig's schedule
37:03 Technology is not the same as technical
39:34 The Ledges facility and putting academy
41:41 Hogan's Five Fundamentals
42:39 Last time he played 18 holes
43:45 Why not just use YouTube instruction
45:27 Information overload and playing with fun
50:30 Wrap up

The Cart Barn is a weekly storytelling podcast about golf in Alabama: the people, places, companies, courses and history behind the game. New episodes every Wednesday at https://cartbarnpodcast.com

Jerry West spent a week taking lessons from Jimmy Ballard at Pine Harbor in Pell City. When he got back to the LA Country Club, 23 of his next 24 rounds were in the 60s. The 24th was a 59 that set the course record.

In Part 2, Jimmy picks up right where we left off. Curtis Strange showed up with a back so bad he had to sit down after five shots. Jimmy put his swing side by side with Ben Hogan's and told him the rebuild would take five years, because that's how long it took Hogan. It did, and it was followed by a run that included back to back U.S. Opens. Jimmy also warned a young Jerry Pate that his swing would tear up his shoulder. Pate didn't want to hear it while he was winning everything, but after the surgeries he called Jimmy for help.

Along the way there's a dinner with Joe DiMaggio that ended with the best compliment of Jimmy's career. There's Arthur Ashe breaking 100 once golf was explained to him in tennis terms, and Peter Jacobsen skipping back surgery after one adjustment on the range. Coach Bryant tells Jimmy that fundamentals were all he ever taught. And Jimmy doesn't hold back on where he thinks today's speed chasing swings are headed for players' backs.

If you missed Part 1, go back and start there.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Long before he became one of the most influential golf instructors of the last 50 years, Jimmy Ballard was a teenager in Birmingham who'd quit playing golf entirely. A chance round with Lee Mackey (the man who shot 64 at the 1950 US Open) got him back on the course, and got him introduced to Sam Byrd, the man who'd define the rest of his life.

Byrd played outfield for the Yankees alongside Babe Ruth, and the two were genuinely best friends. Babe was best man at Byrd's wedding. And the single move Babe taught Byrd about hitting a baseball, keeping your arms connected to your body instead of swinging with your arms alone, became the foundation Ballard built an entire coaching career on. It's the same principle he later used to help rebuild Curtis Strange's swing from the ground up, patterned directly off the changes Ben Hogan made to his own game.

In Part 1, Jimmy takes us from his father getting him into golf at age five, through working Sam Byrd's driving range for free, to why a 40 pound video camera John Brody gave him in 1979 proved that none of his students actually did what they thought they did.

Part 2 picks up right where this one leaves off, out Wednesday.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Zoe Walker went from a reluctant cheerleader who wanted nothing to do with golf, to a preferred walk on for the University of Georgia women's golf team, to a professional golfer competing on the Women's All Pro Tour and Annika Tour, all while building Zalea's Golf Co, a women's golf headcover brand that started with a bag of fabric from Hobby Lobby and her grandmother's sewing machine.

In this episode, Zoe talks about growing up in Palm Desert, California surrounded by golf she had no interest in until watching Bubba Watson win the Masters changed her mind, the cold email campaign that eventually landed her a spot on Georgia's roster, closing the distance gap against a freshman class of top international recruits, and why she left a commercial real estate career to chase professional golf. She also breaks down how Zalea's Golf Co grew from custom head covers made in her dorm room into a brand carried by more than fifty wholesale accounts, including Bay Hill, and what she's building toward with Q school this September in Daytona.

Topics covered: junior golf development, walking on to SEC golf, mini tour and Annika Tour golf, Q school prep, women's golf headcovers, building a golf brand from scratch, and balancing professional golf with running a business.

Find Zalea's Golf Co at zaleasgolf.com and on Instagram @ZaleasGolf.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Two years ago, Stewart Cink was our very first guest. Now he's back to celebrate The Cart Barn's anniversary, talk grandkids, his six win season, and the phone notes that are running his golf game.

Full description / show notes

Two years ago, Stewart Cink sat down for the very first episode of The Cart Barn Podcast. Now he's back to help us celebrate our second birthday, and he brought a lot to talk about.

The 2001 U.S. Open champion and six time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this season opens up about becoming a full time grandpa between tournaments, the actual notes app on his phone he's used since winning at Safeway in 2020 to track swing feels, ball position, and even Bible verses, and the detailed par 3 strategy he built with caddie Chris Jones to become one of the best on tour at the shortest holes. He also breaks down the two wayward tee shots that almost cost him win number 18, why hybrids replaced his long irons, and what it's really like sharing a fairway with Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Plus, in our rapid fire round, Stewart names his favorite course to play for fun (a hidden Harry Colt gem in Chicago), his favorite golf course architects working today, and the golden age designer he thinks doesn't get enough credit.

What's inside this episode:
 0:00 Welcome back to our inaugural guest for the 2 year anniversary
 1:02 Life since the Regions Tradition, and full time grandparenting on the road
 5:38 Family update: his dad's recovery from a broken ankle
 8:35 The notes app he's kept since his 2020 Safeway win, and why it works
 14:18 Bible verses, caddie Chris Jones, and the par 3 system built to win stats
 20:39 Ball position, alignment sticks, and fixing what you can't feel
 24:19 The physics behind more distance: launch angle over spin
 27:06 How he almost blew win number 18 on a 100 yard wide fairway
 31:37 Marveling at Jimenez, Langer, and Couples still winning in their 60s
 35:06 Why hybrids replaced his long irons
 42:35 The rest of his 2026 schedule and why he skips certain events
 50:25 Rapid fire: favorite course, favorite modern and golden age designers, and his go to Bible verse

Subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode, and if you're enjoying The Cart Barn, leave us a rating and review, it helps more golf fans find the show.