It's almost a Project Lou! In this episode, Lou makes a discovery about his golf swing and Mark has him pull out the HackMotion sensor to confirm and work on a feel. They talk in depth about forearm rotation in the golf swing: when it should happen, which direction, how much, and why. And they discuss how measuring motion in a swing can be a game changer for correlating feel with real. Greg interjects with his own understanding of a Tour-level swing. For the best price on the HackMotion...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. Today, we have another from the "Manage Your Expectations" hall of fame. You're a 10-index on the tee of a 400-yard hole. How far do you need to hit your drive in the fairway to break even in strokes gained with the average 10-index? What about in the rough? Lou brings the data, and Greg and Mark bring the guesses—and the answered surprised them, and it will likely surprise you as well. Listen in and make smart...

For one last time before winter, it's time for the Gregulators to mount up! In this episode, Greg recaps his full first year on the Champions tour. Beginning with no status and only two guaranteed starts, Greg finished the season in the top 36 of the Schwab Cup rankings, securing full status for next season. He recounts for Lou and Mark the highlights of his season, the challenges of adjusting to a new roster of courses, and his planned work to be even better next year. And Lou continues his...

In today's episode of the podcast, we get to learn, not from Tour Pro average movements, but from the Legendary Needle himself: The Greggie! Mark pulls up Greg's motion capture data, and Greg has to beat Lou in guessing his own swing motion data. As always, the insights here help explain how different movements change the club delivery and why some numbers don't need to be bigger or smaller (but just need to match the swing). As not always, we get a history of the English language, or at...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, the focus is on driving accuracy: for very good players and for high index players, what percentage of each category might be considered "wild" off the tee (missing the center of the fairway by more than 30 yards on at least a quarter of their drives)? The following discussion will help you understand dispersion, it's relationship to driver length, and how you can be a better player off the...

For those who want to know—and not just guess—what is happening in the golf swing, these are excited times. And there are more things to measure. One of the trickier ones has been grip pressure. In this episode, Lou, Mark, and Greg talk about a recent study presented at the World Scientific Congress of Golf by Liam Mucklow. The study measured how grip pressure changes throughout the swing in both professional and amateur golfers. There are things to learn here already, and interesting...

There's always more to learn about the golf swing: even if you're a career Tour player playing in your first Champions Tour Playoff finals. In this episode, Mark pulls up the data for how the torso of the average Tour player moves throughout the swing and leaves Lou and Greg baffled and guessing. Because the results are unexpected, there is a good amount of explanation here that will help you understand how the big movements in the golf swing happen for successful golfers. Where to find...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou asks Greg and Mark the scoring difference a scratch golfer well see between hitting and missing a green from the fairway at 125 yards. After Mark concludes his complaint about the question, the guys offer a good reminder of the critical importance of getting the ball on the putting surface on the approach shot—that missing the green near the pin is likely to cost more shots than you might...

This week, the PGA Tour announced a pretty substantial overhaul of who gets to play on their Tour and how qualification takes place. In this episode, Greg, Mark, and Lou discuss these changes: why they're being done, who they benefit, and whether they'll make the PGA Tour a better product for those of us who watch it. 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...

Welcome back to another episode of the world's hottest PGA Tour Champions podcast! In this episode, recorded before the playoffs started, Greg takes Mark and Lou through the schedule of the final three events of the season: the Schwab Cup Playoffs. Greg enters the playoff in the low-20s, hoping to make a run up the standings for the final event. Join in to hear his plans, as this week is the Schwab Cup Final! Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter:...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, the subject is Greg's peers: the guys on Tour. From 110-119 yards in the fairway, with a wedge in their hand, expectations are high: their expectations, the audience's, and certainly the announcers. What percent of the time do they actually make birdie? What about bogey? In this episode, Lou brings the data to Mark and Greg, and from there, a great conversation unfolds about dealing with...

It's been a hot topic in the short game in the past couple of years: what is the ideal angle of attack? But this measurement has application throughout your bag, not just in your short game. In this episode, Mark guides Lou and Greg through the meaning of angle of attack, how changing it tends to influence other elements of club delivery, what AoA numbers are ideal for driver and irons, and how to go about changing your attack angle. A mountain of good information for golf improvement...

Is the driver swing different from the iron swing? If so, how? In this episode, which is the sequel to last week's episode on iron shaft lean, Mark quizzes Lou and Greg about the driver shaft lean at address and impact. The numbers are...not the same as the iron swing. Stick around in this one: the guesses that Lou and Greg provide lead to a further discussion of driver setup that might really surprise you—and might help you set up for your drives more like a tour pro. Where to find...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, you've hit the green, but you're a long way from home. How many putts does it take, on average, for a scratch golfer to hole out from 50' away? What about the (notorious) 20-handicapper? Mark and Greg offer their best guesses to Lou's question, but then offer some really helpful advice on how to approach these very long putts. Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15 minutes long) about an...

Today's episode is a thoughtful one. Mark, Lou, and Greg have all been playing golf for years. In those decades, we've learned a lot about the game and the game has changed a lot. If they had to start over, knowing what they know now and how golf would evolve, what would they do differently? This is an important question, for at least two reasons: 1) it's useful for helping other who might just be starting to play, and 2) most of these things are items that, while you might have wanted to...

Like lag, shaft lean can be one of those golf buzz/fad terms that can make golfers chase the wrong things. To start, it's good to know what a reasonable standard might. In this episode, Mark has Lou and Greg guessing the average shaft lean for a Tour pro at address and then at impact. From this, they offer useful advice about how ordinary golfers can improve their club delivery to play better golf. Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter:...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou puts Greg and Mark to the test on their knowledge of long approach shots from an average golfer. What's the difference between a 15-handicap golfer from 200 yards in the rough versus being in the fairway? The answer here is important, because it can alter your entire strategy for a hole, all the way back to the tee. Listen in to improve your game! Each of these will be a mini-episode (10-15...

The SG revolution has taught us that driving the ball a long way and hitting irons close are the key to consistent scoring. But the fact remains: you have to get the ball in the hole, and most of the time, that means you have to putt. In this episode, Mark, Lou, and (one of the greatest putters in the history of ever) Greg give their thoughts on improving your putting. They talk grip (and playing with new grips), alignment and setup, and the best ways to go about your practice to shave...

Mark continues to use measured Tour pro data to help us all play better golf. In this episode, he has Lou and Greg guessing how the pelvis moves vertically through the golf swing? Is it going up or down on the backswing? By how much? And how does it move returning to impact? Here is a useful episode, because your guesses here (like those of Lou and Greg) may well be entirely wrong, and so learning what really is happening (or is supposed to happen) could help your game enormously. Where to...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. In today's episode, Lou addresses the long-standing argument that while scratch players are better than handicap golfers at a specific distance, it's chiefly because they're generally hitting a higher-lofted club from the same distance. So here, the question to Lou and Greg is how far away from the hole, on average, will a scratch golfer be with his 7 iron in the fairway versus a 15-index with his 7 iron? Each of...

It's a debate that arises from time to time, especially in conjunction with team events like the Ryder and Presidents Cups: what is an "appropriate" celebration in golf? In today's episode, Lou, Greg, and Mark talk about the unwritten rules about the decorum of celebrating. Where are the lines? Is anything over the top? Or should we all just lighten up and enjoy the entertainment product that is professional golf? Where to find us: Mark Crossfield's weekly newsletter:...

Today's episode of the podcast looks at another element of a top level swing: the speed the grip is moving. For Rory, when hitting driver, how fast are his hands moving? Is he faster in his downswing than his backswing? If so, by how much? And maybe even more importantly: when are his hands moving the fastest in his swing? Mark leads Greg and Lou through these questions and their answers, and then they discuss why this matters—and how putting the speed into your swing at the right time can...

Welcome to the "Saturday Morning Golf Stat" from the Hack it Out Golf Podcast. 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 750 MILLION shots in their database.  Check them...

You're looking to buy new clubs, and you know you should get fitted for them. But what does that mean? How many clubs in your bag should be customized for you? Is there a difference between your 8 iron fitting and your 6 iron? In this episode, Mark leads a discussion with Greg and Lou about what we should be expecting from custom fitting. They cover a ton of ground: the benefits of fitting, why individual club fitting isn't done (though it has real benefits), who should be fitted, and what...