Play Ready Golf | Strokes Gained for the 9 to 5 Golfer

Free guide, How Good Are Your Shots? Page 2 has the benchmarks for your level: https://playready.golf/shots Try the Play Ready Golf app free for 30 days, code PRGPOD: https://app.playready.golf/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep46 Your handicap isn't your average. It's built from your best 8 rounds out of your last 20, so a 15 handicap who shoots 94 is having a normal day, not a crisis. Isaak and Hayden walk through what a normal round and a bad round look like from a 20 handicap to scratch, why Scottie Scheffler still had a 12 shot range last season, the 3 kinds of holes most likely to turn into a double in 453 rounds of Play Ready Golf app data, and a 10 minute review that tells you what to practice next week. Chapters 0:00 Your handicap isn't your average 2:34 How your handicap actually works 3:17 How often golfers shoot their handicap 5:47 A 10 and a 20 make the same bogeys 6:54 A normal round at every level, 20 to scratch 11:27 Scheffler and Rory have bad rounds too 13:21 The 3 holes that turn into doubles 16:18 Hayden's worst round 20:31 The 10 minute bad round review 23:51 What to practice at your level 24:57 Why realistic expectations help you score 29:02 When a bad round is a real signal 30:43 What to do after your next round Coaches: PRG Teams is at https://playready.golf/teams Questions: isaak@playready.golf Sources World Handicap System (USGA and R&A): your Handicap Index is the average of your best 8 score differentials from your last 20 rounds; net double bogey is the most you post on a hole. USGA handicap research, old system (best 10 of 20): golfers shot their course handicap or better about 25% of the time, about 3 strokes worse on average. Lou Stagner, Arccos data: a 17 shot median gap between a golfer's best and worst round in a season (30+ rounds, steady handicap), plus the tour expectation numbers. Shot Scope user data: fairways, greens, bogeys, doubles, three putts and penalty strokes by handicap. PGA Tour: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, 2025 season. Play Ready Golf app: 453 rounds from 127 golfers, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026.

Go look at the bottom of your pitching wedge. It probably says 42 or 43. In the 1980s it said 49, and your sand wedge barely moved. Get the free Wedge Matrix (one page, every wedge, every swing): https://playready.golf/wedge-matrix Try the Play Ready Golf app free for 30 days: https://app.playready.golf That's a hole in your bag the industry made, and most golfers never check it. So they end up with two wedges that go the same distance and one gap they guess at every round. Hayden and I break down how the bottom of your bag got broken, how to find the hole in yours in about 2 minutes, and a winter plan that gives you a number for every wedge and every swing. This isn't a gear episode. Most of the fix is checking the lofts you already have, and the rest is one bucket of balls this winter. Chapters 0:00 Your pitching wedge used to say 49 1:56 How much loft your pitching wedge lost 4:00 How close tour pros really hit it from 100 yards 5:21 How the bottom of your bag got broken 9:17 What tour players actually carry 9:58 Should you carry 4 wedges? 12:38 The club you carry because everyone else does 13:56 The problem with the 60 degree 17:46 Dave Pelz, Tom Kite and the first 60 19:16 Fix 1: check your gaps (4 to 6 degrees) 21:29 Fix 2: bounce and grind, made simple 25:21 Fix 3: when your grooves are worn out 27:52 Fix 4: the Wedge Matrix (Pelz's 3x4) 28:53 Why your 9 o'clock number matters 31:16 How to fill in your matrix this winter 33:08 When 4 wedges is the right call 34:08 How much wedges really matter 35:13 What to do tonight 36:02 What we're changing in our own bags Two fixes from the episode, also on screen: Ping's G440 went from 5 set wedges to 4 (fewer, not more). And a 15 handicap's double rate from 200 yards is about twice what it is from 150 (29% vs 15.6%), not 3 times. Sources Pitching wedge loft by decade: loftchart.com 2025 lofts: Callaway Elyte and Ping G440 spec sheets; Today's Golfer on the G440 wedge change Tour proximity from 100 yards: PGA Tour stats Finishing 75+ feet away, and double rates by distance: Lou Stagner, Arccos data What tour players carry: Golfing Focus, top 100 PGA Tour players Wedge gapping (4 to 6 degrees, 10 to 15 yards): Titleist Vokey Tom Kite and the 60 degree: Golf Channel, World Golf Hall of Fame Groove wear: Titleist's own robot testing; MyGolfSpy The 3x4 system: Dave Pelz, GOLF Magazine, 1990 Pitches that find the green vs miss it: Play Ready Golf app, 453 rounds from 127 golfers Long game share of the scoring gap: Mark Broadie, Every Shot Counts 15 handicap 4 iron distance: Shot Scope

Kris Marshall didn't touch a golf club until he was 16. He sent his resume to 500 colleges and got zero responses, walked on at Kansas anyway, and left a two-time All-American. Today he's a +5 with a full-time career, three kids, and barely any practice time. We get into how he walked on at KU, six trips to Q School (four of them lost by a single shot), why he walked away from pro golf to start a family, and what he thinks about the reinstatement debate. Then he shares the forward tees drill that teaches you to go low, and why a 10 handicap should stop aiming at pins. HOPEKIDS: the charity Kris founded a golf tournament for, serving families of children with life-threatening illnesses https://hopekids.org/ FREE: 18 Golfers, 1 Question. What 18 elite mid-ams with day jobs say busy golfers get wrong about practice, plus their go-to drills https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam PLAY READY GOLF APP: practice plans built from your strokes gained and the time you actually have. 30 days free, and code PRGPOD takes $20 off the year. https://app.playready.golf/ Feedback or a topic idea? isaak@playready.golf CHAPTERS 0:00 What a 46-year-old knows that college kids don't 1:56 He didn't start golf until 16 3:10 500 colleges, zero responses 4:14 Sitting in the rain outside the KU coach's office 5:15 The walk-on trial: the only one under par 6:46 From walk-on to two-time All-American 11:43 Turning pro: "You don't have to, you get to" 17:05 Six trips to Q School 19:17 Why he walked away from pro golf 21:44 Reinstatement and the "true amateur" argument 24:13 Kris's fix for reinstatement 27:50 What makes a great mid-am event 35:29 How golf built his career 37:52 The 14 handicap who was nervous to play with a +5 41:48 How to go low: play the forward tees 43:37 Late to the tee, then four eagles at the Kansas Open 45:44 Set a scoring goal and don't move it 46:22 Chess, not checkers, off the tee 47:44 Data vs feel 51:28 What a 10 handicap should fix this week 53:12 22-year-old Kris vs 46-year-old Kris 56:50 HopeKids

Free 3x15 Week card (the 3 dials, every session scored): https://playready.golf/3x15 Play Ready Golf app, free 30 day trial, code PRGPOD: https://app.playready.golf Ep. 27, why the range is the most expensive habit in your bag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R9mVHabK0c If you went 10 for 10 at the range last night, you didn't practice. You performed. Adam Young, one of the best practice coaches in golf, wants his players making somewhere between 3 and 7 out of every 10. Most of us build every range session around never missing. That's why the good nights never show up on Saturday. In this episode, Isaak and Hayden get into how much you should actually be missing, what Rory McIlroy did after blowing the 2011 Masters, and the 3 dials (distance, target size and randomness) that make any drill show up on the course. Hayden also tells the full story of his 2024 Canadian Q School week in Dothan, Alabama. He was 7 under after two rounds. Then came a double on a 200 yard par 3, a misread tee time and a DQ before the final round. He shares what he does differently now. Tell us in the comments: what's your next drill, and how many out of 10 do you make? Studies and people we mention: Adam Young, The Practice Manual Guadagnoli and Lee (2004), the challenge point framework Robert Bjork, desirable difficulties Wilson et al. (2019), Nature Communications, the 85% rule Human Movement Science (2025), when a task gets too hard Jared Porter, LSU, moving from blocked to random practice Low and colleagues, 14 studies on pressure training Annie Duke, Thinking in Bets Sisk et al. (2018), the growth mindset meta-analysis Chapters: 0:00 Why 10 for 10 at the range is a bad sign 1:59 How much should you be missing? 3:08 Adam Young's 3 to 7 out of 10 rule 4:00 The 3 dials that change any drill 4:31 There's no such thing as a good drill 5:26 Why easy practice feels so good 6:46 The 85% rule for faster learning 7:34 When hard practice backfires 7:49 Signs your practice is too easy 10:26 What Rory did after the 2011 Masters 10:48 Rory's 496 for 496 inside 3 feet 14:54 Hayden's Q School blowup 17:23 The tee time mistake 19:42 How Hayden bounced back 22:04 Handling emotions after a miss 24:20 The 3 part plan 24:29 Part A: turn one dial 26:57 Add a consequence: Colby's match 28:56 Part B: stop judging by results 30:41 The 3 buckets for every miss 31:37 Part C: is growth mindset enough? 32:37 Playing to your personality 35:50 Ask: how many did I actually miss? 36:31 Isaak's GC3 ladder drill 37:37 Hayden's takeaway 40:15 New Friday schedule New schedule: episodes with just Isaak and Hayden now drop every Friday. Guest episodes are bonus episodes early in the week. Isaak is a competitive mid-am who helps busy golfers improve with the time they already have. Hayden is a professional golfer. Play Ready Golf helps you practice with purpose, so you show up to the first tee ready to score.

Secrets of the elite mid am 👉 https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam Want a practice plan built for your game and your schedule? Try Play Ready Golf free for 7 days. Code ISAAK takes $20 off the year 👉 https://playready.golf/the-app Sam Jackson sells windows for a living. He has a 7 month old at home and practices once or twice a week. He's also been South Carolina Golf Association Player of the Year 4 years in a row, made the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and won the 2025 South Carolina Amateur with a wedge to 3 inches on the final hole. His edge isn't his swing. It's caring less. Golf used to be his #1 priority. Now it's 4th or 5th, and he plays better for it. In this episode he explains how to stop living and dying with every shot, the 3 checks he runs every time he practices, and why his best week in golf came after his worst prep. You'll learn: Why a 4x Player of the Year calls himself a mediocre college player How to take the pressure off every single shot Why he's hit it great and finished 7th, then hit it average and contended The 3 fundamentals he checks every session How he got into contention on 4 rounds in 4 months with a newborn Where to start when you have an hour at the range and no plan Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samuelnotljackson Need windows or doors in the Columbia, SC area? Sam's with Pella Windows and Doors of the Carolinas. 0:00 Not that Samuel Jackson 1:08 Starting golf at 12 2:30 What sped up his development 4:23 The U.S. Junior at 15 5:09 A 74.8 college scoring average 6:53 Treating every shot like the one 7:58 How to stop living and dying on every shot 8:22 The mental game beats the physical by a mile 9:01 Golf went from #1 to #5 10:35 Make golf as meaningless as possible 10:56 Less pressure at a D2 school 11:33 Staying sharp with a newborn 13:12 The 17 Golfers cheat sheet 13:41 4 rounds in 4 months, then the final group 15:07 How he picks what to practice 16:11 Where to start with an hour and no plan 17:44 The Play Ready Golf app 18:19 His 3 checks: grip, ball position, alignment 20:12 A $70 indoor winter setup 21:44 Getting away from the golf course 23:40 What golf can teach his daughter 26:00 Why he doesn't set goals 27:40 The 2023 U.S. Mid-Am and Stewart Hagestad 29:06 Bad prep, best week 30:58 The walk off at the 2025 South Carolina Am 33:38 Merion with his wife on the bag 36:43 The one thing to steal from Sam 38:01 It won't be on your tombstone 38:22 Where to find Sam

FREE: Secrets of the Mid-Am 👉 https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam The Play Ready Golf App (7 Days Free) 👉 https://onelink.to/93ggkv Roughly 800 former pros apply to regain their amateur status every year, and virtually all are approved. This week at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, 7 of the 8 quarterfinalists were reinstated amateurs, and so are both finalists. Career amateur TJ Shuart, a veteran of 12 USGA championships, joins Isaak to ask whether a reinstated pro is ever really an amateur again. They walk through why the USGA built the Mid-Am in 1981, the news that brought this to a head, and the toughest counterarguments. Then TJ lays out a simple fix: a waiting period based on how long you played as a pro and how high you got. Every player discussed followed the rules as written. This conversation is about the rules. Feedback or a topic idea? isaak@playready.golf CHAPTERS 0:00 Preview 0:27 The fork in the road: pro or lifelong amateur 2:31 Why the USGA built the Mid-Am in 1981 4:30 TJ Shuart's career as an amateur 7:22 The Mid-Am 20 years ago 12:09 The numbers: 800 reinstatements a year 17:22 How we got here: Knost, the USGA pause, and Sposa 28:11 "Those guys stopped playing years ago" 34:20 Is a reinstated pro the same player? 38:21 The Stewart Hagestad question 42:21 Challenge 1: college players 43:44 Challenge 2: NIL money 46:51 Challenge 3: should pros ever come back? 49:19 TJ's fix: a tiered waiting period 54:43 The reinstated players, by the numbers 1:04:26 What John Peterson said 1:11:09 Where the USGA review stands 1:16:23 Mid-Am update: 7 of 8 and both finalists SOURCES USGA Mid-Am fact sheet: https://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_usga2/190647/download/2025%20Mid-Am%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf GOLF.com on reinstatement: https://golf.com/instruction/rules/how-pro-golfers-regain-amateur-status/ Golf Channel on the USGA pause: https://www.golfchannel.com/ncaa/news/usga-temporarily-pauses-review-of-amateur-status-reinstatement-guidelines NBC Sports on the 2025 quarterfinals: https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/u-s-mid-amateur-quarters-filled-with-reinstated-ams-including-kft-vet-who-just-regained-status SI, the other side: https://www.si.com/golf/us-mid-amateur-does-not-have-professional-problem

Most golfers work on the wrong thing. They stretch when the problem is fear. They lift when the problem is transfer. They take a lesson when the problem is speed. Mike Carroll trains PGA Tour players through Fit For Golf, and he gave four at-home checks that tell you which one is actually holding you back. Then he laid out the exact 20 minute, three days a week template for a guy with a job, kids, and no gym. FREE: The 15 Minute Test (one page, four checks, your one thing this month) https://playready.golf/20-yards Play Ready Golf app, 7 days free. Code PRGPOD saves $20 a year for life. https://playready.golf Mike Carroll, Fit For Golf https://fitforgolf.blog Instagram and X: @fit_for_golf CHAPTERS 0:00 Mobility problem or technique problem? The three swing test 2:29 Four ways to find your real limiter 3:41 The 2 to 3 year strength rule 6:30 Technique vs skill: judge your best shots, not your average 7:38 The 15 minute test (free, first link) 8:11 The busy golfer: gym time or range time? 9:11 The calendar rule: tournament inside 3 months, skip the gym 14:07 Structure your year: winter builds capacity, spring transfers it 17:00 Strength benchmarks by age: pull up, push ups, jumps, split squats 26:34 Training 50,000 golfers from one app 27:46 Speed training: where a normal golfer starts 31:27 Your range speed vs your course speed 32:41 Transfer problem or capacity problem 35:22 When overload and underload tools earn their place 38:08 Four months out vs four weeks out 39:29 When speed stops being the lever 44:50 Play Ready Golf app 45:41 Isaak had 130 mph in college. It did not help. 49:40 The 20 minute template: Mon, Wed, Fri 52:20 Why power leaves first and almost nobody trains it 57:23 Speed work at the end of practice, not a separate session 59:48 Wrap up Every number in this episode comes from Mike on the recording. Strokes gained references are from Mark Broadie, Every Shot Counts. #golf #golffitness #golfpractice

FREE SIMPLE STAT TRACKER: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/simplestatstracker PLAY READY GOLF APP Enter your round, the app does the strokes gained math and tells you what to practice. 7 day free trial. Code PRGPOD for $20 off the year. https://onelink.to/93ggkv Fairways hit is the golf stat every app shows you first, and it barely separates a scratch golfer from a 20 handicap. In this episode Isaak and Hayden go through the four golf stats on every scorecard app (fairways hit, greens in regulation, up and down percentage, putts per round), show what each one hides, and swap each one for a number you can track with a pencil that actually predicts your score. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR Why a scratch golfer hits only about 4% more fairways than a 20 handicap (Shot Scope) The stat that actually separates handicaps off the tee: 12% vs 45% of drives in penalty or recovery (Arccos, 2025 driving report) What the rough, trees, and a fairway bunker really cost you Bryson at Winged Foot: 23 of 56 fairways and a U.S. Open trophy Broadie's breakdown of where the scoring gap comes from: approach 40%, tee 28%, short game 17%, putting 15% Why greens in regulation cannot tell 6 feet from 60 Why up and down percentage grades your chip on your putt Hayden's 65 with 35 putts, and why putts per round rewards bad golf The two putts that separate handicaps: lags from 30 feet and makes inside 8 Strokes gained vs simple stats: which one you should keep Chapters: 0:00 Fairways hit barely separates golfers 1:10 Scratch vs 20 handicap: a 13 point stat 1:45 The disaster stat: 12% vs 45% of drives 3:08 What the rough, trees, and bunkers actually cost 4:54 Distance is worth more than accuracy 5:23 Stat 1: Tee shots in play 6:41 Bryson at Winged Foot: 23 of 56 fairways 7:31 Should a 56 year old chase distance? 8:41 Where the scoring gap really comes from 10:00 Why greens in regulation lies 12:50 Hayden's fringe confession 15:11 Short game is 17% of the gap 16:23 Up and down blends two shots 18:43 Stat 3: 11 feet vs 20 feet after a chip 19:33 Hayden pushes back on the 17% 21:31 Track five rounds and be honest 22:21 Why you should not copy how mid ams practice 25:57 You cannot know your tendencies without tracking them 26:56 The dumbest stat: putts per round 27:58 Hayden shot 65 with 35 putts 29:49 The two putts that separate handicaps 30:53 Strokes gained vs simple stats 31:05 Recap: the four simple stats 34:55 Bobby Rippey and 1,000 subscribers 36:57 Next: the driver episode

Get the free cheat sheet: ⁠ https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam⁠ Want a practice plan built for your game and your schedule? Try Play Ready Golf free for 7 days. Code PRGPOD takes $20 off every year: ⁠⁠ https://playready.golf/the-app⁠⁠ Follow Austin: ⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/_alangdale⁠⁠_ Austin Langdale's job is deciding which college golfers get equipment deals. He scouts for Srixon/Cleveland Golf, which means he watches perfect golf swings every single week. Most of those players never make it. In this episode he explains what actually separates scorers from range heroes, and how he used it to win the 2026 South Carolina Amateur while playing twice a month with 2 kids and a full time job. 9 years after an MS diagnosis ended his shot at pro golf. You'll learn: Why players with 190 ball speed still shoot 76 The tell scouts look for when everyone on the range looks perfect How to win a state am on 40 minutes of practice a week What to buy with $1,000 and 2 hours a week, and what to skip Why most golfers carry 14 clubs but only need 8 or 9 The 1 club drill that builds feel faster than new gear Chapters 00:00 A state champion's practice month 01:29 Closing out Quixote with the lead 03:31 Watching good golf instead of practicing 04:28 What a Srixon rep actually does 06:29 Who gets signed and who gets passed 08:34 What a 15 handicap can steal 10:07 The lowest hanging fruit 11:28 The 16 Golfers cheat sheet 11:55 NIL and the new college golf 14:58 Everyone looks the part on the range 16:09 Feel is a lost art 17:10 The Play Ready Golf app 17:58 Beating NeSmith and Champ 20:36 The injuries start at Clemson 25:02 Turning pro and the MS diagnosis 26:49 What MS took and what it gave 29:50 What the dream means now 31:39 A trophy and a 4 year old 33:32 What he wants his boys to learn 37:08 2 hours and 1,000 dollars 41:17 Merion and the U.S. Amateur 45:45 Clemson football check in 48:31 The fall schedule 50:58 Where to find Austin

Try the app free for 7 days. Code PRGPOD gets you 20 dollars off the annual plan for life: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Free stats guide: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats Coaches. PRG Teams is built for high school and college programs at about half what our competitors charge. First month free, cancel anytime : https://playready.golf/teams Two weeks ago we quoted a stat saying driver and 3 wood hit almost the same percentage of fairways, and the comments came apart. One commenter was right, and we went and checked. The stat has a hole in it, and nobody in golf has fixed it. Not Arccos. Not Shot Scope. Not Lou Stagner or Mark Broadie. In this one: how far you actually hit driver, the one simulation that gets around the broken stat, the physics of why a 3 wood mishit curves less, exactly how many golfers should be hitting 3 wood off the tee, and 3 rules for the tee box that cost nothing. Isaak has been in and around club fitting since 2017. Hayden plays professionally. CHAPTERS 00:00 How many times did you actually pull driver 01:00 The comment that started this episode 01:50 The Arccos driving distance report 02:12 The amateur distance boom that never happened 03:33 What you hit it by handicap and by age 04:00 Everybody is 10 to 20 yards off 04:40 Where the strokes actually go 04:57 12% versus 45.1% 05:37 What counts as a big miss 06:23 Your miss is the same. Your aim is not. 06:59 The free stats guide 07:40 The stat we quoted has a hole in it 09:06 Nobody in golf has ever fixed it 10:35 The one study that gets around the problem 11:22 The shortest club won 12:02 The safety club is not safe, it is just shorter 12:44 Is a driver harder to square than a 3 wood 14:06 Gear effect, bulge and roll 15:31 What the robot test showed on toe hits 16:19 Why your own tendencies beat any stat we quote 17:02 How many golfers are straighter with 3 wood 18:20 The 1 in 10 number 18:36 If your 3 wood is as long as your driver 20:03 The 5% out of bounds rule 21:20 Nobody walked in asking me to fix their driver 22:00 Cutting down the driver shaft 23:07 The 2 reasons to shorten a shaft 25:26 Is driver marketing a scam 26:22 What a manufacturer told me about their own numbers 28:10 The fitting thing nobody thinks about 30:00 Tools, not jewels 33:20 Rule 1: driver is the default 34:00 Jason Day's pattern was 74 yards wide 34:40 Rule 2: aim off the trouble by half your pattern 35:50 Tee up on the same side as the trouble 36:10 Rule 3: the only 3 reasons to club down 37:19 The forced carry mistake I made for years 38:30 If you club down on 3 holes a round 38:49 How to think about lessons 41:36 Hayden argues against the whole episode 42:46 What actually fixes a 45% penalty rate 44:16 The guy who does not trust it right now 45:34 Findable and hittable 46:17 Tiger hit driver once at Hoylake 47:37 You do not have a driver problem SOURCES NAMED IN THIS EPISODE Arccos annual driving distance report, 25,000 golfers and 6.5 million tee shots Lou Stagner, analysis of the Arccos database Shot Scope, driver versus 3 wood fairway data Golf Digest and Golf Laboratories robot testing Mark Broadie, strokes gained Scott Fawcett, DECADE

Secrets of the elite Mid-AM: ⁠ https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam⁠ Practice smarter with the Play Ready Golf app. 7 days free, code ISAAK takes $20 off the year: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Follow Payne: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/paynerr/⁠ He plays 3 to 4 rounds before a tournament and hits balls maybe twice a week. He has a day job in logistics and just won his 3rd straight Tennessee State Amateur, something only 2 other golfers have done in 100 plus years. Payne Denman has played 5 U.S. Amateurs, coached college golf at MTSU, Tennessee, and South Florida, and played pro golf on PGA Tour Latinoamerica before walking away. In this episode he breaks down exactly how he practices now: the 60 minute range hour he splits into 3 blocks, why he stopped hitting drivers and got better, the mirror work he does at home, and how he talks to himself like a coach talks to a player. Timestamps 0:00 What he knows that college golfers don't 0:43 How many hours he actually practices 1:04 Mirror work, slow reps, and the 90 minute cap 2:10 Week 2: money games instead of range balls 2:33 The 45 minute session: where all the time goes 3:14 Why he quit hitting drivers (and got better) 4:41 Where college players waste unlimited hours 6:33 A lack of intent repeats what's easiest 7:10 How a coach fixes wasted practice 9:22 Talking to yourself like a coach 10:59 No coach? Write it down, 1 goal, max time 12:53 Separate mechanics from target practice 13:54 The 60 minute range hour: 3 blocks of 20 15:31 Why range games die on the course 16:22 Serial ball beating and why failure is the point 17:44 Playing scared: fear and embarrassment off the tee 19:14 Merion: the hardest course he's ever played 21:39 How he preps for championship setups 23:45 Adjusting to new grass, climates, and fog 26:45 The day job advantage 27:45 Down with 5 to play: birdies on 4 of the last 5 30:52 Fighting off the three-peat thoughts 32:22 What pro golf taught him about failure 33:35 The day he knew pro golf was over 36:32 What he tells players who want to turn pro 38:51 Reinstatement: the 4 year wait 41:31 PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the $4,000 career 44:32 What recreational golfers get wrong 46:45 What's next for Payne

Try the app free for 7 days. Code PRGPOD gets you 20 dollars off the annual plan for life : https://onelink.to/93ggkv Free stats guide. Every benchmark from 3 feet to 300 yards, 20 handicap through tour pro : https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats Free 59 minute practice plan: https://onelink.to/59minplan Coaches. PRG Teams is built for high school and college programs at about half what our competitors charge. First month free : https://playready.golf/teams CHAPTERS 00:00 How many of your 14 clubs did you actually hit 01:19 The hybrid Isaak loved and had to take out 02:15 The Arccos study nobody talks about 03:37 This happens at every handicap level 04:04 The 5 most abandoned clubs in golf 05:18 Why the 3 wood is a security blanket 06:30 You carry it so you are not the guy without one 08:18 The free stats guide 09:28 You did not pick 14 clubs, you inherited a slot 10:47 The 1935 US Open and the guy with 32 clubs 12:00 Lawson Little and his 7 wedges 13:03 Why the USGA actually made the rule 14:20 The man who invented 14 said 14 was too many 16:56 Francis Ouimet won a US Open with 7 clubs 17:27 A limit is not a quota 18:20 Your 7 iron has the loft of a 1990s 5 iron 19:21 Isaak on 8 years in club fitting 20:24 The gap wedge exists to patch a hole 20:57 The case for owning more than 14 clubs 22:22 Hayden's qualifier, 14 holes, zero drivers 25:20 Why leaving a gap on purpose works 26:22 Rule 1: every club needs a job you can say out loud 28:01 Rule 2: two clubs cannot share a job 29:30 Rule 3: the receipt rule 30:46 Hybrid versus long iron, the Shot Scope numbers 31:58 Why long irons fail, and it is not your swing 33:05 What being the outlier actually costs you 36:00 Rule 4: replace it, do not just remove it 37:03 Driver versus 3 wood 39:09 Humility with a receipt 39:39 Arguing against our own episode 40:49 The USGA study on what golfers do not know 42:37 Where this data comes from and its limits 42:50 What to take with you 44:59 Hayden on discipline and the Ohio Open SOURCES NAMED IN THIS EPISODE Lou Stagner, analysis of the Arccos database, March 2023 Shot Scope, long iron versus hybrid greens in regulation Arccos, driver versus 3 wood accuracy and distance USGA TrackMan study, December 2023, 627 recreational golfers Robert Harris, Sixty Years of Golf, 1953 Rand Jerris, USGA, on the origin of the 14 club rule World Golf Hall of Fame on Lawson Little Golf Digest and Ralph Maltby on iron loft changes

Try Play Ready Golf free for 7 days. Code PRGPOD takes $20 off every year, forever: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Secrets of the mid-am: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam Get a custom piece from Andrew: andrew@sanstudio.com Andrew Chapman shot 90 in the first round of a U.S. Am qualifier and wondered if the USGA would send him a letter. 4 years later he won the Michigan Amateur as the 32 seed, and today he builds custom furniture, raises 2 boys, and still chases USGA qualifiers. We get into the line between supporting a kid and pushing one, the multi-sport locker room at Michigan, the rebuild that started with grip and stance, the wedge ladder that carries his whole bag, AimPoint with a carpenter's level, and what a craftsman knows about the difference between good and right. Timestamps 0:00 Harder to watch than to compete 2:07 The temptation a champion dad resists 3:27 Family golf: 9 holes, 2 hours, 2 boys 5:33 Quick to the ball, then take your time 6:52 The line between helping and pushing 7:45 Playing golf swing instead of golf 9:43 What his parents got right 11:04 Too serious, and the try less lesson 13:19 The 12-second pre-shot fix 15:17 The golf bug at 13 17:49 Every Michigan player was multi-sport 22:29 Rock bottom: the 2009 qualifier 25:42 The 32 seed run, and where belief comes from 28:50 His practice: the 40 to 110 wedge ladder 30:13 AimPoint with a carpenter's level 32:12 The 9 shots drill 34:18 Good vs. right: lessons from the shop 37:40 Build this first: the beginner slab table 39:19 The 20 foot table at a golf course 40:36 What he wants his boys to take at 18 42:59 The reinstatement debate 47:24 Bring back the 36-hole qualifier 47:47 Staying with Scottie Scheffler at the U.S. Am 4 9:05 Where to find Andrew, and what's next

Free stats guide: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats Get tour level strokes gained data in 30 seconds a hole with Play Ready Golf. Free 7 day trial: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Code PRGPOD gets you $20 off every year for life. Tour pros make about half their putts from 8 feet. From 100 yards in the fairway they hit it inside 3 feet 1 time in 25. The standard you grade your golf against does not exist. Not for you. Not for them. This week we tear up the fake report card most golfers carry in their heads. Where it came from (the broadcast, the Ben Hogan legend, and your own inflated numbers), what breaking 90 actually looks like for a 15 handicap, what a real 68 and a real 63 look like in strokes gained, and a 4 rule grading system that costs nothing and starts working your next round. Sources named in this episode: Mark Broadie (Columbia, PGA Tour ShotLink), Shot Scope, Arccos and Lou Stagner, Jon Sherman (Practical Golf), Adam Young, Bob Rotella, and the Ben Hogan story as told by Dan Jenkins. Chapters 0:00 The number that ends the argument 1:35 Mad about a birdie 3:11 Tour averages, 3 feet to 300 yards 6:52 Tiger missed 4 putts in 4 years 10:01 Where the fake report card came from 11:37 Hogan graded himself on 3 shots 15:51 The 24 yards you don't have 17:57 Your handicap is not your average 18:59 The break 90 data dump 21:35 Playing US Open qualifying with tour pros 28:53 A 68 and a 63 in strokes gained 33:04 Shooting a gajillion and smiling 39:49 The new report card 42:27 Grade putts by the second putt 45:03 Steal Hogan's scorecard 48:39 Ambition vs unrealistic expectations 50:48 Why golfers actually quit 51:20 Hayden is coming to Instagram 57:07 Give the scorecard back

Try Play Ready Golf free for 7 days. Code PRGPOD takes $20 off every year: https://onelink.to/93ggkv The Mid-Am Insights PDF. Every lesson from every mid-am we have interviewed, in one download: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam Support the new home of the Ole Miss Patterson School of Accountancy: https://accountancy.olemiss.edu/new-building/ Brett's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bpatterson03/ Brett Patterson is the 5th ranked mid-am in America. He teaches 300 accounting students at Ole Miss, has 2 girls at home, and touches a club 3 or 4 times a week at best. In college he hit 300 balls a day and got worse. Then he left tournament golf for 5 years, came back, and started winning everything. We get into the 4 weeks off before he opened 7 under, the wedge and putter plan that replaced the bucket, the mental spiral that almost ended his golf, and the piece of advice he says actively hurts amateurs. Timestamps 0:00 The #5 mid-am barely touches a club 0:53 4 weeks off, then 7 under in round 1 2:18 A Tuesday with 300 students and 2 kids 3:52 College: 300 balls a day, sun up to dark 7:19 Less practice, better golf. The flip. 8:39 5 years away and the 2022 U.S. Amateur 14:22 What he'd tell every college golfer 16:54 His practice now: wedges and lag putts 19:59 An accountant's take on tracking stats 22:35 Bring back Golfstat 26:09 The biggest mistakes amateurs make 28:58 Never the most talented. What separates him. 31:08 What scratch golfers miss about scoring 34:16 Championship golf vs weekend golf 35:42 The advice that actively hurts amateurs 37:05 Pressure putts and choosing confidence 38:36 How to stay sharp after time off 40:43 The reinstatement debate 50:49 What he wants his daughters to know 53:48 A shoutout to the mid-am wives 54:02 Prepping for the U.S. Mid-Am at Sand Valley 56:26 Support the new Ole Miss accountancy building

Want 1 science based practice fix a day for the next 30 days? That is the second link: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/30hacksin30 The Play Ready Golf app turns 30 seconds a hole into tour level strokes gained data and a practice plan built around your time and facilities: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Code PRGPOD gets you $20 off every year for life: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6752723937&code=PRGPOD Grab the free Greenside Menu, the 1 page decision card we walk through in this episode. Print it or save it to your phone: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/menu Your short game problem is not your hands. It is the order you pick shots in. In this episode of the Play Ready Golf Podcast (Ep. 31) we use Shot Scope and Arccos data to show why golfers at every handicap level fail from 50 yards, why the flop shot became everyone's default, and the 4 question menu that fixes it without a single lesson. Timestamps: 0:00 Nobody has hands 1:42 The data: up and down by handicap 2:56 The app in 30 seconds 3:22 The highlight reel raised you 5:57 Extreme sells: the wedge industry 7:00 Jason Day: one motion, many clubs 8:53 Option 1: the putter 10:17 One email a day for 30 days 10:33 Option 2: the low chip 11:11 Option 3: the pitch 12:34 Option 4: the flop 13:40 The cost of ignoring the menu 14:17 Judge every shot by its miss 15:27 What Hayden sees caddying 19:19 Rule 1: can I putt it? 20:18 Rule 2: lowest loft that clears the trouble 21:59 Rule 3: pitch only when something is in the way 22:45 Rule 4: the flop is the fire escape 23:37 The menu in order 25:20 What about bad lies? 26:33 2 honest notes about the data 27:29 The takeaway Missed the double bogey episode we reference? Watch it here: https://youtu.be/D1ZK1E_06Xs Data in this episode comes from Shot Scope, Arccos data via Lou Stagner, PGA Tour scrambling stats, and Edoardo Molinari via Golf Digest.

Download Play Ready Golf and get tour level strokes gained data in 30 seconds a hole, plus a practice plan built around your time and your facilities: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Use code PRGPOD for $20 off every year, for life Get 1 science-based practice hack in your inbox every day for 30 days: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/30hacksin30 Grab the free 59 Minute Practice Guide, built on strokes gained data and motor learning research: https://onelink.to/59minplan Follow Scott: https://www.instagram.com/cachill21 Scott Cahill had full status on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. He gave it back, took a full-time job, and barely touched a club for 5 years. Then he fell back in love with the game and won the Arizona Mid-Amateur at Grayhawk, on a course where the field made 1,158 bogeys in 3 days. He did it with a newborn at home and a practice routine he calls a cram session. This episode is the blueprint for playing your best golf with the least time you've ever had. Timestamps: 0:00 Walking away from the Tour 2:17 The pro golf grind nobody sees 5:37 Five years without touching a club 8:11 When golf stopped feeling like work 11:35 What he'd change about his pro practice 14:02 Golf with a newborn and a full-time job 18:24 Inside his boring practice routine 21:30 The stat that surprised him 25:21 Winning the Arizona Mid-Am at Grayhawk 32:00 The 59 at Tobacco Road 35:55 Signing with the Grass League 38:04 The reinstated pro debate 48:42 What winning actually gets you 51:17 Lessons for his son

Sick of 1 hole wrecking your whole round? Grab the free Disaster Card. It has the 4 rules on the front and a 3 round leak tracker on the back that shows you exactly where your strokes are going: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/disaster Once you know your leak, the Play Ready Golf app builds every practice session around it: https://onelink.to/93ggkv Podcast listeners get an extended free trial plus a discount with code PRGPOD: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6752723937&code=PRGPOD Your golf handicap is not decided by your swing. It is decided by 3 or 4 blow-up holes a round. In this episode of the Play Ready Golf Podcast (Ep. 29) we use Shot Scope and Arccos data to prove that double bogeys, not birdies, separate every handicap level. Then we walk through the 5 leaks that cause blow-up holes and the 4 rules that stop them. None of it requires practice time. Timestamps:0:00 The number that breaks your brain1:14 Hayden's triple at US Am qualifying4:45 The data: doubles by handicap5:58 The free Disaster Card6:18 Why golfers blame the swing10:54 Birdies happen by accident12:30 The 5 leaks behind every blow-up hole13:00 Leak 1: tee shots into trouble14:20 Leak 2: the hero recovery15:43 Leak 3: the short-side miss17:47 Leak 4: the double chip19:01 Leak 5: three-putts21:15 Hayden's worst blow-up holes27:04 The Disaster Card: 4 rules27:59 Rule 1: count your doubles (the Train Game)29:52 Rule 2: the one-job shot30:56 Rule 3: get long putts inside 3 feet32:39 Rule 4: short-sided means middle of the green34:57 Is this just playing scared?37:26 2 honest notes about the data38:14 The takeaway40:15 What to watch next Data in this episode comes from the Shot Scope Annual Report (74M+ shots), Arccos data via Lou Stagner, Mark Broadie's Every Shot Counts, and Edoardo Molinari via Golf Digest.

Play Ready Golf app: ⁠ https://onelink.to/93ggkv⁠ Use code PRGPOD for 20 dollars off every year, for life. One science based hack a day for 30 days: ⁠ https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/30hacksin30⁠ Free 59 minute practice guide: ⁠ https://onelink.to/59minplan⁠ FIND NATE Mountain Creative Construction, licensed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Teton Valley, Idaho Nate on Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/ndizzle4shizzle/⁠ Nate Smith made it to pro golf, then walked away at 30 because he did not like who the game was turning him into. He got an MBA, moved to Idaho, built a construction business, and barely touched a club for eight years. Then he came back as an amateur and started winning, beating players half his age who practice every day. If you love golf but cannot give it your whole life, this one is for you. Nate plays a few weeks a year and still competes at the top of the amateur game. He breaks down how he practices with intent, why not being obsessed with results is his biggest edge, and what he would tell anyone trying to get better with limited time. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Walking away from a Tour card at 30 01:48 What eight years away taught him 04:23 The hardest lesson, he was not always first 05:53 What pulled him back in 2022 07:36 Coming back after eight years off 09:56 Winning right away, and why it did not surprise him 10:41 Competing while running a construction business 13:26 How much you should actually practice 15:04 Practice with intent, hit 20 balls and leave 18:04 Taking your practice to the course 20:12 North and South week, identity over outcome 22:10 Playing at elevation versus sea level 24:36 Grass League and the Hollywood Hitters 28:06 The truth about amateur reinstatement 33:48 What he would tell his 25 year old self 35:14 What is next on his schedule 38:03 Where to find Nate

7-Day App Trial:⁠ https://onelink.to/93ggkv⁠ 59-Minute Practice Plan: ⁠ https://onelink.to/59minplan⁠ 30-Hacks for Busy Golfers: ⁠ https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/30hacksin30⁠ Chapters: 0:00 A $12 bucket vs a $40 round 1:48 Why leaving the range happy is a bad sign 2:59 What practice costs, and what actually lowers scores 4:20 Quality over quantity: making 30 minutes count 5:58 Where the "beat balls" myth came from 8:48 The 1992 study: why your range swing doesn't show up 9:54 Bubba Watson barely touched the range 13:39 Hayden's confession: practicing just to say he did 14:58 How to actually practice: fewer balls, real pressure 20:02 Tournament golf exposes your tendencies 24:45 Why "just hit more balls" fails 27:38 Rule 1: Play more, and play cheaper 29:45 Rule 2: Give the range rules 32:15 Rule 3: Practice on the course for free 34:27 Rule 4: Aim where you leak 35:49 Tendencies vs dispersion 43:32 When the range is actually the right call 46:16 Good intentions vs being intentional