On the Mark Golf Podcast

Ted Scott is a highly experienced PGA TOUR caddy with a wealth of knowledge.  He joins our podcast to share stories, lessons and analogies from his 18 years of travel in the professional game.  Ted shares lessons you can learn from some of the players for whom he is caddied and players he has spent time around.  (Ted has caddied for Paul Azinger, Grant Waite, Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson but also shares insights from Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods.)  Among other things he talks about the mental game, playing to your strengths and weaknesses and the value of shot-shaping and trajectory control. 

Mike Thomas is a PGA Master Professional and the father of the 2017 PGA Championship winner, Justin Thomas.  An accomplished player and a decorated teacher, Mike shares some lessons he has given Justin from childhood through the present.  He talks about properly fitting and advising junior golfers.  Mike also shares insights on how to best communicate and direct competitive children and juniors and he talks at length about Justin Thomas and Justin's growth as a player from his junior days to his PGA Championship victory.  

Pete Cowen is arguably the leading golf instructor in the professional game.  Among others Cowen teaches Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen and Danny Willett and he joins our podcast to share lessons you can learn from these great ball-strikers and champions.  Pete also shares his thoughts on the golf swing and how an effective golf swing operates.  Pete talks at length about pressure vs. speed and gives tips and drills on how you can create more compression at impact and how you can control spin by applying the correct pressure to the golf club.

VJ Trolio is a PGA TOUR Instructor and a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher.  Trolio is also the co-inventor of the popular golf training aid "The Putting Arc".  VJ joins the podcast to talk about the swinging arc of the golf club, from the putter through the bag.  He shares insights on the putting arc and tips to improve your putting.  He then takes you off the green and talks about the expansion of the swing arc and how it pertains to "Swing Path", "Clubface Alignment" and "Angle of Attack".  Using examples like Ben Hogan, VJ shares tips and drills for you to improve your swing arc and as a result hole more putts and strike better quality shots.

Randy Smith is a member of The PGA of America Hall of Fame and the all-time leading PGA of America National Award National Award Winner (18 times).  Randy Smith is also a highly sought after instructor on the PGA TOUR.  He joins the podcast to share stories and lessons he gleaned from such Hall-of-Famers as Harvey Penick and Lee Trevino.  Smith shares wisdom and insights on the Clubface Alignment and Swing Path relationship and how that impact hooks and slices.  He also addresses the timing between the body pivot and the swing of the arms and club and the influence on spin.  Smith then opines further on the golf swing, golf swing technique and golf instruction and he talks about playing golf like a Pro.

Kapil Gupta M.D. helps professional golfers, hockey players and Olympians to achieve greatness by conquering their minds.  He joins the podcast to share insight and wisdom to help you to understand your mind and how it works.  Dr. Gupta talks about hope and fear and their relationship to each other and achieving greatness. He talks about the understanding of what is necessary to play good golf.  He also shares personal anecdotes from his experiences in the game - those anecdotes explain more deeply the very nature of golf and competition.

The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale was an intriguing affair with story-lines aplenty.  Mark Immelman puts on his golf instructor and coaching hat and unpacks them all for you.  He illustrates lessons you can learn from the major protagonists:  Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy and Branden Grace.  Immelman talks about the nature of golf and how to successfully navigate the inevitable ebbs and flows it presents.  He talks about the value of attitude, awareness and shot selection.  He also delves into elements like the long bunker shot, body alignment and self-talk. 

Skip Guss, the 2014 New England PGA Teacher of the Year, employs a simple and easy to understand approach to the game and the instruction thereof.  It is an approach he learned from some of the great golf teachers like Jim Flick and Bob Toski.  Skip also learned the game from the World Golf Hall of Fame member, Sam Snead, and he shares some of the lessons he learned from "Slammin' Sam".  He also shares anecdotes from one of the best swingers of a golf club of all time.  In short, he brings you simple to understand, and easy to apply lessons that will help you improve your golf.

Ian Baker-Finch is a true gentleman and is emblematic of the true golf professional.  On this podcast "Finchy" shares his thoughts on golf swing technique and the development of technique in the modern game.  He talks about his development as a professional golfer and in so doing shares insights on how you can improve your game.  Ian then talks about his career in Links Golf and The Open, the lessons he learned, his ups and downs and his famous victory in 1991.  Ian revisits the final round of The '91 Open, his approach and his thoughts and emotions as he navigated his way around Royal Birkdale.  He also shares an honest assessment of his loss of form as he attempted to make golf swing improvements.  His anecdotes are loaded with valuable lessons that every golfer can parlay into individual success.

Jeff Leishman has been one of the leading golf instructors in the game and on the PGA TOUR for a long time.  He employs a intriguing mantra "Keep getting better does NOT mean keep getting different" and his approach is perfect to help you to understand how to "swing your swing".  Jeff references his PGA TOUR clients Daniel Berger, Carl Pettersson and Will MacKenzie as he shares real-time examples of perfecting YOUR OWN technique for improved ballstriking and scoring.

Jeff Isler is one of the leading authorities on golf coaching and instruction for golfers of all ages and skill levels.  He runs a North Texas-based comprehensive coaching program for aspiring juniors, collegiate athletes, touring professionals and serious adult golfers.  In this podcast he shares advice for parents of junior golfers on how to navigate the pitfalls and challenges of parenting a young athlete.  He also speaks about technical golf instruction, fitness for golf, mental techniques for improvement, club-fitting and goal-setting.  Jeff also addresses statistics for advanced improvement and he chats about "style over function" with regard to golf swing technique.

Joe Mayo is a social media phenomenon and a highly sought-after golf instructor and he joins the podcast to dig into golf and the golf swing.  The "TrackmanMaestro" talks about his influences and career as a golf teacher.  He shares his beliefs on the golf swing and refers to leading players both past and present like Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson as he shares insights.  Joe also breaks down all Launch Monitor terms and presents ideas on how to maximize and improve various elements including Clubhead Speed, Swing Path, Angle of Attack, Dynamic Loft and Spin Loft.  Finally, Joe talks about elements in the swing such as clubface orientation, the transition and wrist location.

Kelvin Kelley believes in subtracting unnecessary parts of the golf swing to make it more reliable and consistent.  Kelley is a PGA professional and a performance golf coach based in San Francisco and he joins the podcast to share his views on simplicity in golf swing technique to improve ball-striking and contact for added accuracy and power.  Kelvin describes his approach and compares the athletic movement of a simple golf swing to the throwing motion of an NFL Quarterback.  He shares research he has done with leading NFL coaches regarding efficiency of motion to gain accuracy and power.  Kelvin also shares knowledge he has garnered from his work with the people of "Sectret Golf".  Kelvin also shared a ball-striking drill he has learned from PGA Champion Jason Dufner.

Hunter Brown has worked for TrackMan, and is a and is a up-and-coming golf instructor in the game.  His research in golf ball launch characteristics, coupled with his play at a significantly high level enable him to speak with authority on golf, playing golf and how to improve.  Hunter shares thoughts on hitting the ball farther as well as how to hit is more accurately.  He talks about launch monitor numbers and factors such as Angle of Attack, Launch Angle, Ball and Club Speed and Ball Spin and how to maximize those for more power and accuracy.  Golf Tips to help you maximize your "numbers" are obviously included. 

Paul McGinley has risen to as high as the Top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.  He has 4 European Tour victories and a spectacular record in the Ryder Cup Matches including a win as the European Team Captain in 2014.  McGinley, a former Gaelic Football player, joins the podcast to talk about athleticism, resiliency, playing one's own game, and the value of a good mind-set in competition.  Paul also talks at length about his career as both a player and and captain in the Ryder Cup Matches and shares lessons you can learn from his experiences - one of those being holing the winning putt against Jim Furyk in the 2002 Matches.

Well-respected golf television analyst and former PGA TOUR player, Brandel Chamblee is one of the most researched individuals in the game.  He has written a book "The Anatomy of Greatness" and he joins our podcast to share lessons - gleaned from research - from the legends of our game.  Chamblee highlights swing elements as employed by such greats as: Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer.  He also talks about players such as Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods.  In this conversation you will hear conversation about golf fundamentals and also insights on leg action, the transition, swing width among other in-depth elements.

Steve Stricker is one of the greatest of all time with a wedge and a putter in his hands and he joins the podcast to discuss his approach to shots from inside of 125 yards.  Steve talks about rhythm, tempo, ball position, grip pressure, trajectory control and club selection and how they influence the wedges.  He also talks about greenside pitching and clubface and spin control.  He then takes you onto the green and talks about how to make more putts.  He also talks about how he navigated a slump he suffered in 2004 and what he did to bounce back to become one of the game's premier players.  As an added bonus Steve also shares insights on the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills and he talks about the 2017 President's Cup (and his USA Team captaincy) outside of New York City.

Mitchell Spearman has long been one of the foremost golf teachers in the game.  He has taught such greats of the game as Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch.  Spearman joins the podcast to share lessons from the afore-mentioned that can help you to shoot better scores.  He also talks about how you can manage "Blind-Spots" in your golf swing and in so doing develop a more effective and consistent motion.  Mitchell also addresses the important issue of developing a swing that fits your body and physique. 

Randy Myers has been a trend-setter and is one of the foremost minds in the field of golf specific fitness-training. He joins our podcast to focus on flexibility and other elements which have an effect on one's ability to swing the golf club consistently well.  Randy shares ideas on stretching and improving balance with a view to improving your golf swing.  He talks about muscle-building vs flexibility and their priorities in your practice and preparation.  He also shares snapshots from his book "Fit for Golf; Fit for Life" and also shares ideas from his work with his extensive stable of PGA TOUR players.

Golf Channel Academy Lead Instructor, Travis Fulton is a friend of the podcast and a successful instructor to golfers of all skill levels.  He discusses junior golf and gives advice to parents of junior golfers to help their kids to grow in, and enjoy, the game of golf.  He also shares tips to help younger golfers to play and score better.  Travis then uses his unique experiences to compare and contrast the approaches of "modern-day" and "older" golf instructors, coaches and teachers to golf instruction.  In so doing he helps you the listener to navigate the sometimes confusing landscape in golf instruction.  As an added bonus Travis also shares golf tips to help you improve from tee through green.

Bob Estes is a 4-time winner on the PGA TOUR and still still competing out there.  As a result, he is uniquely equipped to comment on the differences between how the game was played a few years ago versus the current day.  Estes, a winner of the prestigious Haskins Award, compares changes in the approach to the golf swing, golf instruction, to the mind-set and course management and to equipment.  He also shares anecdotes from 'inside the ropes' and a few tips to help you with your game.

Dr. Rob Bell (Certified Consultant of The Association of Applied Sports Psychology) has worked with hundreds of sports teams, coaches and athletes.  He joins our podcast to discuss the subject of 'Fear' and how to overcome it in life and in golf.  He also talks about the fickle subject of confidence and breaks down ways do develop mental toughness and improve confidence on the course and in competition.

Kyle Morris is a Golf Digest "Best Young Instructor" and a TrackMan Master Pro.  He is also a former TOUR professional and hence he is able to bring a unique blend of information to help golfers improve.  In this podcast Kyle discusses his TrackMan research and embellishes on the Clubface and Swing Path relationship and how you can focus on those to develop a Go-To shot and effectively eliminate one side of the target.  He also shares ideas you can employ to improve your shot accuracy and directional control.

Brian Jacobs is a Golf Channel Academy Instructor and a vastly experienced golf teacher and coach.  He emphasizes practice with a view to playing better and in this podcast he shares thoughts, ideas and practice drills to help you to take it to the course.   Brian talks about movement and kinesthetics and retaining athleticism in the golf swing.  He also talks about effective lesson and practice regimens that will ensure that your work takes root.  He speaks at-length about purpose-driven practice in the form of practice games, drills and exercises that will lead to success and lower scores.  Brian also talks about games to play on the golf course to emphasize on-course practice and improved play under pressure.

Sasho MacKenize (PhD in Sports Biomechanics) explains the patterns of forces and torques exerted on the club and the ground during the golf swing.  He embellishes on how each hand exerts force on the club and how they work together to present the clubface efficiently and correctly for ball-striking success.   Sasho also talks about ground force reaction and how to move pressure in the feet correctly to maximize power by improving the launch angle.  Along those lines he delves into COP (Center of Pressure) and COM (Center of Mass) during the swing and explains how they should operate.  Dr. MacKenize also shares ideas and drills that you can do to control the club and use the ground correctly during your golf swing.

A two-time Olympian, Dr. Phil Cheetham, is the foremost mind in the Biomechanics and Motion Analysis industry.  Dr. Cheetham (a board member of the Titleist  Performance Institute) delves into the all important concept of Kinematic Sequencing and explains it in-depth to help you improve your golf swing.  He also ties a bow between all athletic disciplines and the golf swing and illustrates the basic concepts of motion, body strength and body awareness and control.  Dr. Cheetham explains how the correct sequencing in the body works and shares ideas how you can sequence and time your arms, legs and body for more efficient power.

Golf is the ultimate game of life.  It incorporates mind, body, spirit and soul.  The truth of the matter is you are no different from the PGA TOUR players when it comes to this fact.  They may hit the ball better than you but they have to deal with the very same life challenges you do.  Todd Lewis (Golf Channel) and Sean Martin (pgatour.com) bring personal anecdotes from players such as Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Stewart Cink, John Senden, Wesley Bryan and Phil Mickelson to help you put things into perspective so you can approach the game from a better mind-set.

Former PGA TOUR player and Web.com Winner, Hugh Royer III, is now an established and well-respected golf instructor.  He has seen the comings and the goings and he draws a parallel between "old" and "new" in this podcast.  Hugh discusses tenets such as the grip, grip pressure, the link between the arms and the body, swing rhythm and tempo.  Hugh also highlights simple and easy to understand ways to fix a slice and a hook and he also shares his thoughts on "getting stuck" in the downswing.

Older brother to former World's #1 golfer, Luke Donald, Christian Donald is an ex-Club Pro and a PGA TOUR caddy.  He has worked for such notable players as 2-time Major Champion Martin Kaymer, Paul Casey, Brendan Steele and his brother Luke.  As a result he has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings to you in this podcast.  Christian talks about things you can learn from the professionals for whom he has worked.  He then goes further and shares advice for family members who are related to talented golfers.  As an added extra Christian and Mark talk about what it is like to be the older brother to a successful PGA TOUR player.

Andy Plummer brings his more than 25 years' of research and study to help you to better and more powerful ball-striking.  Andy explains his Stack and Tilt approach while breaking the body into elements while explaining their function in an effective golf swing.  Andy shares drills to improve the Angle of Attack and Low Point of your swing for better golf ball contact. He also talks about the action of the hands and wrists in the presentation of the clubface correctly to a productive swing arc to help ball trajectory.  

Shauheen Nakhjavani has become an internet and Social Media phenomenon thanks to his easy-to-understand and smart approach to golf instruction and technique.  Shauheen joins the podcast to discuss his approach to golf instruction and game improvement with a special focus on "cause and effect".  Shauheen also talks about the relationship between swing habits and tendencies and their "domino effect" on each other.  He advises how to identify these and recommends proper and effective practice habits in order to improve your ball-striking and your game.

Originator of the DECADE system of golf course management, Scott Fawcett, brings his novel approach to course management to you.  He discusses playing vs shot-making, emotion vs discipline in decision-making, pre-shot routines, and a good formula to making smart course management decisions while out on the golf course.  Scott uses PGA TOUR references such as Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods to illustrate his argument and in so doing he galvanizes the correct and effective approach to course management.

Mark Immelman talks about The Masters (2017) and shares observations and insights that will help you to lower golf scores.  He investigates the approaches adopted by Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth and delves into those to open up secrets to better scoring.  Mark also shares golf tips from the great Bobby Jones that will help your game.

1995 PGA Championship champion, Steve Elkington brings his unique wisdom and knowledge to help you shoot lower scores.  "Elk" talks about the backswing, swing feel and body action and what he learned through his career on the PGA TOUR.  He also shares anecdotes from his time spent with 1956 Masters Champion, Jackie Burke Jr.  Those stories also include lessons from Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret on shot shaping and impact.

Respected physical trainer, Joey Diovisalvi, helped revolutionize the methods of improving the golf swing by teaching players to work out and train specifically for golf.  "Joey D" is a pioneer in the field of golf biomechanics and he has used his expertise and knowledge to help many players to longer and better careers.  He joins the podcast to talk about correct use of ground-forces, swing sequencing, the correct pivot and golf swing width.  He talks in-depth about these factors and shares exercises you can do to improve your body and your golf swing.

We have all been there.  Your game just falls apart and you are left confused, bewildered and negative while out on the course.  PGA TOUR Instructor, Jason Birnbaum, shares his thoughts on what to do to "plug the leak" and salvage a decent score.  He talks about "cause and effect", he recommends good practice habits and gives opinion on worthwhile course management tools to make a good score despite not having your best game.

Timing and coordination of the moving parts in the golf swing is as important a swing fundamental as any.  Dana Dahlquist is an expert in biomechanics and in kinematic sequencing and he brings his knowledge and expertise to help you to time your golf swing more effectively.  Dana describes the effective movement of all of the moving elements in the golf swing.  He talks about why you may "stand-up" (lift your head) and early extend with your body in the downswing and how you can rectify that flaw.  Dana also digs into the correct athletic posture, effective weight and pressure shift and the proper body rotation through the golf swing.

Tom Stickney is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and an internationally renowned expert in golf instruction.  In this podcast he shares his "Five Fundamentals to Lowering Your Handicap".  He also shares ideas to help you improve your golf course management.  In talking about lowering your handicap, Tom delves into the elements of the correct body pivot and weight shift, the orbit of the clubhead around the body, the short game, lag putting and good shot selection.  As a bonus, Tom also shares four ways to straighten a slice shot.  Listen in to lower your handicap.

Sir Nick Faldo assembled one of the most glittering resumes in professional golf. Faldo's prolific list of achievements includes multiple victories world-wide and six Major Championships.  In this podcast Sir Nick shares tips you can learn from his three Open Championship wins and three Masters wins.  Tips include hitting a "Bump and Run" like he did at St. Andrews, or a "Long Iron" off a hanging lie like he pulled off at The Masters.  Faldo also passes on tips on the golf swing, course management and he comments on golf swing work and how to succeed in competition.

In our tribute to the great Arnold Palmer his grandson, Sam Saunders, joins the podcast to share anecdotes from his time and experiences with "The King".  Sam tells more about his grandfather's manner, his simple and easy approach to the game and his humility.  Sam also shares lessons his grandfather taught him throughout his career.  He talks about the fundamentals, the backswing and downswing, weight-shift, swing rhythm, shot-shaping and putting.  Sam also shares personal stories about his time with the great Arnold Palmer.  

John Novosel Jr. of "Tour Tempo" brings insights on swing tempo and timing.  He talks about the ratio of backswing to downswing speeds and shares information on their research of all of the leading golfers and the swing tempo's and ratio's.  John further talks about the "Tour Tempo" App and how to use it.  He also plays the tempo tones for the long game (3:1) and the short game (2:1) for you to hear and digest.  Finally, John describes some golf tips to help you to better golf swing tempo.

Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the foremost golf coaches in the game. Specializing in Sports Psychology, Dr. Bob is consistently recognized as the leading mind in his field.  Rotella joins the podcast to share thoughts and insights to help you navigate the challenges of being mentally astute on the course and in competition.  He speaks about nerves, routines, visualization, temper and the balance between trying too hard and not trying enough.  Rotella also talks about various leading PGA TOUR professionals, what they do to excel mentally, and what you can learn of them.

Long-time guest of the podcast, Ryan Chaney, joins the show to break down the anatomy of an effective golf lesson.  Ryan explains what you as the learner should expect and advises on how you can manage the lesson so that you best benefit from your investment.  He also shares insights that teachers, golf instructors and sports coaches can use to make their lessons/sessions/seminars more successful.

Jon Sherman of practical-golf.com joins the podcast for a second time.  He embellishes on a few tips from his book "101 Mistakes all Golfers Make (and how to fix them".  Jon also talks about the value of grit and resiliency when it comes to hanging in there" to finish rounds; he talks about overcoming adversity and shares a number of golf tips guaranteed to lower your scores.

Adam Young is a well-respected and highly researched and talented young golf instructor.  He has devised various unique and effective ways to practice in order to develop any golfer's golf game and he shares those approaches with you in this podcast.  Adam then delves into the difference between Skill and Technique and he helps you to understand both in order to improve your practice and as a result your play.  Adam shares research that supports his approach and he lists a few tips and drills that you can employ to improve your golf game.

The 2016 Quicken Loans National Champion, Billy Hurley, is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a Lieutenant in the US Navy.  Having been through Naval training and having served on Naval Missile Cruisers and Destroyers, Hurley has an acute sense of reality and perspective.  He also has a unique approach to discipline, time management, emotional control and mental control - all intangibles, and more, which have a notable effect on a golfer and his/her play.  Billy shares tools to help golfers navigate these aspects that have such a real influence on performance.  

Brian Manzella, a Golf Digest (USA) Top 50 Teacher and a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, adopts a unique blend of science and art in his golf instruction.  In this podcast he talks about Homer Kelley and "The Golf Machine".  Brian also references elements such as D-Plane and the correct understanding of clubface release to help you to better ball-striking.  In his easy to understand delivery, Brian also shares lessons you can learn from long-time client and major champion, David Toms.

Mark Blackburn is one of the notable minds in the field of golf instruction.  He teaches a stable of talented PGA TOUR professionals including Harris English and Kevin Chappell and he shares golf tips you can learn from their games.  Blackburn is also an expert in biomechanics and the use of golf teaching technology such as the Boditrack Pressure Mat and the K-Vest.  He explains them and shares ideas on how to use them effectively to improve your ball-striking.  

Nick Starchuck (@QUADpaparazzo) is one of the rising talents in golf instruction.  He has a thorough understanding of all of the information and data that a launch monitor provides and he makes sense of it all for you.  In so doing Nick explains the "proper" Angle of Attack for your game, the best inclination of the clubface and path for you and how you can practice those to improve your ball-striking, directional control and power.

Former professional golfer and now leading caddy on the PGA TOUR, Jimmy Johnson, takes you inside the ropes with the game's top golfers. Jimmy shares insights and lessons you can learn from three of the leading golfers for whom he has worked - Nick Price (Hall of Fame), Steve Stricker, and Justin Thomas.  He talks about course management, attitude, getting out of your "comfort zone" and shooting low.  He also gives a few tips that will help yo improve from Tee to Green.