Golf Smarter

444: Brandon Parsons grew up with J.B. Holmes and is now carrying his bag on the PGA Tour. We talk about life on the Tour, his working relationship with J.B., and tips on reading the wind. We also get into depth on how Parsons is utilizing both Colin Cromack's Target Oriented Golf (episodes 137, 442) and Mark Sweeney's Aimpoint putting system (episode 367, 368, 375) to achieve the lowest scores possible. This episode is brought to you by Audible. Sign up today and get a free audiobook of your choice at audiblepodcast.com/GolfSmarter

443: Ken Doherty, Head Golf Professional for Marin Country Club returns in this Members Only episode to help us understand why we're so good on the range, but can't seem to put it together on the course. Did you realize that the balls in the bucket of balls are not the same type you play? Just because you don't pay for them is reason enough to not put a couple in your pocket. What kind of impact does hitting off of a matt have on your ball striking? There are other technical issues we discuss, but the biggest single factor is your attitude. Once you understand the difference, you'll see a change in your scoring.

442: The key to performance and flow in golf is understanding how to keep your conscious mind away from attempting to control your physical actions. Colin Cromack of Target Oriented Golf joins us for the first time since 2008 to discuss how to train the eyes, mind and body for success, and then putting Golf Psychology into practice. Swing with precision and play with real freedom. If you are a dedicated golfer somewhere between beginner and Tour Professional wondering why your best golf performances remain so frustratingly elusive, the Target Oriented Golf program systematically explains how to focus your mind for golf and demonstrate how to put the comprehensive theory into practical procedures you can practice at home, on the range and enjoy out on the golf course. No NLP. No EFT. No 3 Principles. No hypnosis.

441: SCORgolf CEO Terry Koehler, who has been blogging as “The Wedge Guy” for years joins us for a Members Only episode in which he answers a variety of questions submitted to his blog for our podcast. Topics include short game improvement, selecting the right wedge for your game, sand play and more. As a Golf Smarter Member, you can purchase anywhere from 1-5 scoring clubs from SCORGolf and get 15% off your entire order. Whether you speak to one of their custom club specialist or their online SCOR Fit system, make sure to use the checkout code “GSMember” to take advantage of this exclusive offer.

440: CEO Terry Koehler has gone from being the Marketing Director for the Ben Hogan Company to starting and manufacturing his own line of state of the art wedges at Eidolon and now SCORGolf. This week, Terry announces that Perry Ellis company, the parent of Ben Hogan has entered into a licensing agreement with Eidolon to re-introduce the Ben Hogan line of irons coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the first Ben Hogan irons from the fall of 1954. Terry is a lifelong Ben Hogan devotee and in addition to moving the Ben Hogan brand back to it’s original home in Ft Worth, TX, they announced that a completely redesigned line of Ben Hogan irons will be introduced in 2015. In the Members Only part2 of our conversation, Terry answers listener questions on short game improvement and how to select the right wedge for your game. When you purchase from SCORGolf, use the checkout code “GSMember” and receive 15% off your entire order.This episode is brought to you by Harry's! For guys like us who want a great shave expe

438 & 439: Tony Manzoni, one of the most sought after coaches on the GolfSmarter podcast shares his life long pursuit of Ben Hogan’s golf swing secret. Years ago Tony received a letter written in Hogan’s hand that explains his secret to becoming a great ball striker. Since then Tony has taught thousands of students and has coached the College Of The Desert golf team to 27 consecutive Conference Championships. Tony has taken his learnings and has written about it in The Lost Fundamental. It's now a book and DVD, but only available in our Golfers'Mart at GolfSmarter.com. This is the complete hour long conversation that also covers a detailed discussion on the short game swing and how it differs than the full swing that is discussed in The Lost Fundamental. This week we also have an additional bonus for Golf Smarter Members. In this blog post, there's a GREAT green side chipping video tip from Tony that is only found on The Lost Fundamental DVD.

436-37: Robert Trent Jones Sr. is regarded as the most historically significant golf architect of the 20th century. The fabric of golf in America - possibly the world - is embodied in the extraordinary career of Robert Trent Jones in golf course design. In this abbreviated conversation with New York Times bestselling author and internationally distinguished historian James R. Hansen, Hansen shares the compelling life story of the man who designed or redesigned a staggering 400+ courses spread over 43 U.S. states and 27 other nations, including instantly recognizable names as Spyglass Hill in California, and Ballybunion (New Course) in Ireland. James R. Hansen is a Professor of History at Auburn University in Alabama, a lifelong golfer, and his first book in 2005 "First Man" is the only authorized biography of astronaut Neil Armstrong.The book is available in hardcopy or ebook versions in our Golfers’Mart book section at GolfSmarter.com

434-35: Jim Waldron of Balance Point Golf Schools returns for a 90 minute conversation on putting. What it takes to improve, what to practice to achieve lower scores, the mental side of putting, and more.Links to items discussed during the interview: • Balance Point Golf Schools Training Manuals (mention "GolfSmarter" at checkout for 10% discount) http://balancepointgolf.com/index.php/pro-shop • iPing putting iPhone app http://www.ping.com/fitting/iping.aspx • Dave Stockton's Putt to Win: Secrets to Mastering the Other Game of Golf http://smarterpodcasts.com/golfsmarter/golfersmart/featured-books/This episode is brought to you by Harrys.com. Harry’s! For guys like us who want a great shave experience for a fraction of what we’re paying now. Get $5 off your first purchase by entering the code GOLFSMARTER when you check out. http://Harrys.com

433: OK, now that we know what Golfmetrics is and how it's used on the Tour, what about us?! This is part2 of our conversation with Mark Broadie; Carson Family Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and creator of Golfmetrics, commonly referred to on televised PGA Tour events as Strokes Gained Putting or Driving. In this segment we dig into how this objective analysis of scoring data can help us lower our scores in recreational and club tournament rounds.E-book and hardcopy versions of “Every Shot Counts. Using the Revolutionary Strokes-Gained Approach to Improve Your Golf Performance and Strategy” is available in our Golfers’Mart at GolfSmarter.comhttp://EveryShotCounts.com

432fMO: What does it take to drop 10 strokes from your score? Traditional stats -- fairways/greens/putts per round -- don't answer these questions. Golfmetrics do! This is part 1 of our two-part interview with creator Columbia University Business School Professor Mark Broadie on his eye-opening new book "Every Shot Counts: Using the Revolutionary Strokes-Gained Approach to Improve Your Golf Performance and Strategy." Using the strokes gained approach that Broadie helped develop for the PGA Tour, you can learn how to save strokes by making better decisions on the course. The book "Every Shot Counts" is available in the book section of our Golfers'mart. http://EveryShotCounts.com

430-431: Dave Stockton has won 5 Majors on the PGA and Champions Tour. He was also the winning Captain of the 1991 Ryder Cup team. He's one of the Pro Tour’s hottest coaches working with Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickleson and Annika Sorenstam. Dave's got amazing experience and insights, but doesn't focus on golf mechanics. How you use your mind during a round is his forte, and we discuss specifics on pre-shot routine, and strategy to become a MUCH better player. All three of Dave Stockton's books are available in the book section of our Golfers'Mart. This is the complete interview. Instead of breaking it into 2 episodes, I'm experimenting with providing Members with the full show all at once. This means that there will not be a Members Only episode next week. If you'd prefer new content each week and like hearing interviews in 2 parts, then we'll continue. Please provide your feedback on this format.Again, there will not be a Members Only episode next week.

429: In the last episode, we stumped Richard Todd on a few details of specific rules. In part 2 we get the correct explanation and discuss other rules that are broken regularly because we don’t know the exact USGA wording or ruling. Unlike the painfully dry legalese of the USGA's Rules of Golf, Richard's book takes you on a round with a typical foursome as they encounter...and break.. the rules. The book is available in our Golfers’Mart. I’m giving it out to my traveling golf buddies this year to end any and all disputes.In addition to being a lifelong golfer, Richard’s also a longtime Golf Smarter Member. http://TheGolfRules.com

428: Richard Todd was trained on the rules of golf by the USGA and the PGA. His new book "The Golf Rules: Stroke Play - Learn The Rules of Golf By Watching Others Break Them" is an entertaining little book that presents the rules of golf in a funny, short story format. Unlike the painfully dry legalese of the USGA's Rules of Golf, Richard's book takes you on a round with a typical foursome as they encounter...and break.. the rules. In addition to being a lifelong golfer, he's also a longtime Golf Smarter Member. http://TheGolfRules.com

427: In this week’s Members Only episode, David MacKenzie returns to go into more depth on visualization, how to practice the Mental Game, course management, and his 9 shot drill for the practice range.Golf State Of Mind is designed to help eliminate mental mistakes and improve your mental approach. MacKenzie feels that making small changes to your mental approach can result in at least 5-7 shots better per round. http://GolfStateOfMind.com

426: David MacKenzie is a mental game coach that will help you consistently play to your potential. His Golf State Of Mind method is designed to help eliminate mental mistakes and improve your mental approach. He feels that making small changes to your mental approach can result in at least 5-7 shots better per round. http://GolfStateOfMind.comDavid comes to us from a suggestion by a GOLF SMARTER listener. Part 2 of this conversation is our next Members Only episode and goes into depth on visualization, how to practice the Mental Game, course management, and his 9 shot drill for the practice range.This episode is brought to you by Audible. To get a free audiobook of your choice, sign up at audiblepodcast.com/golfsmarter.

425: Author Mike Pile returns for part 2 on his book “Keep Your Swing Lower Your Score”. In this Members Only episode, we get into more depth on his theories and tips on how to take advantage of your natural abilities to be a better golfer. We discuss practice, visualization, course management, putting and more in this 30 minute conversation. http://GolfForGuys.com

424: Mike Pile’s bio says that he’s been playing golf for over 35 years and enjoying it for maybe about 12 minutes. Like every mid-handicapper he's tried everything to get better; lessons, practice, advice, new equipment, tips, etc. but they never generated sustainable low scores because it is nearly impossible to play enough to put them into practice. Until now that is. In part 1 of 2 we meet Mike and discus his great little book, “Keep Your Swing. Lower Your Score.” which offers simple, practical advice about the management and perspective of your game that will improve your golf game without having to practice, quit your job, ignore your family or get divorced. If you have a mid-handicap index and are someone who loves golf and really wants to improve, this book may very well help you achieve sustainable lower scores hole by hole, round to round. Mike’s book delivers practical advice that you can implement today, tomorrow and forever. There is nothing offered that cannot be sustained by the average han

423: Martin Chuck, creator of TourStriker returns for part 2 of our conversation. In this episode, host Fred Greene grills Martin to provide us with the Top 5 most common swing flaws that he sees in his amateur students. Each of these flaws on their own will greatly reduce your success in getting the ball off the ground, going far and at your target. Some people suffer from just one, but many golfers combine all of these errors and wonder what's wrong with their clubs. Martin has published a significant library of incredibly helpful videos on YouTube. The specific video he shares with us is a great drill to practice in the off season. In an effort to keep our heads down, so many golfers don't follow through. This video is a specific drill on how to follow through without lifting your head. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaCMiAslT_kThe video is posted in our blog at GolfSmarter.com. The latest product from TourStriker that was just introduced at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show is the Smart Ball that keeps your

422: Martin Chuck is a PGA Golf Professional and entrepreneur who created the very successful and helpful TourStriker training aides. He’s also a prolific YouTube contributor. In part 1 of our 2 part conversation, he explains how the TourStriker clubs help us learn how to swing properly so that you can put the proper compression on the ball to get it up in the air. We talk about the other training aides he’s developed, including his latest Smart Ball that keeps your hands and arms in sync with the body. The Smart Ball was just unveiled at the 2014 PGA Merchandise show in Orlando last week. It will be released to the general public soon, but before it hits the streets, Martin is offering a 10% discount (and free shipping in the US) to the GOLF SMARTER community. There are only a few hundred of these available, so act fast (after Feb5). To get the discount on the TourStriker Smart Ball, and ALL products available at TourStriker.com, use the checkout code (one word) “golfsmarter”. Again, free shipping of any pr

421: This Members Only episode continues our conversation with Sports Psychologist Dr. Glen Albaugh, author of "Winning the Battle Within". Not only is Glen an old friend and mentor of Seattle Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, he was very close to legendary coach Bill Walsh. Glenn has also worked extensively with many PGA Tour pros including Scott McCarron and Charlie Wi. In this episode, Glen give us a college education on his SAT (Strategy-Aiming-Trust) method. This is a discussion how to elevate your pre-shot and post-shot routines to the next level of performance."Winning the Battle Within" is available in our Golfers'Mart at GolfSmarter.comEditors Note: Despite a minor case of laryngitis, the show must go on! Thanks for your understanding.-Fred