Hack It Out Golf · Golf Swing Productions by Mark Crossfield Greg Chalmers and Lou Stagner

The Great Golf Bag Purge

·22 min·1 clip

13% of golfers carry a club they use less than once every 10 rounds—Lou reveals the surprising stats.

This episode features hosts Lou and an unnamed co-host discussing essential items to remove or upgrade in a golfer's bag before the new season. They focus on practical, often overlooked gear that can significantly impact performance and enjoyment. The hosts draw from personal experience, coaching insights, and data analytics to make their recommendations. Their first recommendation is to replace old, slippery grips, citing anecdotal launch monitor tests showing a loss of clubhead speed and control. They note that worn grips become dangerously slick in damp conditions and that better players instinctively slow down with them. The second item is worn-out gloves, with Lou detailing his system of rotating four or five gloves during a round to prolong their life and maintain grip. They also advise carrying specialized rain gloves for wet weather. The third purge target is any club rarely used, with Lou citing Arccos data showing 13% of golfers carry a club used less than once every ten rounds. They argue this space should be filled with a club that addresses a specific gap or need, especially as a player's game changes over time. Fourth, they stress improving on-course nutrition and hydration, sharing a personal story where a protein shake prevented an energy crash. Lou highlights how critical fueling is, referencing college golfers playing 36 continuous holes. The final recommendation is to replace excessive range balls with a dynamic warm-up using bands and exercises. The host shares that a band-focused warm-up led to better first-tee performance than his usual bucket of balls. Lou confirms studies show dynamic warm-ups increase initial ball speed and reduce injury risk, even mentioning research involving massage guns. A surprising insight is that newer golfers often swing normally with a slippery grip, risking the club flying away, while better players instinctively hold back. Lou's meticulous glove rotation system, taking the bottom glove from a stacked set, is a novel efficiency hack. The Arccos statistic revealing how many golfers carry a virtually useless club is a stark data-driven justification for a bag audit. The personal admission about forcing nutrition despite a lack of hunger underscores how counterintuitive proper fueling can be. The idea that a golfer has a "limited amount of arm swings" left reframes warm-up as a resource management issue. The suggestion to use a lacrosse ball for self-massage in the bag is a specific, actionable tip beyond typical advice. The tone is highly conversational and educational, blending friendly banter with clear, actionable advice. The style is practical and experience-based, using personal stories and data to persuade rather than just preach. Golfers obsessed with optimizing their equipment and on-course routines will love this episode's dense, useful tips. Listeners who prefer narrative-driven or swing-technique-focused content might find this gear-centric discussion less engaging.

As heard by us

A practical bag reset that treats stale gear habits as the real problem.

A tidy bag purge becomes a practical look at how golfers end up carrying gear that works against them. The strongest point is the case for replacing old, slippery grips; the discussion ties that advice to hands-on testing, and damp conditions make the problem worse.

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Why you'd press play

Clean out the clubs you keep making excuses for.

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