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

Connor Doyal is a 26 year old caddy at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. He almost never goes to the range. 3 weeks ago he won the Terra Cotta Invitational against a stacked junior field. Last week he Monday qualified into the PGA Tour's Myrtle Beach Classic and made the cut on the number after hitting his approach into 18 from 137 yards in a divot. This week he's at Desert Mountain playing the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. In this one we get into the 14 for 12 playoff that put him in the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kinloch, the quarterfinal against Evan Beck that gave him the confidence to compete with the best mid-amateurs in the country, the mental reframe that made the PGA Tour feel less nervy than an amateur event, why he never practices on the range, and the 30 minute practice protocol he'd give an average golfer. Follow Connor: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connordoyal/ Try Play Ready Golf (Use code PRG POD): https://onelink.to/93ggkv Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:34 Quitting Consulting in Atlanta 02:26 Why He Didn't Play College Golf 04:19 An Albatross on His First Day Caddying 06:12 The Practice He Actually Does 10:16 The Biggest Mistake Amateurs Make 12:08 The 14-for-12 Playoff at Kinloch 13:50 First USGA Match. Down Three Early. 17:25 Quarterfinal vs Evan Beck 19:58 Monday Qualifying for the PGA Tour 21:21 Making the Cut From a Divot 22:49 "I'm Just on Vacation." 25:56 Winning the Terra Cotta 30:46 He Never Goes to the Range 32:21 The 30 Minute Practice Protocol 34:11 Prepping for the Four-Ball

He won the West Virginia Amateur by 21 shots at 22-under par. He's also a State Farm insurance agent, a husband, and a dad who practices 30 minutes a day in his garage simulator. Christian Brand is proof that you don't need 8 hours on the range to play elite golf. In this episode, Christian breaks down exactly how he structures practice around a full-time job. Why 10 minutes of putting drills six days in a row beats one long session. How to build a repeatable process you can fall back on when nothing is working. What he means when he says playing free is just "don't care where the ball goes." And the story behind holing a pitching wedge at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine while a boom mic was in his face. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 0:23 How does a State Farm agent win by 21 shots? 1:14 What daily life looked like on the Korn Ferry Tour 3:41 How he carves out practice time now (family, business, golf) 6:01 "You don't practice what's fun. You practice what you need." 7:49 Has his practice gotten smarter with less time? 9:08 Why 10 min/day for 6 days beats one 60-min session 10:28 The one putting drill every golfer should do daily 12:10 What amateurs almost certainly get wrong about practice 14:20 His exact process preparing for a big tournament 17:17 How to handle playing better than you're used to 20:37 Listener Q: The Azalea story (driving 100 miles back) 22:28 How to get the most out of a bad round 26:05 The analytical on/off switch in his process 26:42 The U.S. Amateur boom mic story (pitching wedge, hole 9, Hazeltine) 28:03 What "playing free" actually means (7 words) 30:17 His one piece of advice for the next 15 years 31:14 Gasparilla: "like fighting the strongest little person in the world" Christian is a two-time WV Amateur champion, four-time WV Open winner, former Korn Ferry Tour player (67 starts), and has competed in the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur and quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Follow Christian: @seebrand on Instagram Need Insurance in WV? https://www.statefarm.com/agent/us/wv/hurricane/christian-brand-92xc39nydge Play Ready Golf launches March 29, 2026 during Masters week. Lock in founding member pricing (for life) at https://playready.golf/the-app

Most golfers think their biggest problem is their swing. Brad Smith, PGA, has spent 38 years proving them wrong. In this episode, we unpack why the mental game matters even if you're a 20 handicap — and what you can actually do about it beyond reading a Bob Rotella book. What you'll learn: What the mental game actually is (and why most golfers completely misunderstand it) Whether a 20 handicap really needs a pre-shot routine The course management mistake almost every amateur makes How to train your mental game when you only have 1 hour per week How to mentally prepare for a round when you've got 10 minutes before tee time Why some golfers play their best when they stop caring Chapters: 0:00 — Introduction 0:22 — What most golfers get wrong about the mental game 2:31 — Does mental game matter if your swing stinks? 7:45 — How journaling will lower your score 19:39 — How to actually practice your mental game 29:03 — Dealing with adversity 39:18 — The financial incentive of swing advice 45:52 — Where to find Brad About Brad Smith: Brad Smith is a PGA teaching professional with 38 years of experience working with golfers at every level. https://firstcutt.com/ https://golfdronline.com/ About Play Ready Golf: Play Ready Golf uses strokes gained analysis and motor learning research to create personalized practice plans for time-constrained golfers. The app launches March 29, 2026 — founding member pricing available now. 🔗 Get founding member access: https://playready.golf/the-app 📧 Join the newsletter: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com #golf #mentalgame #golfimprovement #golfpractice #playreadygolf

Phil Mickelson. Jordan Spieth. Seve Ballesteros. These are the guys we watch pulling off miraculous up and downs from impossible spots. So we try to replicate them. The problem? We blade the ball into someone's backyard and lose it forever. In this episode, we continue their four part range series by tackling the short game. You will learn why most golfers overcomplicate chipping and how the best players in the world keep it stupidly simple. In this episode, we cover: Birdies and Bogeys: We debate common myths, like whether short game is about touch and feel, if the bump and run should be your go to shot, and whether better players use fewer wedges. The 90% Rule: Why you should only hit shots you can pull off 9 out of 10 times, and how this mindset saves you strokes. One Club Chipping: What Patrick Cantlay and the pros know about simplifying decisions around the green. Three Drills to Build Real Feel: The carry distance ladder, the 18 hole up and down game, and the landing spot drill that forces you to think before you hit. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Pro Golf Updates 03:23 - Game: Birdies and Bogeys 05:00 - Why We Practice Chipping Wrong 06:06 - What Hayden Learned from PGA Tour Players 10:05 - The 90% Rule Explained 12:34 - Why Chipping is About Not Losing Strokes 17:54 - How to Find Your Go To Club 21:42 - Drill 1: The Carry Distance Ladder 23:18 - Drill 2: The 18 Hole Up and Down Game 26:27 - Drill 3: The Landing Spot Drill 28:09 - Outro and App Launch Details Links & Resources: 🕸️ Website: https://playready.golf/ 📧 Newsletter: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play_ready_golf/ 🎶 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42OckPTUFO9fNurJ6yGx3V?nd=1&dlsi=cfabbe566e9c473c

You hit great shots on the range for an hour. You think you finally have it figured out. Then you get to the course, chunk your first iron, and watch the dirt fly farther than the ball. Your practice lied to you. In this episode, we continue the Range Series by tackling approach shots. You will learn why "grooving your swing" is actually making you worse and how switching to random practice builds skills that transfer to the course. In this episode, we cover: Birdies and Bogeys: We debate common beliefs like whether you should groove a swing, never hit the same club twice, or always aim at the pin. The Dirt Road Concept: Why your brain creates ruts when you hit the same club 20 times in a row, and how those ruts fail you under pressure. Interleaving: The research-backed method that feels slower on the range but dramatically improves retention on the course. The One Club Rule: A simple diagnostic to reveal your true skill level with any iron. Simulation 9: A specific practice game that mimics real golf by forcing you to switch clubs and targets every shot. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro: Why Your Range Sessions Are Lying to You 01:03 - Weekly Check-In & Updates 03:08 - Game: Birdies & Bogeys (Practice Myths) 05:49 - The Trap: What Most Golfers Do Wrong on the Range 09:42 - The Dirt Road Concept (Why Grooving Fails) 14:43 - Interleaving: The Science of "Ugly" Practice 20:40 - The Randomizer: Exposing Your Weaknesses 22:27 - The Simulation 9 Drill 27:10 - Outro & App Launch Details Links & Resources: 🕸️ Website: https://playready.golf/ 📧 Newsletter: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/ 📷 Instagram: /play_ready_golf 🎶 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42OckPT...

In this very first episode of the Play Ready Golf Podcast, we break down exactly how to set goals for 2026 that you will actually stick to. We know that most golf goals end up like "motivational posters"—they look nice, but they don't help you make the right decisions on a random Tuesday with limited time. We discuss the difference between "outcome goals" (what you want) and "process goals" (how you get there). We also share why you need to lower the friction in your practice routine so you can improve even with a 9-to-5 job. Plus, we reveal our own personal goals for the upcoming season—from fixing Isaak’s putting to Hayden’s quest for more speed. In this episode: 00:00 - Welcome 00:30 - Why goals usually fail 05:26 - The two types of goals 09:44 - Making practice easier 13:51 - Stop guessing your swing flaws 6:20 - Training your brain 20:11 - Practice vs. Real Golf 28:33 - Our 2026 goals 32:15 - New app announcement Resources We Mentioned: Book: Fluid Motion Factor*(Isaak's recommendation) Gear: The Stack System (Hayden's speed training) App: Play Ready Golf (https://playready.golf/) About Us: Isaak (former D2 golfer with a 9-to-5) and Hayden (former D1 golfer playing professionally) created this podcast to help you noticeably improve with the time and resources you actually have. Stay Connected: Our Play Ready Golf App launches mid-March with special Founders Pricing available through The Masters. 🕸️ Website: https://playready.golf/ 📧 Newsletter: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/play_ready_golf