On the Mark Golf Podcast

What can golfers learn from a former rocket scientist about pressure, perfectionism, confidence, and performance?
Mark Immelman sits down with John Mollura, a former NASA Aerospace Engineer turned Executive and Performance Coach, to explore lessons from mission-critical testing that apply directly to golf and life.
At the center of the conversation is one powerful idea: “The next right action beats the perfect plan.” John explains why perfectionism often disguises fear, why confidence follows action rather than precedes it, and how golfers can learn to respond to mistakes instead of reacting emotionally to them.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Why perfectionism can hold you back
How confidence is built through action
Why great performance requires course correction
How to quiet your inner critic after a bad shot
The difference between reacting and responding
Why excellence is a better goal than perfection
How breathing can help reset your nervous system
Why clarity matters when pressure rises
How to use John’s HITS framework when things start spiraling, and
Why small, consistent actions create meaningful change.
Key Takeaways:
Confidence Comes After Action - Golfers often tell themselves they will enter the tournament, hit the shot, or take the chance once they feel confident enough. John flips that idea: Confidence is not a prerequisite for action. Confidence is the product of taking action.
Replace the Critic With the Seeker - After a mistake, the inner critic says: “What’s wrong with you?” John encourages golfers to shift into what he calls the seeker mindset: “What happened, and what can I do to course correct?” Instead of adding judgment and drama, deal with the facts and decide what comes next. 
Golf is a Game of Course Corrections - Even NASA missions require adjustments. The plan does not become a failure simply because conditions change. The same applies to golf. A bad swing, poor break, or unexpected situation requires a response—not panic. The goal is not perfection. It is staying capable of making the next correction.
Choose Excellence Over Perfection - Perfection means flawless execution. John argues that perfection does not exist—even in engineering. Excellence means doing the best you can with the time, tools, ability, and circumstances available in that moment. That is a much more useful standard for golfers.
Recognize. Recenter. Reroute - When pressure starts building, John recommends first recognizing what is happening physically and mentally. Breathing can then help recenter the nervous system before deciding how to reroute and move forward. But just like the golf swing, the skill needs practice before the pressure arrives.
Use the HITS Framework - When things begin spiraling: H – Halt Stop adding more noise. I – Identify what’s immediately important What actually matters right now? T – Take intentional action Choose the next useful step. S – Set a specific deadline Give the action a clear finish line. The framework helps simplify situations that feel overwhelming and brings attention back to the next right action.
Memorable Quotes:
“The next right action beats the perfect plan.”
“Confidence is not a prerequisite for action. Confidence is the product of taking action.”
“Separate the data from the drama.”
“Stop aiming for perfect and flawless.”
“When the stakes are high, vague gets expensive.”
“The key is not giant effort. The key is small, consistent action.”

Golf may be played on the course, but much of the game happens between your ears.
Mark Immelman sits down with sports psychology coach, Tom Field of BTE Sports Psychology, to discuss managing expectations, recovering from bad shots, handling pressure, and getting the most out of whatever game you bring to the course that day.
Tom’s central message is simple: Golfers often perform better when they stop obsessing over the result and focus instead on the shot in front of them. 
In This Episode, You’ll Learn 
Why focusing too much on score can hurt performance.
How to reset mentally after a bad shot.
Why one mistake should never define your round.
How expectations and ego create unnecessary pressure.
Why elite golfers tend to have more stable confidence.
How trying harder can actually make golf more difficult.
Why process goals are more useful than score goals.
How visualization can help without creating over-control.
Why accepting imperfect golf can lead to better scoring.
How to “flip the script” after mistakes.
Key Takeaways:
Stay in the Present -  Thinking about your final score, your last mistake, or what other people think takes attention away from the shot in front of you. Tom explains that golfers tend to play their best when they stay present and allow the game to happen naturally.
Stop Turning One Mistake Into Two - Bad shots are inevitable. Recognize what happened, learn from it, accept it, and move on. Carrying frustration into the next shot is often what turns a bogey into a double or worse.
One Shot Does Not Define You - Confidence becomes fragile when golfers judge themselves by their most recent result. A bad shot is simply one event. It does not mean you are suddenly a bad golfer.
Focus on What You Can Control - You cannot completely control your score. You can control your routine, target, attitude, response to mistakes, and commitment to each shot. Tom recommends entering a round with a simple process goal rather than chasing a specific number.
Flip the Script - Hit two terrible shots and still make par? Instead of thinking, “I got lucky,” try: “I hit two awful shots and I’m still good enough to make par.” That change in perspective can turn difficult moments into confidence instead of frustration.
Memorable Quotes:
“The best round of your life happens when you stop caring about the result.”
“One bad hole is one event. It’s not an end story.”
“The harder you try, the worse you play.” “
Thoughts become your feelings. Feelings become your behaviors.”
“Be proud about the bad golf.”
This podcast is also available as a vodcast on YouTube.  To watch and learn, search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.

Golf doesn’t have to be complicated.
In this episode, Jimmy Tropicana joins Mark to explain how golfers can improve their swings, lower their scores and enjoy the game more by releasing tension, slowing down and replacing technical overload with simple, athletic movements. 
Jimmy demonstrates how swinging a golf club can feel as natural as hitting a tennis ball, riding a playground swing or rolling a bowling ball. He also shares several of his most memorable swing concepts, including “Swing the V,” “Sheath the Sword,” “Become a Statue” and “Wave to the Camera.”
Rather than chasing speed, perfect positions or complicated swing data, Jimmy encourages everyday golfers to focus on rhythm, tempo, balance and keeping the ball in play. He also explains the Tropicana Technique—his practical approach to playing smarter, avoiding unnecessary hero shots and moving the ball toward the hole one manageable shot at a time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why a tennis racket can help you understand the golf swing
• The difference between swinging the club and hitting at the ball
• Why slowing down can improve contact, rhythm and consistency
• How “Swing the V” helps quiet the hands and simplify the motion
• Why “Sheath the Sword” promotes rotation and commitment
• How finishing like a statue improves balance
• A simple “Wave to the Camera” drill for controlling the clubface
• Why precision and course management often matter more than power
• How the Tropicana Technique helps golfers keep the ball in play
• Why one clear swing thought is usually better than several technical cues.
This podcast is also available on YouTube where you will be able to watch Jimmy demonstrate his swing drills.

How do you create more clubhead speed without sacrificing center contact, control or the ability to repeat your swing under pressure?
Mark Immelman sits down with respected golf instructor Adam Harrell, longtime coach of PGA TOUR player Michael Brennan, to explore the principles behind one of Mark’s favorite swings in professional golf.
Harrell began working with Brennan as a young player with aspirations of reaching the PGA TOUR. From the beginning, speed was intentional—but never at the expense of fundamentals. The result is a swing built around center contact, neutral fundamentals, an efficient clubhead orbit, proper release, rhythm and the freedom to let the club move fast.
Throughout the conversation, Mark and Adam unpack how everyday golfers can apply those same principles to their own games.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn: 
Why speed should be trained as a skill
How Michael Brennan developed clubhead speed from a young age
Why center contact remains the foundation of distance
How to increase speed without losing balance or control
Why even a 1 mph improvement matters
How a golfer’s mental “governor” can limit speed
Why neutral fundamentals make a swing easier to repeat under pressure
The importance of grip, setup, ball position and takeaway
How the clubhead should naturally orbit around the golfer
Why the body and club must work in harmony
How the hands and arms contribute to speed
Why energy transfer matters more than simply moving your body faster
What golfers misunderstand about “flipping” and releasing the golf club
How Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy demonstrate an effective release
Simple drills for improving plane, release and clubhead speed
How a metronome can improve putting distance control and full-swing tempo.
 Key Takeaways:
Speed Is a Skill You Can Train - One of the most important ideas Harrell introduced to Brennan as a junior was simple: go faster intentionally. Instead of hoping speed would appear as his technique developed, they measured clubhead speed, established numerical goals and practiced producing progressively more speed. But there was an important condition: speed still had to work alongside center contact and a functional golf swing.
One Mile Per Hour Is Still Progress - Golfers often expect dramatic increases when beginning speed training. Harrell recommends a more patient approach. Establish your current maximum, try to beat it and gradually raise the ceiling. One additional mile per hour may not sound dramatic, but incremental gains accumulate—and a few extra miles per hour can eventually translate into meaningful additional distance.
Sometimes You Need Permission to Go Faster - Harrell shares the example of a 14-year-old student already swinging her driver around 96 mph. After challenging her to reach 100 mph, she broke through that barrier almost immediately. The lesson goes beyond physical ability: golfers sometimes place an unconscious ceiling on themselves. Giving yourself permission to swing faster can reveal speed you already possess.
Build Speed on Top of Fundamentals - Michael Brennan’s swing is fast, but it is also exceptionally organized. Harrell emphasizes a neutral grip, sound ball position, proper alignment and a reliable setup before adding speed. His philosophy is to eliminate unnecessary variables so the golfer has fewer compensations to make during the swing. A neutral foundation makes it easier for the motion to repeat when pressure rises.
Impact Is Everything - Drawing from his time working with Jim McLean and the influence of John Jacobs, Harrell repeatedly returns to impact. The objective is not simply to produce an attractive golf swing. The positions and aesthetics should serve a functional purpose: controlling the clubface, finding the center of the face and delivering the club efficiently. Speed is then layered on top of that structure.
Let the Club Find Its Orbit - One of the defining characteristics of Brennan’s swing is the journey of the clubhead around his body. Rather than constantly manipulating the golf club into positions, Harrell describes the club as moving in a relatively neutral “orbit.” Even when Brennan swings aggressively, the club continues to travel efficiently around him. The result is a motion that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.
Neutral Makes Golf Easier Under Pressure - Harrell is a strong believer in building from neutral whenever possible: i. Neutral grip (ii) Neutral setup (iii) Neutral takeaway (iv) Neutral club plane (v) Neutral club path. There are great golfers with unconventional matchups, but every deviation requires another piece of the swing to match it. Starting from neutral can reduce the number of compensations a golfer must time correctly under pressure.
Don’t Leave the Clubhead Behind - A common mistake when golfers try to create more speed is simply moving the body harder and faster. The golfer turns aggressively—but the clubhead never receives that energy. Harrell suggests training the hands and arms to move quickly as well. One drill uses a wider, almost bow-legged stance to restrict lower-body movement while seeing how much speed the golfer can produce primarily with the hands, arms and club. Many players are surprised by how much clubhead speed they can create without violently moving their bodies. The ultimate goal is coordination: body speed, arm speed and clubhead speed working together.
Golf Is an Energy-Transfer Game - Creating speed is not simply about how aggressively the golfer moves. Energy has to successfully travel through the system and ultimately reach the clubhead. If a golfer creates enormous force with the body but fails to transmit that energy to the club, the effort is wasted. Identifying those “power leaks” is one of the keys to effective speed training.
Let the Club Release - The word “flip” has developed a negative reputation in golf instruction. Harrell argues that golfers should think instead about releasing the energy of the club at the correct time. Great players do not simply drag the handle through impact. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy provide excellent examples of golfers who allow the club to release and rehinge aggressively through the hitting area while maintaining control. The timing has to match the golfer’s grip and overall motion—but the clubhead must eventually be allowed to go.
Try the L-to-L Drill - One of the simplest drills discussed in the episode is also one of the most useful. Swing from an “L” created by the lead arm and club on the backswing to another “L” on the follow-through. The goal is to feel the clubhead moving freely, hinging and rehinging while traveling on a functional plane. Harrell also suggests visualizing two golf stand bags—one behind and one ahead of you—and imagining the club handle fitting into each bag during the backswing and follow-through. It provides a simple visual for getting the club onto a neutral plane without becoming overly technical.
Let the Turn Multiply the Speed - Once the golfer learns how to move and release the club properly, adding more body turn can multiply that speed. Instead of using rotation as the entire source of power, the body helps add energy to a clubhead that is already moving efficiently. Train the club first. Then allow the body to support and amplify it.
Find Your Own Tempo - Late in the conversation, Mark and Adam turn to another important component of Brennan’s development: rhythm. Brennan has used a metronome in his putting practice to develop consistent cadence and distance control. Harrell emphasizes that there is no universal perfect tempo. Some golfers naturally move faster while others have longer, more languid motions. The goal is to discover your most effective cadence and train it until it becomes automatic.
Use a Metronome to Train Distance Control - A golfer can make a six-foot putt and a 40-foot putt using essentially the same overall stroke time. The longer putt simply requires a longer motion and a different acceleration profile. That same principle can extend beyond putting into wedge play and even the full swing. Rather than simply trying to “swing harder,” golfers can develop a consistent rhythm while allowing the length and energy of the motion to produce different distances.
Memorable Quotes:
“There’s no better way to gain speed than to hit the center of the club face.”
“Going fast is a skill you’re practicing.”
“One mile an hour is better.”
“Impact is everything.”
“The club is really orbiting in a nice plane.”
“I’m a big fan of those neutral-looking swings.”
“Releasing the energy that you’ve built up at the right time.”
“Finding that natural rhythm of your swing is unbelievably important.”
This podcast is also available on YouTube to view as a vodcast - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.

What if you could make just 50 golf balls at the range more productive than an entire bucket of mindless practice?
In this episode of The Mark Tribe, Mark sits down with Shy Desai, creator of Cure My Swing, to talk about how golfers can practice with more purpose, transfer their work from the range to the golf course, and ultimately shoot lower scores.
Cure My Swing has grown into a community of roughly 400,000 followers across its platforms, curating golf tips, drills, and ideas designed to make improvement easier to understand and apply.
At the center of the conversation is Shy’s 50-Ball Practice Plan — a structured range session designed to replace random ball-beating with intentional practice. Rather than grabbing a bucket and hitting the same club over and over, Shy breaks practice into specific stages that address warming up, technical development, course simulation, and the mental side of the game.
The 50-Ball Practice Plan:
 Shy walks Mark through a practice session built around:
Properly warming up before hitting balls.
5 wedge shots to loosen up and establish solid contact.
5 short-iron shots while progressively changing clubs.
20 balls of technical work and drills.
10 fairway-finder shots using a driver, fairway wood, or hybrid.
9 balls simulating three par-5 holes.
1 final shot with your favorite club.
The goal isn’t simply to hit better-looking range shots. It’s to make practice resemble the decisions, routines, and pressure golfers experience on the course.
Shy explains why golfers should combine block practice — working intentionally on a particular skill — with random practice that requires changing targets, clubs, and situations. That transition becomes especially important in his 10-ball fairway challenge and simulated par-5 exercise, where golfers are asked to visualize an actual hole, choose targets, go through their full pre-shot routine, and react to the outcome of each shot.
The conversation also explores why golfers should keep notes after practice sessions. Tracking what worked, what didn’t, and where your common misses appeared can reveal patterns that help both future practice and on-course strategy.
Mark and Shy then move into five areas golfers can focus on to lower their scores.
5 Ways to Lower Your Golf Scores:
5. Course Management. Know your tendencies instead of constantly fighting them. Shy discusses learning to “own” his natural fade and using that knowledge to make better decisions around the golf course. Good course management means knowing your strengths, weaknesses, distances, and common misses — and sometimes taking your medicine instead of attempting the heroic shot.
4. Driving Driving isn’t just about speed. The tee shot should set up the next shot. Shy encourages golfers to develop a reliable fairway finder and think about where they want to play their approach from before deciding what club or target to choose from the tee. As Shy explains, golfers may play the game from tee to green, but they should learn to think about the hole from green to tee.
3. Approach Play Know your actual distances. Shy explains why golfers need to understand both carry distance and total distance while also paying attention to dispersion. The objective isn’t necessarily firing at every flag. Sometimes simply finding the middle of the green — or leaving yourself in a manageable position for the next shot — produces much better scores.
2. Short Game Simplify your options. Golfers can become overwhelmed by the number of wedges and different short-game shots available. Shy recommends becoming extremely comfortable with one reliable club — for him, the pitching wedge — before adding more specialized options. Develop confidence from 100 yards and in, and your ability to recover when you miss a green improves dramatically.
1. Putting. Shy’s number-one priority is simple: Eliminate three-putts. Distance and speed control are critical, especially on long putts that many amateurs rarely practice. Instead of spending an entire putting session rolling 10- or 15-footers, golfers should practice long lag putts and learn how to leave the ball within a manageable distance of the hole. If a golfer can improve lag putting and become more confident from short range, three-putts begin disappearing — and scores can fall quickly.
In This Episode:
Why most golfers waste practice balls,
The complete 50-ball practice routine,
Why you shouldn’t start every range session with driver,
How to warm up more effectively,
Why changing clubs during practice matters,
Turning technical work into actual golf skills Block practice vs. random practice,
The 10-ball fairway challenge,
Why every golfer needs a fairway-finder club,
How to mentally play golf holes on the driving range,
Why there are no mulligans in purposeful practice,
Ending every practice session on a positive note,
Shy’s five keys to lowering your scores,
Owning your natural shot shape,
Playing a golf hole backwards,
Why knowing your real yardages matters,
Improving your dispersion instead of chasing perfection,
Simplifying the short game,
Why golfers should become great from 100 yards and in,
The importance of lag putting,
Why eliminating three-putts can transform your score, and
How routines build confidence under pressure.
This podcast is also available as a vodcast on YouTube.  Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.