On the Mark Golf Podcast

In this episode of On The Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by PGA TOUR winner Jake Knapp for a candid and insightful conversation about golf swing development, tempo, power, trust, training, resilience, and learning how to compete at the highest level.
Jake is known for one of the most admired golf swings in the game, but he shares that he has not always seen it that way. He talks openly about being too critical of his own motion, learning to give himself more credit, and understanding how small changes can make a major difference in performance over time.
Mark and Jake discuss what it really takes to make a swing change that holds up under pressure. Jake explains how his work has been driven by statistics, consistency, repeatability, and finding feels that transfer from the range to the golf course.
He also shares why golfers need to trust the work, get uncomfortable in practice, and recognize that improvement often comes through small, incremental gains rather than instant transformation. The conversation also covers Jake’s use of training aids, his left thumb injury and surgery, his approach to fitness, how he creates power without looking rushed, why his tempo appears so smooth, how he uses a mini driver as a fairway finder, and why golfers should embrace their own natural patterns instead of chasing every swing trend.
This episode is packed with practical lessons for golfers who want to strike the ball better, swing with more freedom, train smarter, build trust under pressure, and understand how a PGA TOUR winner thinks through improvement.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
🎙️ Why Jake Knapp has one of the most talked-about swings in golf.
🎙️ How Jake views his own swing and why he can be overly critical.
🎙️ Why golf improvement takes time, patience, and trust.
🎙️ How small swing changes can create major performance gains.
🎙️ Why tour-level changes should be statistics-driven, not just cosmetic.
🎙️ How Jake works through feels with his coach before taking them to the course.
🎙️ Why golfers must learn to trust swing changes under pressure.
🎙️ How discomfort in practice can help build belief on the course.
🎙️ Why incremental improvements are often more valuable than quick fixes.
🎙️ How Jake has used training aids and why he now keeps them simpler .
🎙️ What training aids can and cannot do for elite players \.
🎙️ How Jake turns technical thoughts into feels he can use on the golf course.
🎙️ What happened with Jake’s left thumb injury and surgery.
🎙️ Why Jake values general athletic training and physical presence.
🎙️ How fitness helps with speed, power, mobility, and difficult lies \.
🎙️ Why Jake’s tempo looks smooth even though he creates tremendous speed.
🎙️ How he uses big muscles instead of small muscles to create power.
🎙️ Why softness in the arms can help create speed and flow.
🎙️ How Jake thinks about heavy clubs and feeling the clubhead.
🎙️ Why golfers should be careful trying to copy another player’s swing.
🎙️ How Jake uses his mini driver as a fairway finder.
🎙️ Why distance should remain an advantage, not become a disadvantage.
🎙️ How Jake embraces his natural steep pattern instead of fighting it.
🎙️ Why resilience helped him through hard seasons, injury, and pressure.
🎙️ What Jake learned from winning on the PGA TOUR in Mexico.
🎙️ How his “W.I.N.” reminder — What’s Important Now — helps him compete.
Key Takeaways:
A good-looking golf swing still has to perform under pressure.
Swing changes should be connected to better statistics, better patterns, and better scoring.
Improvement is rarely instant. It can take months for an exaggerated feel to become a neutral pattern.
The range and the golf course are different environments, so players must learn how to transfer feels into real shots.
Trust is built by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and learning from the result.
Training aids can be helpful, but the goal is to eventually perform without them.
Elite players often use simple cues, feels, and checkpoints instead of overly complicated swing thoughts.
Fitness can help golfers create speed, protect their bodies, handle difficult lies, and feel more confident.
Effortless power comes from sequence, athleticism, big muscles, and freedom in the arms.
Golfers should avoid chasing trends that do not match their natural pattern.
A fairway finder can reduce stress and help long hitters keep distance as an advantage.
Resilience matters when the swing, body, or pressure of competition does not cooperate.
Great players prepare for what might go wrong, not just what they hope will go right.
“What’s Important Now” is a powerful reminder to stay present and handle the next shot.
This podcast is also available on YouTube. Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman to watch and learn.

Putting improvement does not have to require hours of technical practice.
In this episode of On the Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by Matt Davis, the creator of Putter Cup, to discuss how golfers can develop better speed control, stronger commitment and greater confidence under pressure. 
Matt explains why putting deserves more attention from recreational golfers and challenges the belief that becoming a good putter requires a major investment of time. With focused, intentional practice—even for just a few minutes each day—golfers can begin closing the performance gap much faster than they might expect.
The conversation also explores an often-overlooked part of putting: The human response to pressure. Reading the green, choosing a line and controlling speed all matter, but golfers must still execute when the putt counts. Matt designed the three-part Putter Cup system to simulate that pressure and make practice slightly more demanding than the real thing.
Mark and Matt examine why not every five-foot putt should be played the same way, the relationship between speed and line, and how golfers can stop getting trapped by mechanical thoughts over short putts. They also discuss the importance of identifying “shot number three,” letting the putter become the hero and practicing in a way that makes the golf course feel easier.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why everyday golfers can putt at an elite level
• How better putting can quickly lower your scores
• Why pressure should be treated as a fourth element of putting
• The relationship between read, speed, line and commitment
• Why not every five-foot putt requires the same pace
• How challenging practice can make real holes appear more forgiving
• The difference between practicing a stroke and preparing to play
• How the Speed Bump trains pace and commitment
• How the Center Cup sharpens start line and entry point
• How the portable To-Go Cup creates a target almost anywhere
• Why thinking about mechanics can undermine short-putt performance
• How better putting reduces pressure on lag putts and chip shots
• What “firm in the back of the cup” should really mean
• When “never up, never in” is—and is not—good advice
• Why a few minutes of deliberate practice can produce meaningful results
You can also watch this podcast and see the PutterCups if search and subcribe to Mark Immelman on YouTube.  Do so and make more putts.

In this episode of On The Mark, Mark Immelman is joined by golf instructor, Justin Kraft, for a detailed and practical conversation about one of the most important and often misunderstood parts of the golf swing: The Backswing.
While impact is often called the “Moment of Truth,” Justin explains why the backswing plays a major role in helping golfers control the clubface, swing path, and quality of strike.  A better backswing can make impact easier to repeat, reduce the need for compensations, and help golfers create a more functional delivery into the ball.
Mark and Justin begin at address, discussing posture, spine tilt, shoulder tilt, hip bend, distance from the golf ball, and how setup can either support or sabotage the swing before the club ever moves. 
They then move through the key checkpoints of the backswing, including the takeaway, shaft-parallel position, lead-arm-parallel position, recentering, wrist structure, trail-arm motion, pressure shift, and the top of the backswing.
The message of this episode is clear: If you want to strike the ball more consistently, stop treating the backswing like an afterthought. Build a better setup, understand the checkpoints, avoid the danger zones, and create a backswing that matches your body and supports your delivery. 
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why the backswing matters even though impact determines ball flight.
How a better backswing can improve face control, path, and strike.
Why many golf shots are affected before the club ever moves.
How posture influences rotation, low point, and delivery.
What shirt buttons, belt buckle position, and spine tilt can tell you at address.
Why shoulder tilt matters in a proper setup.
 How to check your distance from the golf ball.
Why an over-arched lower back can restrict rotation and create problems.
How hip bend helps create athletic readiness.
How to begin the takeaway without snatching the hands.
Why the hands and clubhead should not be confused in the takeaway.
What golfers should look for when the shaft is parallel to the ground.
Why positions are checkpoints, not places to freeze the swing.
How to create better depth and wrist structure by lead-arm parallel.
Why recentering starts before the backswing is finished.
How the trail foot helps stop sway and begin moving pressure back toward the target.
What danger zones to avoid at P2, P3, and the top of the backswing.
Why the trail arm should fold naturally without getting too narrow or too wide.
How a better top-of-backswing position can make transition easier.
Why many slicers should avoid trying to “turn open” too soon, and
A simple drill to help golfers feel a more functional top-of-backswing position.
Key Takeaways:
Impact is the moment of truth, but the backswing can make that moment easier or harder to manage.
A good setup gives golfers a better chance to rotate, shift pressure, and return the club consistently.
Posture matters because it influences rotation, pressure shift, angle of attack, low point, and delivery.
The backswing is a motion, not a series of forced positions.
Golfers should swing through checkpoints rather than try to place the club in perfect spots.
There are acceptable corridors in the backswing, not just one perfect model.
Hand path and clubhead path are different, and confusing them can create major takeaway issues.
Recentered pressure should happen through ground force and athletic motion, not a forced slide.
The trail arm should fold naturally while still maintaining usable width and structure.
The top of the backswing should match the player’s mobility, body type, and delivery tendencies.
Many slicers make things worse by trying to turn open too soon.
A functional backswing can help reduce steepness, improve contact, and make the swing more repeatable.
Better ball-striking often begins before the downswing ever starts.
Be sure to watch this episode on YouTube as Justin demonstrates the backswing and how to correctly swing through correct positions en route to a loaded, complete backswing.  Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman on YouTube.

A better golf swing starts from the ground up.
In this episode, Mark welcomes Terry Hashimoto—the “Godfather of Force Mapping” for an accessible conversation about Ground Reaction Forces, Pressure Movement and the technology making Tour-level swing feedback available to everyday golfers.
Mark also announces his new role as an ambassador for AISensor, a portable 3D ground reaction force mat designed to help golfers understand how they interact with the ground throughout the swing.
Terry introduces the “Golf Number,” a simplified score based on 14 pressure characteristics consistently demonstrated by elite golfers. Instead of presenting golfers with complicated graphs and technical jargon, AISensor provides immediate feedback, a scorecard and practical recommendations for improving how pressure moves through the feet.
Mark and Terry explain the difference between "Center of Pressure" and "Center of Mass," why moving into the toes too early can contribute to an over-the-top swing, and how elite golfers move pressure from the trail heel to the lead side.
They also discuss Terry’s “Trap and Clear” concept and why apparent jumping through impact is typically the result of properly applied force—not a movement golfers should intentionally manufacture.
You’ll also learn how better use of the ground can create more space for the arms, improve clubface control, support a more compact swing and potentially reduce stress on the knees, hips and lower back.
In this episode:
What ground reaction forces reveal about the golf swing 
How the AI Sensor force mat measures pressure and movement 
The “Golf Number” and how it compares your movement with elite golfers 
Why golf swings should work from the ground up 
How unlocking your feet can reduce tension 
The difference between center of pressure and center of mass 
Why premature toe pressure can lead to an over-the-top swing 
How the trail heel helps create counterbalance 
Terry’s “trap and clear” concept through impact 
Why long hitters need a strong, stable lead side 
The truth about jumping and vertical force in the golf swing 
How pressure movement affects clubface control and ball-striking 
Why modern golfers can generate speed with shorter swings 
Using biofeedback to improve pitching and chipping 
How non-contact training can help golfers develop better movement, and
Why incremental improvement matters more than chasing perfection.
This podcast is also available as a Vodcast on YouTube - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman to watch.

Golf instruction has become increasingly technical. Ground forces. Hip rotation. Spine angles. Wrist positions. Speed training. But are golfers paying attention to the wrong thing?
In this episode, Mark sits down with Ed LeBeau, founder of Heartland Golf Schools, for a fascinating conversation about simplifying the golf swing and returning the golfer's attention to the one thing that ultimately determines what happens to the ball: The golf club.
Drawing heavily from the teachings of legendary instructor Manuel de la Torre, Ed explains why he favors a club-focused approach rather than trying to consciously control individual movements of the body.
According to Ed, a successful golf shot ultimately requires three essentials: 
Center contact
The club moving toward the intended target, and 
Enough speed to produce the required distance.
 From there, the conversation explores: Balance, Visualization, Grip, Ball Position, Swing Speed, Tempo, Shot Dispersion and why trying harder doesn't always produce better golf.
Ed and Mark also discuss Scottie Scheffler, Jack Nicklaus, Hal Sutton, Louis Oosthuizen, Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson, Manuel de la Torre and Ernest Jones while examining what great players and teachers can teach recreational golfers about simplicity.
Among the topics discussed:
Why Ed believes modern golf instruction has become too body-focused.
Why the golf club — not the body — ultimately controls ball flight.
Starting with the desired shot rather than individual swing positions.
The powerful role visualization plays before and during a golf shot.
Why center contact should be one of every golfer's priorities.
How balance helps establish consistent contact.
Why target awareness matters during the swing.
The advantages of a neutral grip.
Scottie Scheffler's remarkably quiet hands and clubface control.
Why a golf swing should feel body-friendly and relatively effortless.
The difference between maximum speed and maximum effective speed .
Why chasing distance can sometimes make golfers worse.
Why Ed advises golfers to find the fairway first.
Ball position and its influence on clubface orientation.
How Manuel de la Torre simplified golf instruction
Why there shouldn't be 14 completely different swings for 14 clubs.
Using the same basic swing concept from putting through the Driver.
How tempo can organize a golf swing.
Mark's experience practicing with a Metronome.
Why shot dispersion may matter more than obsessing over perfect contact.
How golfers can practice without hitting a ball.
Why you should write down what works after a lesson, and
The golf paradox of looking at the ball without making the ball your primary focus.
This podcast is also available as a Vodcast on YouTube - search and subscribe to Mark Immelman to view it.