Mike Smith is the founder of ForeCollegeGolf, a recruiting consultancy that has helped over 200 families in 40+ countries place junior golfers at college programs. He's a two-time Florida Foursomes champion, a 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinalist, and according to his Four-Ball partner Will Davenport, the most clutch golfer he's ever played with. He also has two boys under four and runs his business full time. In this conversation, Mike walks through what golf parents get wrong about recruiting, why he refuses to practice his weaknesses, the partnership and the wedge shot that nearly took him and Will to a USGA title, and the mental shift he made after becoming a dad that completely changed how he competes. For golfers who feel stuck between wanting to improve and not having time to grind, this is the reframe. Get a 7 days of free personalized practice plans: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/play-ready-golf/id6752723937?ppid=af3c9fac-74c5-46b7-9bea-e41648182e7d Follow Mike: instagram.com/forecollegegolf ForeCollegeGolf: forecollegegolf.com Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:16 Showing up to a USGA championship missing a shoe 02:18 What growing up at TPC Sawgrass actually does to a kid 05:28 Why he chose James Madison over bigger programs 09:54 Climbing the junior golf ladder without skipping rungs 11:46 Becoming team captain as a junior at JMU 14:47 Starting ForeCollegeGolf in 2014 16:13 The biggest thing parents get wrong about college golf recruiting 17:49 What to tell the dad whose 13-year-old just broke 80 22:53 Why his real passion is not college recruiting 27:10 Meeting Will Davenport at the Womet Invitational 29:21 The broomstick putter that changed Will's game 31:43 The Lago Mar eagle (and the rule that got changed the next year) 34:22 The Sam Bradford putt at Plainfield 37:53 Why he refuses to practice his weaknesses 40:28 Faith, family, and the mental shift after becoming a dad 42:19 What he'll teach Lucas and Graham about competing 44:25 Scotty Scheffler, cross-training, and praising effort over outcome 48:04 The holy grail: course management and outcome detachment 49:12 Wrap #golf #collegegolf #midamateur #golfpractice #usga

The driving range business model hasn't meaningfully changed since the first one opened in Pinehurst in 1913. Lights, mats, and automatic ball dispensers. That's it.

But the science of how people learn motor skills has changed dramatically. And none of it says "hit the same club to the same target until it feels good."

In this episode, we break down exactly how to structure your limited practice time using strokes gained data, random practice principles, and pressure finishes. Three complete sessions: 15 minutes at home, 30 minutes at the range, and a full 59 minute plan that covers every part of your game.

Hayden, a professional golfer who practices 3.5 to 4 hours a day, has a specific target on every single shot. If the guy with the most time is the most intentional, that should tell you something about how you're spending your 30 minutes.

Download the free practice plan PDF: ⁠playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/59minuteplan⁠ Try the Play Ready Golf app: ⁠https://apps.apple.com/app/id6752723937⁠

⁠https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playreadygolf.app⁠

00:00 Why "feel" is lying to you 02:00 Practicing to say you practiced 03:00 Bob Rotella's 60/40 rule 03:59 Strokes gained breakdown: where your shots actually come from 04:44 The 5 rules of effective practice 06:12 "If you aim anywhere, you'll hit it everywhere" 06:33 Full pre-shot routine on every shot 07:37 Track something. Write it down. 08:12 End every session with pressure 08:30 15 minute home putting session 11:49 30 minute range session 14:09 Stop training for penalties 17:14 Wedge distance control 18:43 The 59 minute practice plan 22:13 Why iron play is where you improve the most 23:17 Tee ball: keep your shoes on 25:05 Putting and chipping: don't fluff the ball 27:27 Full routine or no routine. Pick one. 28:06 Why people don't practice like this 29:09 The range hasn't changed since 1913 30:37 Practice for the golf course, not your swing

He works 60+ hours a week at Boston Consulting Group. He's ranked #16 among mid-amateur golfers in the entire country. Will Davenport is proof that structured, intentional practice beats volume every time. In this episode, Will walks through exactly how he structures his limited practice time into three buckets, why he switched to a broomstick putter (and the one missed putt that forced the decision), the story of how he went from losing his match at the U.S. Mid-Amateur to caddying at the Masters, and why he thinks every golfer needs to play faster. Will is a member at Pine Tree Golf Club, a Yale grad with a molecular biology degree, a Wharton MBA, and one of the most decorated mid-amateur competitors in the country. His competitive resume includes a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinal, a U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinal, and the 2024 FSGA Player of the Year award. Follow Will @willywonka93: https://www.instagram.com/willywonka93/ Will’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wcd-fl/ If you want to practice smarter with the time you actually have, Play Ready Golf builds you a personalized practice plan based on your limited time. Download the app and start your 7 day free trial IOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/play-ready-golf/id6752723937 Google Play (US Only): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playreadygolf.app

 CHAPTERS: 0:00 Cold Open 0:55 How Will balances BCG and elite golf 2:05 The moment he knew pro golf wasn't the path 4:54 Does a molecular biology degree help your golf game? 7:56 A typical practice week (3 buckets) 11:59 What gets cut first on busy weeks 13:47 The biggest practice mistake he sees at every club 18:20 Why he switched to a broomstick putter 23:14 The 2019 U.S. Mid-Am and the Lukas Michel story 29:08 What it's like to caddy at the Masters 33:55 Why he's elite in team golf 36:08 Playing fast vs. playing rushed 41:07 The hardest mid-am golf course he's played 43:45 Advice to his younger self 46:46 What's next on his schedule

Most golfers walk into their club championship, member-guest, or first tournament expecting to play their normal game. The data says you should expect to play worse. Not because you choke. Because the conditions are fundamentally different in ways nobody warns you about.

In this episode, we break down exactly how to prepare for tournament golf when you have a 9-to-5. From the week before to the warm-up to the mental traps that silently eat your score mid-round. Hayden just came off a professional tournament where he shot 9 over through two rounds and then 8 under the final two. What changed? Nothing about his swing.

If you're playing a tournament this season, listen to this before you tee it up.

The Play Ready Golf app is live. Use code PRGPOD for $44/year if you sign up by April 12 (founding member pricing ends after the Masters) Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/play-ready-golf/id6752723937 Android(US Only): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playreadygolf.app

Download the free resources we reference: Benchmark PDF: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats Simple Stats Tracker: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/simplestatstracker 59-Minute Practice Plan: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/59minuteplan

Questions? isaak@playready.golf

Studies referenced: Social facilitation (Zajonc, Bond and Titus 1983) Caffeine and golf performance (Mumford et al. 2016, Auburn) Carbohydrate intake and golf fatigue (2023 randomized crossover) Ironic process theory (Wegner 1994) The Fluid Motion Factor by Steven Yellin (book)

Timestamps 0:00 Why you should expect to play worse in tournaments 1:22 The 3 reasons nobody talks about 4:21 The marathon mindset for your first tournament 5:35 The number one mistake: swing changes before a tournament 6:04 Hayden's tournament prep: show up with the swing you have 10:42 The marathon taper principle applied to golf 11:45 Hayden's 3 keys to course-specific preparation 15:27 Take the longest club you can swing confidently 19:04 How to avoid the snowball after a bad shot 20:48 Hayden's full pre-round warm-up routine 25:58 Your warm-up is not a practice session 28:03 Hayden's first tournament: 9 over to 8 under 31:10 Tip 1: Go on vacation between shots 32:04 Tip 2: Pick one controllable to focus on 33:03 Nutrition: blood glucose drops 10-30% during a round 34:05 Caffeine: 2 strokes better on the back nine 35:35 The 7 mental traps in tournament golf 44:03 Identity pressure and ego-driven shot selection 46:17 Post-round: focus on what went right 48:15 The Play Ready Golf app and founding member pricing

That comes in around 2,400 characters. Plenty of room if you want to add anything back.

What I cut and why: sub-timestamps within sections that were already covered by a parent timestamp (the individual trap numbers 1 through 7 collapsed into the single "7 mental traps" entry since the section plays continuously), mid-section moments that were interesting but not entry points (Cam Young story, Ohio Mid-Am warm-up, Tiger swing change), and anything that was a continuation of a conversation rather than a new topic. I kept every major section shift so a listener scanning can jump to prep, warm-up, mid-round, mental traps, or post-round directly.

Most golfers leave the course convinced their swing cost them strokes. But the 5 biggest mistakes amateur golfers make have nothing to do with their swing. They're decision-based. And they're free to fix. In this episode, we break down the 5 lowest-hanging-fruit mistakes that are silently inflating your scores, from how your range sessions are secretly working against you, to the one shot per hole that's costing you more than any other. If you're a golfer with a 9 to 5 who wants to actually play better without overhauling your swing, this is the episode. Download the free resources we reference in this episode: Simple Stats Tracker: playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/simplestatstracker Benchmark PDF: playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats 59-Minute Practice Plan: playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/59minuteplan The app launches March 29th: https://playready.golf/the-app Timestamps 0:00 Your swing isn't your biggest problem 0:13 Mistake 1: Your range sessions feel productive but aren't 1:43 Block practice vs. random practice (when to use each) 3:54 The 25/25 ball split for a practice session 5:25 Why random practice is supposed to feel hard 7:03 The Spanish flashcard analogy 8:22 Isaak's college 7-iron confession 9:37 Mistake 2: Your approach shots cost twice what your putting costs 11:30 The real scoring hierarchy (approach, putting, tee, chipping) 12:00 Why a 10-handicap should expect to miss 40% of 5-footers 13:24 What watching pro golf does to your expectations 15:13 Scratch golfers only make 70% from 5 feet 17:22 Mistake 3: You don't know your distances as well as you think 18:19 Your best shot is not your average shot 19:02 The Bob Does Sports distance example 19:25 Overdo the opposite to find your real tendencies 20:16 Shoot the front and back of the green, not just the flag 21:52 "There's no long drive contest for 7 irons" 24:16 Mistake 4: The shot after a bad shot is your most expensive 25:05 Blowup holes come from compounding bad decisions 26:43 Phil Mickelson's 8-out-of-10 rule 27:12 Doubles per round by handicap (the real numbers) 28:31 Give yourself time to be mad, then reset 30:30 Mistake 5: You're playing a strategy built for a scratch golfer 33:05 Your system has to match your personality 35:17 Make it simple so it doesn't get in the way of fun 36:17 The 5-mistake recap 37:00 Your swing matters, but it's not the most important thing for scoring 38:38 Hayden's Q school and "boring golf for exciting results"

Domenic Maricocchi works 8 to 5 in commercial lending and just landed 3 straight top 3 finishes at the Ohio Mid-Am, including a win by 5. He holds the University of Dayton 54-hole scoring record and almost made the cut at the US Amateur playing golf once a week. This is how he does it! Follow Domenic: https://www.instagram.com/dmaricocchi/?hl=en Download the free Simple Stats Tracker: playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/simplestatstracker Join the Play Ready Golf founding member waitlist (launches March 29): https://playready.golf/the-app 0:00 Banking by day, winning state championships by weekend 0:31 3 straight top 3 finishes at the Ohio Mid-Am 4:28 Winning by 5 at his home course 5:21 From volleyball to varsity golf in one year 8:03 Walking on at Dayton with zero recruiting interest 13:33 73 stroke average, 54-hole program record, then COVID ended it 14:14 His wife's ultimatum that changed everything 17:09 What changes when you lose your practice facility and teammates 19:28 The first thing he cut from practice (and why) 22:28 Pick your speed before your line 25:17 How he preps 2 weeks before a big tournament 26:39 Playing a practice round with 3 future PGA Tour players 29:17 What working golfers get wrong about practice 31:26 Prep for the event, not your swing 36:25 How to play your own game when everyone else looks better 38:40 What he'd tell his college freshman self

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