The Spin Axis - Golf Podcast

“Braking forces” are often discussed in golf instruction as if great players intentionally slow down one body segment to accelerate another, but Erik, Jayson, and Tyson challenge that explanation and the physics behind it. They discuss how muscles generate forces between body segments, why the body isn’t a closed system relying on conservation of angular momentum, and why “force precedes motion” is frequently misunderstood. Proper sequencing and timely pressure shifts matter, but the guys argue that many golfers apply forces too late rather than needing to consciously stop or slow down their bodies. The discussion also examines recentering, pushing off the lead foot, and why what a golfer feels they’re doing may differ from what’s actually happening.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

Sponsor: BirTee Golf (https://birteegolfusa.com) – Golf tees that sit on top of any surface. Eight exact heights for simulators, ranges and the course.

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The trail arm does more lifting and less wrapping around the body than many golfers realize. Erik, Jayson, and Tyson break down what happens at the shoulder and elbow during the backswing and downswing, including how much abduction and rotation typically occur, why the elbow generally bends to around 90 degrees or less, and how the arm’s position changes in transition. Jayson emphasizes that the arm works more up and away than around, while Tyson warns that retracting it too early in the takeaway can be a damaging move. In the downswing, the elbow drops toward the side and widens, with considerably less rolling than many golfers imagine.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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What do junior golfers really need to learn to develop their games? In this snake draft, Erik, Jayson, and Tyson (and then Tyson, Jayson, and Erik ) pick six priorities, from understanding why a junior wants to play golf and having realistic expectations about the time and commitment improvement requires, to building a solid setup and avoiding excessive turn in the swing. They also discuss controlling speed, developing short-game skills before frustration sets in, and using programs like Operation 36 to help beginners get on the course and experience scoring sooner. The central theme is that junior development isn’t just about hitting the ball well or generating power—it’s about motivation, fundamentals, short-game skills, and understanding that getting better takes time.

Junior Learning Snake Draft:

• Why? (Erik)
• Too Much Turn (Jayson)
• A Good Setup (Tyson)
• Controlling Speed (Tyson)
• Operation 36 (Jayson)
• Time Commitment (Erik)

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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The guys tackle five listener questions covering a range of golf instruction and equipment topics. They discuss whether shortening a driver to 45 or even 44 inches can improve driving accuracy, the one drill they would keep if they could use only one for the rest of their careers, and the potential downsides of external-focus swing instruction. They also consider what their students who make the biggest improvements tend to have in common and whether golfers with strong grips should weaken them to produce higher-launching shots with more spin.

Questions:

• Thoughts on Cutting Down a Driver?
• One Drill to Use Forever?
• Downsides to External Attention?
• What do Biggest Improvers Have in Common?
• Strong Grip Worth Weakening?

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Pelvis thrust toward the ball during the backswing is an extremely common swing fault, and the guys break down how to recognize it, what causes it, and what problems it can create. Thrust often starts at setup with the golfer’s pressure too far toward the heels, then shows up as the pelvis moves toward the ball, the trail knee extends, and pressure shifts toward the trail toes rather than allowing the torso to turn the pelvis. The resulting reduction in pelvis turn can lead to compensations such as early extension, rolling the club inside, heel strikes, and shanks, with internal hip mobility and the golfer’s attempt to “turn” from the lead side sometimes contributing to the problem.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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The “flat left wrist” (or lead wrist) has been a staple of golf instruction for decades, but what does “flat” actually mean, and is it even a useful goal? The guys discuss why grip type changes the appearance of the lead wrist, why a flat-looking wrist at the top can encourage a laid-off or “off-plane club,” and why many Tour players actually have some extension in the lead wrist at the top. They also get into the more important distinction between the wrist’s appearance and its function, including moving toward flexion during the downswing and achieving an inline impact position rather than trying to force a particular wrist shape.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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A launch monitor can be useful for far more than simply checking how far you hit a club. In this episode, the guys break practice into four broad phases — initial diagnosis, swing-change practice, ongoing maintenance, and skills practice. Erik, Jayson, and Tyson discuss how the information you need from a launch monitor changes with each phase. Early on, you may want to examine everything from speed, low point, path and face-to-path relationships to swing plane and ball flight. Once you’re working on a specific movement, however, narrowing your attention to one or two meaningful parameters can make the feedback much more useful.

The conversation also gets into the danger of chasing numbers without understanding what creates them. A launch monitor can tell you what happened, but good coaching and practice still require understanding why it happened. As a swing change becomes established, the monitor can shift into a maintenance role, where a handful of key parameters (and particularly their consistency) can help ensure the player’s movement hasn’t drifted. And when the goal becomes skill development, the numbers become targets: can you curve the ball, hit a particular trajectory, carry a specific distance, or repeatedly produce a desired shot?

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Should golfers focus on their bodies, the club, the ball, or the target when they’re trying to change or improve a movement? The conventional wisdom strongly favors external focus, and there is substantial research supporting that position. However, newer analysis has raised important questions about publication bias, differences between studies, and whether the effect is as universal as it’s often made out to be. The guys discuss how internal and external cues actually work in golf instruction, why an internal focus may be useful when building a new movement pattern, and why a golfer may ultimately perform better with an external cue or feel. The bigger takeaway is that there probably isn’t one attentional strategy that works for every golfer, every skill, or every stage of learning; good coaching means figuring out what helps this golfer make the desired movement and perform the shot.

Links to the studies referenced:

• Reanalyzing the Evidence for External Focus Superiority – A robust Bayesian meta-analysis and reanalysis of previous external-focus research found that, after accounting for publication bias, the advantages of external focus were negligible and the evidence often favored the null hypothesis.
• External vs. Internal Focus in Golf Learning – A review of research on attentional focus in golf found that external-focus strategies generally outperformed internal-focus strategies, although much of the research involved novice golfers and relatively simple putting tasks.
• External Focus and Learning a Golf Pitch Shot – An experimental golf motor-learning study found that golfers using an external focus showed better delayed retention and transfer, along with greater self-efficacy and more positive affect, than those using an internal focus.
• Attentional Focus and Motor Learning Review – A broad review of motor-learning research concluded that an external focus generally promotes more effective and automatic movement than an internal focus, including evidence from novice golfers.
• External Focus and Motor Learning Overview – This review synthesizing roughly 15 years of attentional-focus research concluded that external focus generally improves performance and learning across a wide range of tasks, skill levels, and populations, while discussing possible explanations for the effect.
• Meta-Analysis of External vs. Internal Focus – A meta-analysis combining 73 studies on performance and 40 on learning found advantages for external focus in immediate performance, retention, and transfer, with the effects generally becoming larger for measures of learning.
• Foundational Review of Attentional Focus – This foundational review of motor-learning research proposed that directing attention internally toward body movements can interfere with automatic control, whereas focusing externally on the movement’s effect can promote more efficient automatic processes.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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How useful are Tour-player ranges and “windows” when teaching amateur golfers? Why do outliers create so much confusion? Erik, Jayson, and Tyson revisit the idea that elite players can look dramatically different while still operating within effective ranges for dozens of important movements and impact conditions. They discuss how just a handful of variables (wrist hinge, trail elbow bend, arm lift, and lead-arm adduction) can combine to produce an enormous variety of swing appearances, especially when timing is added to the equation. The key distinction is that great players may occasionally have an outlying movement paired with an effective compensation, while struggling golfers often have multiple variables outside useful ranges at the same time. Rather than trying to copy a single Tour-player outlier, the discussion focuses on using real data and broad windows to help golfers build simpler, more repeatable swings.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Why do so many golfers feel fine for the first 12 holes and then suddenly start struggling? The guys discuss the difference between being genuinely fatigued and simply losing focus, along with the importance of building up your ability to walk and play 18 holes rather than expecting your body to be ready without preparation. Sleep, hydration, nutrition, footwear, walking fitness, and even playing longer practice rounds all get attention, as does recognizing how your swing and decision-making change when you’re tired. Recent research supports the idea that walking substantially increases the physical and physiological demands of a round, while proper fueling and hydration can help limit fatigue and maintain performance.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

Sponsor: Carl's Place (https://carlofet.com) - Listen to the Episode for a coupon code!

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Cooper Dossey joins the Spin Axis for a wide-ranging conversation about his path from junior and college golf to professional golf and the Korn Ferry Tour. A Baylor standout and two-time All-American, Dossey won the 2019 North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 and turned professional in 2021; he has since competed on PGA TOUR Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour. He talks about his instructional journey, what he learned along the way, how practice changes as you progress through the professional ranks, and what it takes to make the jump from simply being a very good player to believing you can compete at the highest level. With Dossey sitting 12th on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour points list at the time of the episode, there’s also plenty of discussion about the realities of trying to earn a PGA TOUR card. Cooper’s bio on the PGA Tour site is here.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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What does the kinematic sequence really tell us about how golfers create speed? Dr. Sasho MacKenzie returns to discuss the relationship between pelvis, chest, arms, and clubhead velocity, as well as why the classic “pelvis, torso, arms, club” sequence may not describe every elite golfer, with Erik and Tyson seeing a substantial number of players whose arms peak before the chest. The conversation also digs into “braking” forces and why slowing one segment down is often less about actively applying the brakes and more about the next segment accelerating. Sasho also explains how kinematic sequencing can be used as a teaching tool, how the Stack can be used to train sequencing, and what golfers can do when their lead-arm velocity is lower than they’d like.

Topics:

• The Kinematic Sequence
• Lead Arm Velocity and Transition
• Kinematics as a Teaching Aid
• Pelvis Sequencing
• “You Can Never Release Too Early”
• Using the Stack to Train Sequencing
• Working on Casting

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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What actually creates club speed, and does the answer change when you’re hitting an iron versus a driver? Monte Scheinblum, former U.S. and World Long Drive Champion and former Nike Tour player, returns to break down the mechanics of creating speed, starting with irons and then moving into the driver. The discussion challenges simplistic advice about “hitting down” or “hitting up” and gets into how delivery, strike, launch, spin, and the golfer’s intent interact to produce distance. With Monte’s background in both elite competitive golf and long-drive competition, this is a practical look at how golfers can create more speed without simply swinging harder and hoping for the best.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Every golfer has physical limitations, but too many try to force their bodies into positions they simply can’t reach. In this episode, the guys discuss how mobility, strength, and anatomy influence the golf swing, and why the best swing for you may not look like the best swing for someone else. They cover ways to work around physical restrictions, when it’s worth improving your body’s capabilities through fitness or physical therapy, and how screenings can help identify what’s limiting your motion. Whether your goal is to gain mobility or simply play your best with the body you have today, this episode focuses on building a swing that fits you.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Mike Granato returns to join the guys for a candid discussion about some of their biggest pet peeves in golf instruction. They tackle common myths and bad ideas, including the idea of the “effortless” golf swing, instructors relying on their own feels instead of measurable reality, demonstrations that don’t actually help students, and the growing or ongoing misuse of ground reaction forces and 2D video analysis. Along the way, they explain why good coaching should be grounded in objective data, clear communication, and an understanding of how golfers truly move, NOT just how someone thinks they move. If you’ve ever wondered why so much conflicting advice exists online, this episode offers an inside look at what experienced instructors wish would disappear from the game.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Mike Granato from Athletic Motion Golf (AMG) joins the podcast to examine something that’s a hot topic amongst a certain small group of instructors on social media: Stack & Tilt and its claims about what the best players actually do in their golf swings. Using 3D motion capture data from GEARS and force plate data, the discussion looks at where some commonly cited S&T measurements fail to match the actual movement patterns of elite golfers. The group breaks down four major areas: 1) lateral pelvis movement, 2) trail elbow bend, hand path, and abduction/adduction, 3) lead shoulder motion, and 4) and trail knee behavior. The guys compare the “ideal” positions often taught with the ranges and windows seen in the world’s best players. Rather than just criticizing an outdated model of the golf swing, this episode explores why understanding real data and player variability matters when building better instruction.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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In this rapid-fire equipment episode, Erik, Jayson, and Tyson each bring a different gear topic to the table and dive into the details behind what’s on their minds these days. They discuss the rise of mini drivers and why some players may not need a traditional 3-wood anymore, and how equipment choices should reflect modern strategy and player ability. The conversation also covers wedge fitting, including lie angle and bounce considerations, before wrapping up with the ongoing debate around putters, from zero-torque designs to finding the right length, weight, and style for your stroke.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

Sponsor: Carl’s Place (https://carlofet.com) – Listen to the Episode for a coupon code!

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Why do so many golfers plateau despite taking lessons and practicing regularly? In this fun, snake-draft-style episode, Erik, Jayson, and Tyson each select what they believe are the biggest reasons players fail to improve. The picks include a lack of commitment, focusing on outcomes instead of the process, making changes that are too small to create real movement, practicing without objective feedback, chasing symptoms instead of root causes, and trying to fix too many things at once. Along the way, the discussion highlights practical ways golfers can practice with more purpose and finally break through to the next level.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

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Is copying your favorite Tour player the fastest path to better golf or a recipe for frustration? In this episode, Erik, Jayson, and Tyson discuss why elite players developed their swings over decades, often beginning in childhood, and why trying to duplicate the finished product rarely works. They explain how mobility, athleticism, and individual tendencies shape every great swing, making direct comparisons misleading even among players with similar body types. Instead, they suggest borrowing pieces that fit your game, like setup, practice habits, or a specific movement, while building a swing that works for you, not someone else.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

Sponsor: Cobalt Golf (https://cobalt-golf.com/) – Save 10% with the code “SPINAXIS”!

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Thinking about building a home golf simulator but not sure where to start? In this episode, Mike from Carl’s Place joins the show to break down realistic simulator setups at four popular budget levels: roughly $2,000, $5,000, $12,500, and $25,000. The conversation covers where serious golfers should spend money first, when upgrades begin to provide meaningful value, and how launch monitors, projectors, computers, mats, and enclosures fit into the equation. We cater this discussion toward the more serious golfer, and will recommend better launch monitors over the simulator experience at several points. This episode offers practical guidance on getting the most performance for your budget while avoiding common mistakes.

Hosts: Erik J. Barzeski, Jayson Nickol, Tyson Deskins

Sponsor: Carl’s Place (https://carlofet.com) – Listen to a Previously Sponsored episode for a coupon code!

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