MANA Golf Performance Podcast

Ep. 5 | PGA Championship 2023 Recap From Rochester!

Ep. 4 | It’s All In The Hips

Ep. 3 | Understanding Golf Shoulder Pain!

Ep. 2 | The Secret Sauce For Performance Is In Your Warm-Up!

We hear it all the time. "I'd rather just hit balls to warm-up." "Warm-ups are boring and don't help." "I'd rather focus on my putting before my round." We know for the majority of golfers, a proper warm-up is not a priority. However, in today's podcast we discuss some of the research we have available to us to show you just how important a proper warm-up can be to helping reducing injury risk and ultimately staying on the course to play more golf. If you liked this podcast please s...

Ep 1 | We're Back!

WE ARE BACK! Our first episode of our now rebranded MANA Golf Performance podcast is now live and ready for you to tune in! Stay tuned as we will be releasing a new episode weekly to give you all the information you need to get ready for this upcoming golf season. Whether you're looking to improve power, improve durability, or hear from the top people in the golf industry, you're going to want to tune in! Subscribe to our podcast on whatever platform you listen to or watch our podca...

Ep 46 | Pete Holman Of Golf Forever

We're lucky to have Pete Holman join us and take time out of his busy schedule to talk golf performance! On this episode we discuss Pete's journey through the health and fitness realms, creating multiple products that are on the market, and how his Golf Forever swing trainer has gained significant traction in the golf performance space. Make sure you give this a listen and if you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a review! 

Ep 45 | Focus On Your Recovery!

How well are you recovering after playing a round of golf? What does recovery mean to you and what is your approach to it? While there are a lot of different methods to help with recovery, we like to stick to the basics to help get our golfers to where they need to be! On this episode of the podcast we discuss our key indicators for recovery to help our golfers play better for longer. 

Ep 44 | Why Strength Training Matters For Golf

On this episode, Dr. Russ discusses why everyone needs to incorporate some sort of strength training into their routine! If we want to be able to stay on the course for the duration of the golf season, then our body needs to be able to handle the stress of golf. Listen in on his thoughts on how best to utilize resistance training for golf!

Ep 43 | Golf Related Low Back Pain

Ep 42 | John Pinelli Of Punch'd Energy

Dr. Russ is joined by special guest John Pinelli of Punch'd Energy. On this episode, they discuss the origin story of Punch'd Energy, they why behind a caffeinated gummie, and how best to utilize this product for golf performance!

Ep 41 | Less Is More!

Dr. Russ covers the concept of less is more when it comes to getting your golf season started! On this episode he'll cover 3 things you should strongly consider when it comes to getting your golf game primed for the year! 

Ep 40 | Club Head Speed Gains!

On this episode, Dr. Russ discusses the need for club head speed that the majority of golfers are always searching for. He goes over 3 ways to improve your club head speed to hit the ball further and put yourself in better position to score! 

Ep 39 | The Return Of The Golf Season!

Ep 38 | Jeff Mocini of Slopegraide

Jeff Mocini is the founder of Slopegraide, which is a ball marker that has technology built into the marker to help golfers read greens better to putt better! In this episode we discuss the early journey of Slopegraide, the progression to where it is now, and also discuss Jeff's collegiate golf experience that helped him come up with the idea for Slopegraide!

Ep 37 | Judd Simon & Pat Little Of Aced Golf

Episode 37 brings to you Judd Simon & Pat Little who are the founders of Aced Golf. Aced Golf is trying to provide high quality apparel and products but at competitive pricing for the everyday golfer. This was a great conversation where we discussed the ideas leading up to creating Aced Golf, what their mission continues to be, and what products they currently have out.

Ep 36 | Managing Injuries In The Offseason

In this episode Dr. Russ explains what to do when golf athletes want to maximize their offseason but they are either dealing or recovering from an injury. We hear this a lot and so we wanted to lay out some simple tips for you to figure out how best to expedite the process! 

Ep 35: Early Offseason Training Advice

In this episode Dr. Russ discusses what are some key areas to focus on early in your golf offseason program. He also discusses why surrounding yourself with a team to help you achieve your performance goals is a key part of the process!

Ep34 | We're Back!

After a brief hiatus, we are back with the podcast discussing strategies to consider as the offseason approaches! Make sure you subscribe and tune in as we deep dive into the things you need to be focusing on to elevate your game next season! Make sure you check out and subscribe to our Pain Free Golf Performance YouTube page as we will put up a ton of content moving forward to keep you feeling and performing your best! 

Ep33 | Zack Sharrow

Zack Sharrow is the tour director for the Upstate Under Armour Junior Golf Tour and the Director of Operations and Performance at Sorzone Golf Academy. On this episode we discuss Zack's journey to being involved with golf, his roles and responsibilities when it comes to the Under Armour Junior Tour, and where he feels like junior golf currently is in the Upstate New York region.  1:00 - Origin Story 4:45 - The UA Junior Tour 8:08 - UA Junior Tour NY Details 12:55 - What separates t...

Ep32 | Jake Newman - Rapsodo Golf

Jake Newman is the Golf Marketing Coordinator as Rapsodo Golf. Rapsodo's mobile launch monitor (MLM) was voted best personal launch monitor by MyGolfSpy and also the official launch monitor for Golf Digest. In this episode we discuss the technology behind the Rapsodo MLM, why people should consider using one, and how their community is leveraging some of the best instructors in the world. We also discuss Jake's journey through golf and playing in college at Maryville University. 0:...

Ep31 | Andrew Hannon

Andrew Hannon is a personal trainer and performance coach at Premier Fitness Systems in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's one of Golf Digest's Top 50 Best Golf Fitness Trainers, he's Titleist Performance Institute Certified, and has worked with a number of elite golfers on the PGA & LPGA tour in addition to the recreational golf athlete. In this episode we discuss what he prioritizes when it comes to working with the elite athlete and the recreational athlete, how understanding your client ...

Ep30 | Stephanie Molloy

On this episode we are joined by Stephanie Molloy who is a PGA Professional and golf coach at the Golf Performance Center located in Ridgefield, CT. Stephanie wears a lot of hats and we discuss a variety of topics such as growing the game of golf in today's youth, her experience playing collegiate golf, and how women are making a big impact in the golf world.  1:12 – Origin Story 3:08 – Stephanie’s Collegiate Golf Experience 6:32 – Golf Performance At The Collegiate Level 11:11 ...

Ep29 | Mike Lombardi - WHOOP Fitness

Mike Lombardi is part of WHOOP's performance team. WHOOP is a fitness tracker that measures 3 pillars for improved performance - sleep, recovery, and strain. On this episode we discuss what WHOOP is, how it works, and how it is changing how people look at their health and wellness to improve their own performance either during the day or in athletics.  1:00 -  Origin Story 4:15 – What WHOOP Is 16:30 – Gaining Traction In The Technology Space 24:00 - WHOOP And The Golf Athlete 2...

Ep28 | Masters Breakdown & Physical Preparation

This episode we break down our thoughts and reflect on a great Masters weekend and why the importance of physical preparation for golf is an underrated aspect that many fail to prioritize! 

Ep27 | Masters Week & Offseason Training

This week we are introducing shorter solo episodes from Dr. Russ to give you some of his thoughts on what he'll be doing with his golf clients as the offseason approaches. He also gives you his top 3 golfers that could take home the green jacket this weekend! Make sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast to stay up to the date with all the latest content!

Ep26 | Mike Napoleon - Superspeed Golf

Mike Napoleon is a PGA professional, TPI certified, and Co-Founder of Superspeed Golf Training System. Superspeed golf utilizes overspeed training to help golf athletes swing faster and improve club head speed to increase their distance with their clubs. On this episode we discuss the origin of Superspeed, how best to utilize it, and what golfers need to focus on if they want to increase their distance! 1:00 – Origin Story 8:39 – Gaining Mainstream Momentum With Superspeed 11:03 ...

Ep25 | Jeff Urzetta

Jeff Urzetta is a PGA Instructor and Head Of Instruction at Oak Hill Country Club and Quail Valley Golf Club. Jeff has a long lineage of golf professionals in his family and he discusses his journey into the golf world, his approach to teaching golf clients, and what he focuses on with clients when trying to improve their approach off the tee! 0:58 - Origin Story  3:36 – Jeff’s Path To Golf Instruction 7:30 – Splitting Time Between 2 Golf Clubs 13:50 – Working With Clients Who Have...

Ep24 | Lisa Scally

Lisa Scally is an Assistant PGA Instructor at Oak Hill Country Club and the Director of Junior Golf at the club. In addition to Lisa playing professionally during her career and now being an instructor, her family runs a golf facility in Pennsylvania that has been around since 1954. In this episode we discuss some key things that Lisa focuses on with her junior golfers, and what it's like to be at a country club preparing for a major championship.  0:54 – Origin Story 7:30 – Junio...

Ep23 | Mike Boyko

Mike Boyko is the owner of Tempo In Motion Golf. Tempo In Motion utilizes click tracks and audio beats to help lock in a rhythm that is customized to golfers to help them maintain consistent tempo throughout practice and when competing. Mike is a professional drummer who has performed at the highest level with many notable bands throughout his career so he brings a very unique background to the golf space. Tune in and listen to what he has to say about how Tempo In Motion came about...

Ep22 | Thomas Malchow

Thomas holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology, is a Human Movement Specialist, and Corrective Exercise Specialist that specializes in working with the Golf Athlete. On this episode we discuss his approach to working with golf athletes dealing with discomfort, Thomas' own experience dealing with back pain, and actionable steps to get you back on the road to recovery! Show Notes 1:10 - Thomas’ Origin Story 5:32  - Building The Low Back Pain Center 11:30 – Thomas’ Personal Ex...

Ep21 | Harry Sese

Dr. Harry Sese is a sports chiropractor who specializes in the golf athlete and owns Golfletica in Bellevue, Washington. He has spent the last 10 years treating and managing golf related injuries on the PGA tour. On this episode we discuss how to best manage nagging injuries, why relying on pain is not a great long term solution, and how best to prepare the body for golf. Show Notes 1:58 – Harry’s Origin Story 7:17 – Harry’s Transition Into The Golf Niche 14:55 – How Tae Kwon Do...

Ep20 | Shane Lawlor

Dr. Shane Lawlor is a sports chiropractor who owns his own practice Lawlor Clinic in Ireland. He’s spent the last 10 years as a sports chiropractor for the PGA and European tours and on this episode we discuss what his experience during his time on tour and expectations of both clinicians and golf athletes at the highest level. Episode 20 – Shane Lawlor  1:13 – Shane’s Origin Story 16:50 – A Day In The Life On Tour 22:50 – Recovery Strategies For The Golfer 29:00 – What Recover...

Ep19 | Kevin Dishon

Dr. Kevin Dishon is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Titleist Performance Institute fitness and medical practitioner. Kevin owns his own practice The Golf DPT and serves the New Jersey and NYC area in a concierge based role to help the golf athlete go from injuries back to performance. On this episode we discuss some things that Kevin sees when working with golfers that aren't always highlighted and how he goes that extra step to ensure his clients are getting the best care possible...

Ep18 | Sean Lalley

 Sean is a PGA Golf Instructor and Head Coach of the Nazareth Men's and Women's golf teams. On this episode Sean speaks to what he looks for in a golfer looking to play at the collegiate level and how the year is normally laid out when it comes to working with his teams.  Show Notes 1:03 – Sean’s Origin Story 10:50 – The Collegiate Golfer Schedule 20:14 – Working & Collaborating With Different Swing Coaches  28:11 – What’s In Coach Sean’s Bag 32:39 – Shotgun Round 40:05 - Wor...

Ep17 | Payton Wardlow Of Birdie Bundle

Payton Wardlow is the CEO and Founder of Birdie Bundle. Birdie Bundle is a subscription based box service geared for the golf enthusiast who needs apparel and accessories to perform at their best! We discuss on this episode how they go about choosing items for each bundle and how they put customer service at the forefront of their business!  0:51 – Payton’s Background Story 3:03 – The Why Behind Birdie Bundle 8:20 – Birdie Bundle’s Growth 11:56 – The Process Behind Items In A Bi...

Ep16 | Golf Doc Duo

Golf Doc Duo is made up of George Tate, who is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Quenten Hooker, who is a PhD candidate in Movement Science. We discuss with them the why behind creating Golf Doc Duo, and how they approach performance for the golf athlete.  Both George and Quenten played golf at the collegiate level as well so they offer some great insight for those looking to play at the next level. Their advice to athletes or parents who want to play in college is an absolute much...

Ep15 | Lindsay Becker

Lindsay is one of Golf Digest’s Top 50 Golf Fitness Professionals, she is a Board Certified Sports Physical Therapist, Titleist Performance Institute Certified Coach/Instructor, and owner of Buckeye Performance Golf. Lindsay discusses her journey that led her to pursuing golf and becoming a sought out entity in the Ohio area and advice for the golfers who are dealing with injuries!  Contact Information www.buckeyeperformancegolf.com Instagram: @buckeyeperformance golf Personal Ins...

Ep14 | Alex Fortey

Alex is a golf instructor and founder of The Art Of Simple Golf. In this episode, Alex goes over the reason for creating The Art Of Simple Golf, his journey while playing golf professionally, and some key advice he gives to golfers of any skill level to help improve their performance! 1:03 - Alex's Background Story 7:35 – How The Art Of Simple Golf Got Started 19:38 – What SIMPLE Stands For 22:50 – What’s In Alex’s Bag 25:15 – Shotgun Round     Contact Information www.theartofsim...

Ep13 | Trevor Sousa

Episode 13 brings to you Trevor Sousa, who is the head varsity golf coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Victor High School. He is also a strength coach and physical education and health teacher in the school district. In this episode Trevor gives great insight on how to manage the golf athlete in a team setting, expectations when working with other swing coaches, and advice for golfers and parents who are looking to pursue golf at the collegiate level. Trevor has a ton to offer...

Ep12 | Alex Ehlert

This week we have Alex Ehlert, who is a PhD candidate studying sport and exercise performance at Old Dominion University. Alex has a background in kinesiology and exercise physiology as well and focuses on the golf athlete. A lot of his efforts have been on focusing on physical traits that help golfers improve their performance. Unfortunately, with all the information available to us, it can be tough to decipher good versus bad. Alex does a great job explaining how research can help...

Ep11 | Trevor Anderson

Trevor Anderson is one of Golf Digest's Top 50 Golf Fitness Coaches, owns Better Every Day Institute, he's an Under Armour Performance Coach, and founder of Golfleticism. Trevor has seen a wide variety of athletes ranging from youth all the way to the professional ranks and this week he discusses some things he really tries to focus on, regardless of where the athlete is in their journey to maximize their performance.  Show Notes  1:53 - Trevor's Background Story 11:00 - The why b...

Ep10 | John Graham

John Graham is a PGA member and full time putting coach on the Korn Ferry, European, and PGA tours. On this episode John shares his knowledge when it comes to putting and offers great advice to those who are struggling with their own putting!  Show Notes 1:25 - John Graham’s Background Story 5:00 – John’s Experience Coaching Collegiate Golf 8:42 – How John Got Into Specializing In Putting 14:25 – Aimpoint’s Philosophy To Putting 20:13 – Getting Golfer’s To Buy Into Aimpoint Puttin...

Ep09 | Dr. Stephen Gonzalez

Dr. Stephen Gonzalez is a Certified Mental Performance Coach & Consultant. He is the Assistant Athletic Director For Leadership & Mental Performance at Dartmouth College. In this episode, Dr. G discusses his approach when dealing with the golfer of any level who is having issues from the mental and psychological aspects of golf. This is a great listen, be sure to tune in!   Show Notes 1:04 - Dr. G's Background Story 19:40 - Dr. G's On What Golfer's Struggle With Most 26:40 - Dr. G...

Ep 08 | Nate VanKouwenberg

We are joined this week by owner and founder of Next Level Strength & Conditioning Nate VanKouwenberg. Nate wears a lot of different hats in addition to overseeing Next Level as he's the head strength coach for RIT's division I Men's Hockey Team as well as being the head strength coach and physical education teacher in the Victor central school district. This episode we discuss how to maintain quality training in a group based setting and how strength training and setting the foundation is k...

Ep08 | Nate VanKouwenberg

We are joined this week by owner and founder of Next Level Strength & Conditioning Nate VanKouwenberg. Nate wears a lot of different hats in addition to overseeing Next Level as he's the head strength coach for RIT's division I Men's Hockey Team as well as being the head strength coach and physical education teacher in the Victor central school district. This episode we discuss how to maintain quality training in a group based setting and how strength training and setting the founda...

Ep07 | Dr. Kevin O'Connor

Dr. Kevin O’Connor is a board certified orthopedic specialist, strength and conditioning specialist, and owner of Impact PT and Performance in Orange County, California. In this episode we discuss Kevin’s journey into the golf niche, his skill set as a medical 3 provider through the Titleist Performance Institute, and his use of the Kvest technology to comprehensively get his golfers back to high performance. Show Notes    1:20 - Kevin's Background Story  3:27 – The origin of Impac...

Ep06 | Ben Shear

This week's Pain Free Golf Performance Podcast episode features Ben Shear. Ben is one of Golf Digest’s Top 50 fitness trainers and is the fitness advisor for Golf Digest. He also owns his own performance center Ben Shear Golf down in New Jersey. Ben offers a lot of insight on what it took for him to get to work with some of the top players on the PGA tour and how he integrates data and science into his training philosophy. He also shares a lot of great stories on his work with Luke ...

Ep05 | Christian Chapman

In this episode we chat with division 1 golf athlete Christian Chapman. Christian is from Rochester, NY and is a junior at St. Bonaventure University. We  discusss his path that led him to playing at the collegiate level and he offers some advice to the young golfers who are looking to play at the next level! 1:00 – Christian’s Background Story  2:33 – Why Christian Chose Golf  4:06 – How Christian Has Dealt With Injuries During His Golf Career  7:50 – What’s in Christian’s Bag!  9...

Ep04 | Steve Coulton OnCore Golf

Steve Coulton is the Co-Owner and VP of Sales of OnCore Golf located in Buffalo, NY. Steve discusses his journey on creating OnCore Golf with his business partner Bret Blakely, the reasons they were compelled to do it, and how best to choose a golf ball that works best for your game. Show Notes 1:07 - Steve’s Background Story  3:20 – The Why Behind Creating OnCore Golf   7:00 – OnCore’s Turning Point In The Golf Space  10:55 – OnCore Golf Ball Technology  14:35 – Choosing The Righ...

Ep03 | Lance Gill

In Episode 3 we are joined by Lance Gill. Lance Gill is one of Golf Digest’s Top 50 Best Trainers, Owner of Lance Gill Performance, and Lead Instructor for Titleist Performance Institute. Lance joins the show to discuss his journey playing collegiate golf, landing a job with Titleist Performance Institute, and his approach to helping golfers perform at their best.   1:25 - Lance’s Background Story   5:35 - Lance’s Collegiate Golf Experience   10:35 - A day in the life with Lance a...