Eric Cogorno Uncovers Golf's Best-Kept Secrets

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I've been fortunate to do some work with Nick Faldo. We did little podcast stuff




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with him at performance golf. Yeah. So we get to pick his brain a lot.




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And I was talking to him two days ago about this, and he said when




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he would go to majors, he knew there was only maybe five to




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ten guys that really had a chance to win, and the rest were kind of




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just there. And I was like, what is that?




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How do you get that? Are you born with that? Do you learn it? And




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he said when he would get in those pressure moments, he would get




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excited and look forward to it and want to show off.




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He said a lot of guys get to those moments, and they get scared,




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fearful and afraid. And I thought that context was




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kind of pretty good there, where I'm like, you know what? I think that's correct.




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Did I tell you about my albatross? Hey, yo. Here we




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go. Come on. Welcome to another episode of did I tell




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you about my albatross? I'm your host, Albie. This is the golf podcast




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for honest degenerates. It's like teening up with your favorite foursome every week and




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diving into the best stories in and around golf. You guys




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ready to tee off? Let's go. We at it. Chilling on the right side of




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the green. Sip a little something.




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Welcome, welcome, welcome to another edition of did I tell you about my




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albatross? I'm your host, Alby, and boy, do we have a good one for you




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today. I've got ericorno with




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ericornogolf.com. And Eric,




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actually, Eric, do you mind if I just introduce you by sharing some




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stats with my audience? Okay. All right. You've taught




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over 35 in person lessons I've got here. You've




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taught over 200 golfers online. You've been named one of Golf




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Digest's best young teachers in 2023. Golf




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Digest has also named you the best teacher in the state of




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Pennsylvania. You pioneered. I love this, by the way. You pioneered




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the reverse slice sequence. You've been featured in Forbes. And really, I




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mean, talking about golf publications, you're everywhere. You've partnered with some of the greatest




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golf mines in the world, including Sir Nick Faldo. I've seen you with Ledbetter. You




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name it. You have over 79




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million views since 2017.




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79 million. It's insane. You have a new channel that's




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gonna make everyone a better person. It's called lessons I've learned with Erica Gorno.




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You have over 300 subscribers on your golf




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YouTube channel. Eric, Gorno Goff. First of all, Eric, welcome




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to the show. But do I have all of that? Do I have all of




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that, right? I think that all sounds correct, man. Yeah, I




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appreciate. Appreciate that. Appreciate those kind words. Yeah, well, no, man. Well, I appreciate you




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hopping on here. You've actually been someone. You don't even really know this, but you've




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actually been someone that, you know, I subscribe to for quite some time now. I've




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learned a lot from you, and you have a gift, and, I mean, I've.




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So. So, Eric, just so you know, man, I have, like, I'm a four to




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five handicap. I've taken lessons from probably, I




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don't know, maybe 50 or so, 50 or so




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instructors, and I've landed with one of my co hosts, actually, on the




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podcast. He's a PGA teaching pro, and he was really upset that he couldn't join




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us today. And he's awesome. Don't be wrong. He's




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great. But, man, you have a special gift in the fact that you're able to




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pass along a particular lesson in a very digestible




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and very applicable way. Like, a lot of times I'll go through these




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lessons with different instructors, and they're, I mean, you know, they're all great in their




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own right, but the one thing that I think is very, very difficult is to




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be able to actually, you know, translate what they're actually




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saying in something that's digestible, something that's applicable, and something that you can




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actually start using right away. And I feel like you, dude, you're a pro at




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that. Thanks, man. I appreciate that. And, you




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know, there's obviously before we started doing videos, you know, like,




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I spent my first ten years trying to get really great at




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coaching. And one of the things, man, I learned early on was to be




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a really effective coach, you have to be great at communicating




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with the person in front of you. You got to be able to distill. You




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know, the golf swing is remarkably




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complicated, but at the same time, beautifully simple.




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Right? Which is kind of like a weird dynamic. And when you're




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coaching someone to be a great coach, you've got to be able to communicate with




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the human in front of you really, really well. And I think what served me




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well was I studied a lot of communication and worked on that just for my




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one on one lessons for ten years before we started saying, hey, let's start doing




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some YouTube videos. And so it's sort of a natural transition to being




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on camera for me and trying to basically communicate what I would




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communicate to one person in front of me, to the masses. And how do you




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take that lesson and make it fairly applicable for everyone?




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So I appreciate that. That's something that was definitely a learned skill for me. Yeah,




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well, I think it's one that's really important that you focus on that, because I




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think it's a differentiator for you. And I know one of the reasons that you're




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here today is because you're launching this new YouTube channel, which I'm fascinated by. It's




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something that, you know, I, you know, with the podcast and everything that we've been




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doing, obviously it's more golf focused, but really, you know, maybe it makes




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sense. All my listeners can tune out. They've heard this story on just about every




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episode. So let me just explain to you, Eric, how this podcast came




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about and why I was so excited to bring you on, because I think it




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does relate to this new, you know, this new channel that you're, that you're




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launching. So, you know, really. And I, by the way, I love telling the




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story. So the year is 2020. Member, member golf




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tournament. My buddy and I, five, final hole, two day tournament, final




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hole. It was a par five. We call it pine one. So we ended up.




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We actually ended the tournament on the first hole. It was a shotgun tournament. Anyway,




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so we tee off righte off, hit a really good drive,




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and I was 247 out. Three wood, it goes in. Now,




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that's not even the crazy part. The crazy part is that we had two buddies




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that were waiting for us to finish, so they were actually at the, at the




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hole. We go over there, and I start looking for this ball. And one of




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my buddies, Nick, he goes, hey, man, did you hit a good shot? And I




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was like, oh, that's probably one of the best three boys I've ever hit. He




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was like, yeah, it went way over the green, man. It's somewhere over there. So




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I start looking for this thing. Can't find it anywhere. Finally, I'm like, dude, where's




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this ball? And he said it went in the hole. And so I'm like, all




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right, great. So we lose our mind, we go inside, we turn our scorecard in,




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and, Eric, this is where things just get, like, bonkers. They're




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like, oh, yeah, by the way, going into that last hole, you were three shots




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back of the lead. So with that albatross, you ended up tying




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for the win of the tournament. And, I mean, we were doing a Calcutta at




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our club, so we won a couple thousand dollars. Dude, I thought I was gonna




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be famous. I thought I was gonna have your following by now. I thought immediately




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I was gonna like, so, but no one cares about my golf shot. Like, no




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one cares. My wife's sick of me talking about it. My friends, too. So I'm




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like, I'm gonna start a podcast, and I'm gonna tell the whole world about it




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until Scott Van Pelt and I are doing what you and I are doing right




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now, and I'm on sports centers. That's the whole premise. But really, the whole reason




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I bring that up, Eric, is because this new channel that




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you're bringing to market, which I love, and correct me if I'm wrong, get me




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on the guardrails here. But it's really more along the lines of, like, personal development,




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the mental side of things, and what that one shot taught me. I mean,




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yeah, it's a lucky shot. I get that. But, dude, I've started living my whole




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entire life a lot differently. Like, now I kind of think that, like, really




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anything's kind of possible. Like, even though, like, you know, the odds of that, which,




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by the way, I have the odds. I hired a data scientist to figure out




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what the odds are to be in that predicament, to hit an albatross, you know,




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to tie for the win a tournament. He came back with one in 600 million.




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And because of that, I'm like, now anything's possible, no matter




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what. As long as you just think that anything's possible, then you have a much




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better chance of realizing whatever it is that you're going after. And




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so that's why when I saw this new channel, I was really excited, and I




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started digging into it, man. I really think you're onto something. So that's why I




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was excited to have you on here.




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What a story, dude. Isn't it amazing, too?




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Like, you before that shot and you after that




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shot were essentially the same human, in terms of,




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like, your skills, what you're able to do, your network connection,




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but just a mindset shift. Right. Could




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completely change your life. Totally. And that's. Yeah, I mean, that is what that




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new channel is about, man. Like, for me, with golf, like, you know, golf coaching




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is, like, our main shtick. I felt like I




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coached golf, played golf, learned enough where I'm like, hey, let me share.




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I think I can really help people. And I coached,




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spent ten years trying to get great at coaching before we did that. Once we




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launched this channel, and I got really into personal development and improved myself




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in my life, I spent the past eight years now really studying personal




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development, improving my own life, testing things out of myself to where now I




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feel just like I did day one in golf. Like, hey, I know enough




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now where I feel comfortable being able to share with other




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people. And so just like, I share lessons of golf, this is just when we




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put out a video, it's just more of like, hey, maybe this will help you.




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This is what I've learned. You know, I want to do the same thing with




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those, those sort of videos for those that are interested in improving themselves beyond just




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the golf. Love it, man. I love it. And then to take that skill that




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we were talking about earlier and being able to, you know, to really apply your




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teaching style to it, I mean, I think it's going to be. I think it's




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going to be really valuable for, you know, really for everyone, not just golfers. That's




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why, that's why I'm really excited for it. You know, like, my family, I come




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from a family that is, they're really big into personal development. Wasn't taboo. It wasn't




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like, you know, it was actually encouraged, like, growing up and everything. And so, you




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know, even, you know, but this golf stuff that I talk about, I've had a




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lot of guests on, and they're don't, don't get me wrong, they love it. And




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I have friends that, you know, tune into the podcast just cause they're my friends.




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But, you know, like, people like that, that maybe aren't, like, goth fanatics will




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actually be able to get, you know, something from it. Because, again,




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it's that teaching style that I think differentiates you. Eric,




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I got a favorite ask. Can you just kind of maybe share with me your




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journey from a golf perspective? Can you maybe, first




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of all, this whole concept of being scratched by age 15 is just




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incredible. But maybe just share with me what your




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journey and how you became one of the top online teaching pros.




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Yeah, sure, man. So I grew up playing all kinds of different sports.




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Baseball, basketball, football, golf. Well, I didn't start golfing until I




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was probably, like, 1213 ish. But I played baseball and




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basketball my whole life. And I think, like a lot of us, you know, like,




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I was a good baseball player, which in my mind meant, like, oh, I'm gonna




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be the major league baseball player. And you




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quickly realize that, like, okay, you're not as good as you think you are. So




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I started golfing in middle school. Cause my dad played on the weekends with




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his friends, with his buddies. And I looked up to my dad. I think, like,




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a lot of young boys do when you're growing up. And so I just wanted




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to hang out with my dad and his friends, and that's kind of how I




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got into the golfing. I never




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forget. He gave me a. He got me this little set of clubs. It was




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like a pitching wedge. And I was probably in, like, yeah, it's probably 6th grade




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at this point, and I think of myself as a good athlete at this time,




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right, for context, right? And I take the pitching wedge, drop a ball down in




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the backyard. We had, like, an acre and a half, and I hit a ball.




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My first swing. Pured it, like, couldn't have hit the ball any better like




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that. And then every other shot I hit was like, a shank




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duff high, left low, right that day. And it drove me nuts,




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you know, I was like, gosh, I can do whatever I want with a ball




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and bat and, you know, whatever, but I really had a hard time hitting that




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freaking ball that was just sitting there, right. And so, you know, I think




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out of wanting to have my dad and his friends and just the obsession of,




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why am I not good at this? Right away from, like,




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let's say, 6th grade, when I'm like, hey, I'm going to start golfing. I'm playing




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all these other sports. By, like, the end of 7th grade, 8th grade, I'm like,




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I'm going to quit everything else and just do this. Just golf. And




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so, yeah, man, I went from just kind of playing to, like, by the time




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I was 15, you know, 9th into 9th, 10th grade was like, scratch




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started shooting around par under par and some local tournaments. And then I went from




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thinking I was gonna be a pro baseball player to like, hey, I'm gonna play




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on the PGA Tour. Which, again, you quickly




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realize it's not. There's a lot of kids out there who are really good. So,




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you know, by 9th grade, I'm gonna be a PGA




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Tour player. By, like, 11th or 12th grade, I'm like, oh, that's probably




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not going to happen. I still like the golf. How can I utilize this




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to get in a good college, et cetera?




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So I went and played at a small school in Pennsylvania called Lehigh.




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Played there for a little bit. And so,




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for context, this is 2008 ish, my




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freshman year, when everything happens with the economy. So




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I'm going into Lehigh. I'm thinking like, okay, I'm going to play




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golf. I'll do finance, kind of go work Wall street, whatever. All




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these kids that were in my recruiting class, that were recruiting me the year before,




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they were getting these mbas from Lehigh and go getting, like, six figure jobs out




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of school. And then a couple months later, right, the economy obviously goes




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way down. These same kids who just went to school for six years had all




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this debt from school, can't get a job anymore. So I'm like,




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okay, hey, maybe I gotta pivot a little. And at this time, and I'm gonna.




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This is. This is us getting the golf coaching here in a moment. At this




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time, I'm working at a local golf course, Bethel golf club, picking balls in




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the range, and I'm making minimum wage, maybe




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six, $7 an hour type of thing, right? And I'll never forget, this




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was August, and it was hot out, and I'm picking balls




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on the range, and our range is bumpy. So, I mean, I'm bumping up and




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down. I'm sweating. I'm, like, maybe hungover. I remember




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not feeling great, right? I'm, like, pissed off about doing this thing, and I drove




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the picker on the side of the range where the teaching area was, and




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there was a guy there, one of my best friends named Paul viola. I saw




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him as I was picking balls, giving this lesson to this old guy.




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They hit maybe, like, ten balls. This guy's just butting little shots out there.




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And I never. It looked very easy. He's under the shade, you know, breezy,




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whatever. I'm out there sweating. So I pull up, and he made an offhand




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comment that he just got paid $50 for a 30 minutes




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lesson. Not like braggy. I don't remember what it. But he remembered him saying




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that, and, like, a light bulb went off in my mind. That was like,




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I've got to work 8 hours picking balls to make $50? You're telling




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me you just made $50 in 30 minutes getting this guy to hit a ball?




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I could do that, right? And so that's how my coaching started. Like,




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the real. I'd love to say I had this passion. I wanted to help people,




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yada, yada, but it was really financially, I'm like, hey, I




00:14:03

could make a lot more money coaching than I could picking balls. And the




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same thing happened, dude, where when I first started coaching,




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things for me typically were coming pretty easy. I was good at school, sports, whatever.




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I gave my first couple of golf lessons, and I was really bad, like




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anyone is. But the lessons went really poorly.




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And just like when I had that first pitching wedge, where I'm like, okay, why




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is this so difficult? It made me obsessed. The same thing happened




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with the coaching, where I was like, damn, I'm not good at this. I'm




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getting really bad lessons. And that started a ten year journey




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of me being obsessed with getting better at the coaching. And




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that's how we led up to, you know, then to fast forward




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from there. I'm spending a lot of time doing in person coaching. This




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happened like, 1819 years old. By the time I'm like




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26, 20. Well, almost ten years. So 18. So I'm probably 28 years




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old. I'm teaching like six days a week. I'm out there. I




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feel like I'm back in this picking balls thing. I'm grinding out in the sun.




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I feel I was, like, 27 and, like, burnout.




00:15:06

Yeah, like tired, you know? And so I'm thinking, gosh, I can't, man, if




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I'm, like, 56 years old, I can't be out here, you know, doing this forever.




00:15:14

So that's when I started. That's when the whole thing started. Like, okay, let's start




00:15:18

doing some videos. How do I grow our audience? I started looking at. I saw,




00:15:21

like, Grant cardone and Gary Vaynerchuk, and I'm watching these videos about




00:15:24

monetizing online, and that's where then the YouTube idea came




00:15:28

from. Yeah, because. So what year was that? That was. You're saying




00:15:32

that was 2016. 2016. Okay. 1617.




00:15:35

Yeah, yeah. I mean. I mean, man, I must. I




00:15:39

probably started following you not too long after that, I think. Because my buddy




00:15:42

here remembers at a club here in Tampa, and, you know, he was




00:15:46

a huge fan. He took, I think. I'm not sure. I guess whatever one of




00:15:50

the first offerings you had that was a subscription based. He was like, you gotta




00:15:52

check this guy out. I hopped on board and we both took




00:15:56

lessons. I mean, we've been following you guys for, I mean,




00:16:00

shoot, however long that is. What




00:16:04

do you think the difference is? I've had. And it's interesting because I had Matt




00:16:07

Scharf on. Cause he's got these two albatrosses that were filmed and recorded and




00:16:10

everything. It's just insane. Unbelievable. It




00:16:14

changed things for him. And he was running down the course completely




00:16:18

losing his mind because of the joy that you had. I know that feeling. But




00:16:22

I was talking to him a little bit about his journey and similar. He




00:16:25

started at a time where they just really wanted to, you know, they love golf.




00:16:29

They really want to start documenting it. They came up with these crazy, like, you




00:16:33

know, different challenges that. I mean, like playing golf with a frying pan. Like,




00:16:37

they doing weird things and it somehow. But. But I think the timing was right.




00:16:40

And obviously, look where they. Look where these guys are now. I mean, it's just




00:16:44

unbelievable. I think also, too, the fact that it was before COVID So, like, it




00:16:47

was also a perfect transition and you were set up perfectly for




00:16:51

COVID when. When, you know, everything actually did convert to online. I mean, I'm




00:16:55

in. I'm in sales for my nine to five job and, you know, I do




00:16:57

a lot of customer meetings on site and everything. But, man, has that even shifted.




00:17:01

And it really hasn't shifted back. Like, we primarily now do online meetings




00:17:04

and it's all like, you know, it's all virtual. And I feel like you guys




00:17:08

were, I feel like you guys were, you know, set for that from, you know,




00:17:12

from day one. So how did COVID, did it just actually increase things for you




00:17:15

or how did that work? Yeah, it's interesting, dude, we, like, we




00:17:19

had a side note thing. I had it on albatross too, when I was in




00:17:22

high school. Oh, no way. Tell me about that. I'm part of that. Yeah, I




00:17:25

had a two, made a two on a par five driver




00:17:29

three iron hole number two at my home course at Bethlehem, one hop boom in




00:17:32

the hole. I actually birdied one, double




00:17:36

eagled two, birdied three. Wow, that's quite the start. And then I




00:17:39

got so uncomfortable and then shit the bed the rest of my hand.




00:17:45

But, yeah. Anyway, so we put our first video up January 1,




00:17:49

2017 was our first YouTube video. So we




00:17:52

talk about this. It's interesting. When we first started, when I was doing the




00:17:56

online or in person coaching, let's say 080708




00:18:00

into 2016, 2017, there wasn't that




00:18:03

many people doing videos that had membership sites and there




00:18:07

was maybe three or four




00:18:10

good ones, maybe. So the market was very




00:18:14

small and so in 20,




00:18:17

1718 1920s, we were building up. We started gaining a lot of market share




00:18:21

in terms of the online coaching. So on a positive note,




00:18:25

COVID was good because people were home. They're more open online coaching. So that helped




00:18:29

some. But it went from like, the competition went from like there




00:18:33

was five of us to there's 500, you know, golf coaches doing online




00:18:36

coaching. So I'm not sure, you know, looking back upon it now, I think it




00:18:40

sort of, the competition rose so much that it, I think it sort of




00:18:44

evened itself out. It'd be interesting if that didn't happen where we would, where we




00:18:47

would be. But certainly with the people, you know, people being. Getting nets at




00:18:51

home and practice mats at home and being more open to online coaching.




00:18:56

We actually, we just had our best YouTube year ever this past year,




00:18:59

2023. Yeah. So we had our best year in terms of performance




00:19:03

across the board. So we're still, you know, growing every year, which is, which is




00:19:06

good. But the COVID thing's interesting because everyone does online coaching




00:19:09

now. Yeah. So, you know, there was, there was far less than we were when




00:19:13

we started. When you get these one on one lessons online, you know, I don't




00:19:16

really think you lose much from the teacher being there. I mean, I guess there




00:19:18

is sort of a lag in the sense that you don't get that instant feedback.




00:19:21

You don't get that, you know, but, I mean, now there's even live. You can




00:19:25

even do live variations where you can actually stream it,




00:19:29

I guess. First of all, do you guys do that? Is that an offering that




00:19:32

you have right now where you can stream, or is it still just like, hey,




00:19:35

record a video and then I'll tweak it.




00:19:39

It's still like 80%. Record video and I'll tweak it. We do some of the




00:19:43

streaming stuff and it's like, listen, there's nothing as good as in person,




00:19:47

any sort of online thing. It might be 80% as good, 90% as good,




00:19:50

but it's also, like, wildly more affordable.




00:19:54

Right. Like, our offerings online start at $79. If




00:19:58

you even want to think about coming to see, you know, in person, we're talking




00:20:01

350 for an hour, 1500 bucks for a couple hour type of thing. So it's




00:20:04

like the bang for your buck with online coaching is. Is




00:20:08

very good. And I think, you know,




00:20:12

I've honestly, man, through doing the videos and the analysis and sending back a




00:20:15

plan, I found that the effectiveness is




00:20:19

about the same as even if I was with them in person or if you.




00:20:23

Yeah, or even if you're like, you're doing the live, like a Facetime or




00:20:26

something. The benefit of doing the live FaceTime is you




00:20:30

can get them to exaggerate more faster. So




00:20:34

you might be like, hey, yeah, I know I'm supposed to do x move, but




00:20:37

then when you're doing it, you're like, oh, that's not enough. Do more instead of




00:20:40

waiting a week, three weeks, a month. So from that perspective, like,




00:20:44

if I'm in, if I'm in person with you, the benefit




00:20:47

is there's no stones left unturned and you're going to get the full. This is




00:20:51

how far I got to go. If you're by yourself, which 98% of your




00:20:55

practice, you're gonna be by yourself in between sessions and stuff, right?




00:20:59

It's like, being very clear on, this is what we're doing.




00:21:03

This is how much. This is how I know if I've done it correctly or




00:21:06

not. Like, really going through those pieces, but like anything else,




00:21:09

dude, you know, we. Let's. Let's say we do a thousand online lessons a




00:21:13

month. It's like you do a thousand anything a month to get really good




00:21:16

at knowing how to do it, regardless of the format. Yeah. Or the person, I




00:21:20

guess, too. You said something really important there. I think that's. I always forget about.




00:21:23

It's his exaggeration. Like, my buddy. His name's




00:21:27

Lakin. We call him panda just cause he's got an amazing head cover. That's a




00:21:30

panda. But he always says the same thing.




00:21:34

He's like, he'll get me in these weird. It's so crazy. This is the thing




00:21:38

that blows my mind with golf and just golf instruction. It's like, he'll get me




00:21:41

in these really weird positions where I think




00:21:45

I'll even think that I'm like, that is. And it's exaggeration. What he's trying to




00:21:48

do is get me to exaggerate that particular. Whatever he wants me to do. And




00:21:52

then I'll look at my swing, and it'll just feel. It'll look almost




00:21:55

identical to me just swinging like I always do. I'll be like,




00:21:59

this is so weird. This looks totally weird. And then I'll look at the video,




00:22:02

and it's like. You can't even really tell. It's just. It blows my mind. But




00:22:06

is exaggeration, in your opinion? Is that how you get your students to really,




00:22:09

like. Like, I guess pick up that feeling or pick up what you're trying to




00:22:13

teach them? Oh, there's no other way. Oh, really? Yeah, there's no other




00:22:17

way? Yeah. You're just. You're better off just accepting what you just said as




00:22:20

is and just going in with, like, that's the expectation.




00:22:24

And then. Cause I still get the same thing, dude. When I look at my




00:22:26

swing and feel something, it looks completely different




00:22:30

than what I feel is going on, but I know it going in, so it




00:22:33

emotionally doesn't throw me off. Like, I know this is to come.




00:22:37

And what's really key, you said, is that you look at the video where people




00:22:40

really struggle. Like, if you. Because I get a lot of. I go




00:22:44

get a lot of lessons, too, just to make sure I'm on the other side.




00:22:46

I know what that feels like. And, like, if you're




00:22:50

feeling those things, this is for someone listening. If you're feeling those




00:22:54

things, and they feel weird and different. And you don't have




00:22:57

immediate video confirmation where you can look




00:23:01

at it from yourself or your coach. You are in




00:23:04

for a rollercoaster ride. Really? So most players come too far over




00:23:08

the top. The face is open, so they need to




00:23:12

feel like they swing so far from inside. It's




00:23:16

unbelievable. And probably that the club face is so




00:23:20

crazy closed. And how do you know that? You've




00:23:23

exaggerated enough is what the ball did. Oh, wow. So,




00:23:27

like, let's go back to your example. Hey, I'm swinging too far inside out. The




00:23:31

face is too close. Now, there'd be reasons why




00:23:35

you might figure out earlier on. You extend too much, you don't rotate enough,




00:23:38

you release too early, whatever. So you want to find root causes.




00:23:43

But if you swing in now and the face is too close, and let's say




00:23:45

you got to neutralize your path, you might need to feel like you're swinging




00:23:50

wildly over the top, right? Like I could. Dude, I




00:23:54

can't even believe that I can hit a ball from there. But then what did




00:23:57

the ball do if the ball flew straight right? Let's just




00:24:01

say you did it correctly, then by definition, that amount of




00:24:04

holy shit is correct. Today.




00:24:08

Today, right now, a month from now, you might feel that




00:24:12

same. Holy cow. And the ball starts fading a little bit. You did too much.




00:24:16

If the ball's still hooking, you didn't do it enough. And so what I try




00:24:19

and do with students is like, let's just unemotionally accept that that's




00:24:23

just what it is, right? We're stepping on the scale. This is how much we




00:24:25

weigh. This is where we are. And then you can get into doing the, you




00:24:29

know, get the changes going quicker. It's not easy. It's not easy, you know,




00:24:33

but it's straightforward. So, Eric, I've got. I've asked. I've




00:24:36

asked, you know, Matt, I've had a couple other professional golfers on here. Here's the




00:24:40

thing that I'm. I. That blows my mind with golf.




00:24:44

The amount, like, okay, somehow, which, by the way, you started golf,




00:24:48

we said when you were twelve or 13 and you came scratched by 15, is




00:24:51

amazing to me. That's determination, man. That's how much you love your dad, I guess,




00:24:55

is because you just wanted to figure out a way you could hang out with




00:24:57

him more, which I love. But, I mean, you know, you.




00:25:00

Okay. The amount of difference between. And we've got




00:25:04

some amazing players at our club. We've got this one guy right now his name's




00:25:07

Brandon. Shout out to Brandon. He's. He is. He plays on the




00:25:11

canadian tour. Dude, this guy is like a plus six. I think he's a plus




00:25:14

six. And he's right there. I mean, right there. He is by




00:25:17

far, like, one of the best ball strikers I've ever seen. We've got another one,




00:25:21

another buddy that's a friend of the show, he played on the corn ferry tour




00:25:23

for years, and he's this probably the second best ball striker I've ever seen in




00:25:27

my life. But, dude, you take someone like that, and then the fact




00:25:31

that my buddy on the corn ferry tour, he's got a family now, and he




00:25:33

actually. He's an instructor, so he teaches now. And, you know, he's like, dude, I




00:25:37

just didn't want to do the grind anymore. I'm over it. Like, I would rather




00:25:40

help people and work. I'd still want to be around golf and everything, but




00:25:44

the fact that he. And, I don't know, maybe he is still trying, but the




00:25:48

fact that he didn't make it so far is just mind




00:25:51

boggling to me because the difference between someone like them and then someone on




00:25:55

the PGA tour, like a card carrying pro, and then you have another




00:25:59

layer of, like, the top ten or like the top 15, top 20, dude, it




00:26:03

is just mind boggling me. And, like, you know, do you think, and I've asked




00:26:06

all of them this, but, like, what do you think is the main difference? Because




00:26:09

all those guys are incredible ball strikers. They all understand how to hit the




00:26:13

ball. But, like, what is the difference between that extra layer of.




00:26:16

Extra couple layers, I guess, of talent?




00:26:20

Yeah, I think there's two ways to answer that. Let's say, like, one of




00:26:24

them is, like, physical skills. So, like, guys




00:26:28

that play elite college to pro, to, et cetera, you know, there can be some




00:26:32

level where you actually look at stats. Like they actually hit the ball better,




00:26:36

they chip and putt better, they get their wedges closer to the hole. But there




00:26:38

can be some actual tactical things. But let's say they




00:26:42

all. Let's say we're talking about guys who kind of all hit it the same.




00:26:45

Some guys get the corn fair, some guys get the PJ, some guys win majors.




00:26:49

I've been fortunate to do some work with Nick Faldo. We did little podcast




00:26:53

stuff with him at performance golf. Yeah. So we get to pick his brain a




00:26:56

lot. And I was talking to him two days ago about this, and he




00:27:00

said when he would go to majors, he knew there was only maybe




00:27:04

five to ten guys that really had a chance to win, and the rest were




00:27:07

kind of just there. And I was like, what is that?




00:27:11

How do you get that? You're born with that. Do you learn it? And he




00:27:14

said when he would get in those pressure moments, he would get




00:27:17

excited and look forward to it and want to show




00:27:21

off. He said a lot of guys get to those moments




00:27:24

and they get scared, fearful and




00:27:28

afraid. And I thought that context was kind of pretty good there,




00:27:31

where I'm like, you know what? I think that's correct. I think some of those




00:27:35

guys that get to that high level, let's say we watch them hit five




00:27:38

irons. They hit it about the same. They chip it about the same. They putt




00:27:42

it about the same. They could go out with their buddies and shoot 64 about




00:27:44

the same. But when you're at a tournament and the bright lights are on and




00:27:48

there's people in the crowd and you got to make the cut for a paycheck,




00:27:52

some people rise up and some people don't. And that's usually not because




00:27:56

your swing mechanics, a lot of people want to blame it on swing




00:27:59

mechanics. If I just improved my swing a little bit, I'd do




00:28:03

better in that scenario. I don't think so. I don't think




00:28:06

so. Okay. That's why, like a lot of us, like, if we go.




00:28:10

Common amateur problem. To answer the same question, Eric, when I go out




00:28:14

in the range, I hit it really good, but when I go on the course,




00:28:17

not as good, man, when I play with my buddy and I have a drink




00:28:19

or two, I shoot this, but then I go play in the tournament that I




00:28:22

care about, and I shot ten shots higher. Right? What happened? So it's a lot




00:28:26

of the same. That ain't because your swing. Yeah, that ain't swing mechanics.




00:28:30

Right? That same swing worked really good in the range. What happened is there was




00:28:33

consequences. You cared more, you were fearful of a different outcome, and




00:28:37

you're not in that environment enough. Like a lot. This, this, this always cracks




00:28:41

me up. Okay. Hey, Eric, you know, I play good with my buddies, but I




00:28:44

play in. I play in this tournament twice a year, and I never play as




00:28:46

well. I say, you just remind me, how often do you play with your buddies?




00:28:50

Twice a week, all year. Okay, so you play 100 rounds with your buddies per




00:28:54

year, and you play in two tournament rounds. Like,




00:28:58

which one do you think is going to go better? Totally. Yep. Okay. The thing




00:29:01

you do more often. So part of that, too, with those guys is, like, getting




00:29:04

in the environment enough, learning how to embrace it and feel excited about




00:29:08

it and get the show off. Like Windham Clark has been talking about with his




00:29:11

mental coach. He talks about just, it's. It's not all mindset, but it's a lot




00:29:15

of it. Well, I love that. I've actually never heard anyone say it




00:29:19

that way. Show off. Because I think that also, you know, that that kind




00:29:22

of ties into the confidence and just believing, like, having this, like,




00:29:26

on almost, like, obscene, you know,




00:29:30

confidence in yourself. And maybe, you know, a lot of these guys are kind of




00:29:32

quiet about it. Some guys are braggadocious and, like, you know, that's. But, like, I




00:29:36

did talk to, you know, my cornfury, like, in depth about it, and he was




00:29:39

saying that, oh, you meet, like, most of the guys on the corn ferry tour,




00:29:42

even the corn ferry tour, right. Or, you know, probably even more so on the




00:29:45

PJ tour. They have just this, like, incredible amount of




00:29:49

confidence that, you know, that they don't even really maybe show on the outside,




00:29:53

but they are, like, they're cocky dudes. Like, they're typically very cocky because




00:29:56

you almost have to, like, have a delusional type of self confidence. I kind of




00:30:00

do that. All right. So I kind of do that on a different level, Eric.




00:30:02

And the one thing I've got going for me is my 60 degree. I've become,




00:30:05

they call me, they call me Magellan at our




00:30:09

club because I can get up and down, but, dude, it's because my irons. I'm




00:30:13

like, I've been put in the situation where I need to get up and down




00:30:16

so often because I can't hit the green. That, yeah, I've become pretty good with




00:30:20

my wedge, but different type of confidence, I guess. But




00:30:23

I love that, man. It's a really interesting way to put it. And that goes




00:30:27

to show, even though you're saying jokingly, it's like you got really good at chipping




00:30:31

because you had to do it a lot. Yeah. So, like, for those that are




00:30:34

listening, right, if you want to play better in this member tournament or whatever, once




00:30:37

or twice per year, you got to play in a bunch more tournaments leading up




00:30:40

to that. That's got to be your normal. The normal has got to be the




00:30:42

tournament. I could do a speech all day long in front of a mirror, but




00:30:46

as soon as I step on stage in front of 10 people, way different. How




00:30:49

do you get better at that? You got to step on stage more, right. You




00:30:52

got to put yourself in the environment more. No doubt. Yeah. All right. I'm a




00:30:55

big swing egg guy, what do you think? I mean,




00:30:59

I've literally, I could point to. I could probably show five right here. I've got,




00:31:02

I've counted, Eric, I've got 36 of these things I've been doing. I'm going to




00:31:05

do a segment where my, where my, my co host and I, we're going to




00:31:08

be breaking down all the swing aids and we're going to be rating them and




00:31:10

reviewing. Um, obviously, I would think that the swing aids are




00:31:14

probably good for certain people and certain, you know, other ones not, I think, probably




00:31:18

different. Different strokes for different folks. But, I mean, is there something that you




00:31:21

think could benefit, like, to all the listeners out there? Is there just something that




00:31:25

maybe has worked for a lot of your students that, you know, maybe more so




00:31:28

than others? Yeah, it's a good question. So,




00:31:31

like, you know, we've had our, this is our 8th year of the channel. I




00:31:34

probably personally tested, without exaggerating,




00:31:39

maybe between 102 hundred training aids realistically.




00:31:43

And we. So I get sent training aids all time. People are like, hey, try




00:31:46

this. What do you think? You want to promote it? And we've, we've, we've promoted




00:31:50

four in eight years out of 100.




00:31:53

Interesting. So, so I don't,




00:31:57

you know, I think there's, like, certain things for certain people, you know, that are,




00:32:00

that are pretty good. I get a lot done with a lot of people with




00:32:03

like an alignment rod and a pool noodle or like a range




00:32:06

bucket. So the four things we promoted, to




00:32:10

give you an idea, I mean, the hanger, the wrist. Yeah. Got that one. Yep.




00:32:14

Then it goes on. Works great. You know, I think for certain




00:32:17

people who need that, I think that's really effective. We promoted the precision impact.




00:32:21

The thing you snap. Seen that one? Yep. It clicks. Right?




00:32:25

I like that. You know, it clicks. And this one holds you in it. Oh,




00:32:29

okay. Which I like. Yeah. Keeps you. It keeps you back in there like




00:32:32

that. We did, we did one other with performance




00:32:36

golf and then we have. So I just got done testing.




00:32:40

Did you see the thing with David Ledbetter the straightaway? Yes, I've got that one




00:32:43

little line on it. So,




00:32:47

you know, I go into all those things extremely skeptical. Okay. You know, I think




00:32:50

there's like a, literally one in 2030 chance that I'm gonna like the




00:32:54

thing, but I like that. Okay. You know, now it's another one where




00:32:58

I'm like, I don't know that it's for everyone, but if someone struggles with the




00:33:00

takeaway, getting way under plane or way out, the little visual that that thing




00:33:04

gives on you, that gives you the takeaway. So we're gonna do some videos on




00:33:08

that. That's top of mind for me.




00:33:12

Here's what I would say. This isn't the training aid, but like,




00:33:17

you know, eight out of ten golfers, you




00:33:21

could probably make a really big improvement if you




00:33:25

could, when you take your setup, draw a line up the shaft




00:33:28

like a swing plane line, and just learn to




00:33:32

keep your club on that line. If you watch really good




00:33:36

ball strikers, and I'm talking only from takeaway to about hip high




00:33:40

on the way back and then for about hip high on the way down and




00:33:43

impact. If you look at any ball strikers like this could be a challenge for




00:33:47

you guys. Go on YouTube and look at it even just use your finger, a




00:33:49

little line on their club head from hip high into the ball and from setup




00:33:52

to hip high and you look at enough swings, the top hundred ball




00:33:56

strikers, 95 of them would have that thing riding almost right




00:34:00

on that into the, into the golf ball. Getting the club on plane, however




00:34:03

you do that, like for you, that hits hooks, you're probably almost too far under




00:34:07

for sure. Into the ball, you're probably too far under. And so getting the club




00:34:11

on plane, whether you're a slicer and you're over it, and you got to learn




00:34:15

how to feel under it. Or for you, if you're a hooker, you're under it,




00:34:17

you got to feel over it. That solves a lot of problems if




00:34:21

you can combine that with learning how to get the face




00:34:25

square to the path, which is a loaded suggestion, because there's a lot of




00:34:29

ways to do that. Yeah,




00:34:33

I would say the one takeaway would be figure out a way to get the




00:34:35

club on plane if there's a one sentence takeaway. Love it. Yeah, no, I love




00:34:38

that. I mean, yeah, most of them are snake oil. I mean, and I'm just




00:34:41

a sucker for them. We had these one guys, by the way, I would love




00:34:44

to get your opinion on this, too. So I had these long drive guys on




00:34:47

and they, you know, they compete competitively in the long drive stuff. And




00:34:51

by the way, one of the guys shout out, this guy Sam, he's got Eric.




00:34:54

This blew my mind. He is one of like maybe four or five people on




00:34:57

the planet that people know about that has a ball speed of over




00:35:01

240 mph. It's just crazy. I mean,




00:35:05

dude, these guys listen to this. They crack. Like, this is a problem for them.




00:35:08

They actually have to, like, they crack between four and like




00:35:12

six golf balls every range session. Like crack em. And I mean, like, they're like,




00:35:16

we have to think about it because, like, especially if they're hitting into their net




00:35:18

at home, they're like, we have to get special balls because we don't wanna, like,




00:35:21

we don't wanna break our face in our club, but we also don't want to,




00:35:23

like, go through a bunch of, like they're not getting balls for anyway. It's just




00:35:27

crazy. So, like, I was talking to them, they came out, and, you know, and




00:35:30

it's, you know, it's a speed training, it's a speed training aid. But, like, I




00:35:33

guess my point is that, you know, I'm a tech guy, right? So, like, I




00:35:37

think the technology and, like, just golf instruction moving forward




00:35:41

is going to be so cool to watch, though. You know, I think that, you




00:35:43

know, one, a couple, couple last questions here before, and I'll




00:35:47

get you, I'll get you on out of here. All right. I ask every, I




00:35:50

ask everyone these two silly questions, Eric. These are not, like, these are not really




00:35:54

golf related questions, but I ask everyone just because I'm also, I, like,




00:35:58

silly. And, and these are, these are certainly, certainly silly. So can




00:36:01

a human being, Eric, can a human being eat a golf




00:36:05

ball and survive?




00:36:09

Hmm. Man, I feel like




00:36:13

it'd be hard to swallow a golf ball, huh? Could a human being eat a




00:36:16

golf ball? Could they swallow a ball, have it live in their body and survive?




00:36:19

I would say yes. I think human beings are resilient. Okay. All right, cool. I




00:36:22

don't, by the way, I don't have an answer to any of these. I just




00:36:24

like collecting. These are the worst because everyone's, like, waiting for the answer,




00:36:28

and I don't know. Yeah, I mean, you take someone like Shaquille O'Neal, like a




00:36:31

big dude, like, I'm imagining you probably get it down. But, you know, the whole,




00:36:35

the whole reason this came up is because, you know, after a certain number of




00:36:38

subscribers, I don't even know the number, but my co host was like, all right.




00:36:41

I told him, I'm like, if we get a certain number of subscribers, I can




00:36:43

do this full time. I'm not going to tell the albatross story anymore. And he




00:36:46

was like, there is zero chance. And if you do, you have to eat this




00:36:49

golf ball. And so anyway, and I'm like, are you trying to kill me? Because




00:36:53

I think it would. I don't know. I go back and forth anyway, that's how




00:36:55

I, that's how it goes. Came up. So then the second question, if you. Could




00:36:58

get it down, I think. I agree. I think it's more of, like, the down.




00:37:01

Yeah. All right, second question. Not goth related.




00:37:05

Are there more. Now, think of anything alive. So anything that's




00:37:09

alive in the world. Are there more eyes or more




00:37:13

legs in the world?




00:37:16

Mmm.




00:37:20

Yes. I mean, like, immediately my mind goes to, like, there's a lot of creatures




00:37:22

with force. Four legs, right? A lot of creatures with four legs. There's




00:37:26

spiders with lots of legs. There's thousand leggers. But I think everything




00:37:30

only has two eyes. So I'm gonna. In my




00:37:34

mind, that just clarified to me that it should be, obviously, legs, which makes me




00:37:37

think, am I missing something else? Aquatic. Are there things with eyes with.




00:37:41

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I am missing something else.




00:37:45

We don't even know what's in the ocean. I would say there's more. Ooh.




00:37:49

I would say there's more legs than eyes, but I'm not, like, throwing money. Dude,




00:37:53

thank you so much for caring enough to actually answer that question with some thought.




00:37:56

Yes, I'm. I'm an eyes. I'm a nice guy. I've gone back and forth this.




00:37:59

I've asked everyone, and it's so great. I love these questions, Eric,




00:38:03

because fish. Out there, though, too.




00:38:08

Yeah. That's. You ask 100 people, you can get 51 way and 50 the other.




00:38:11

And, man, people blow up about it. Like, they get all worked up over, like,




00:38:15

trying to figure out and, like, trying to debate it. So, anyway, it's just. It's




00:38:17

a fun question. Well, any. Anything else before I let




00:38:21

you run, man, anything else that you want to promote or, I mean, anything that




00:38:24

we can, you know, obviously send people to if you want to mention your sites.




00:38:27

And I'm going to be putting all of your, you know, all of your websites




00:38:29

and all of your channels and stuff in the. In the comments or in the.




00:38:33

In the description. Yeah, no, I appreciate you having me, man.




00:38:37

I feel like I'm here to serve, hopefully help. Help some people golf




00:38:41

better, live better, obviously, our. Our YouTube channel. Like, you mentioned being there, golf. You




00:38:44

guys are into golf? Stuff that we share there. A




00:38:48

lot of, like, little quick tips on Instagram, but the full YouTube videos, we did




00:38:51

just start that second YouTube channel. If you're into personal development lessons I've learned with




00:38:55

Eric Gorno, that's a working title, but that's how you search it right




00:38:59

now. And it's cool, man. It's cool. Starting from day one, like, starting a new




00:39:02

channel from day one, like, literally not having any subscribers, no views, and having to




00:39:06

build it back up has been a cool,




00:39:10

humbling, exciting thing to do that I




00:39:14

think over the next ten years we'll build up similar to the




00:39:18

golf thing, and maybe we'll do another pod as that grows and talk more about




00:39:21

that. No, I'll totally look forward to it. I think you're onto something, man, because




00:39:25

these are two things I'm really passionate about. Obviously, golf is a huge passion of




00:39:28

mine. But man, I think it's actually more interesting on the personal development stuff




00:39:31

because to your point, earlier in the conversation, it's like,




00:39:36

we are who we are. It's just like a different shift in




00:39:39

mindset can really unleash, like, who you




00:39:43

really want to be or who you really want to become. And it's just, it's




00:39:47

not that you're a different person, you're not born different, you're not like, nothing really




00:39:50

changed. It's just simply this idea of like, changing the way you think




00:39:53

about things. And that's why the albatross, it's the whole reason I wanted to start




00:39:56

the podcast is because if I can just get more people, like, obviously we love




00:40:00

talking about golf, and golf's just such a great metaphor for life and how we




00:40:03

can get, get to, I mean, that's what I love about it. But if I




00:40:06

can just even a couple, a handful of people, if they can just start thinking




00:40:10

about, like, wow. Like anything truly is possible, I mean, that's a




00:40:14

great shift in the right direction. And then, you know, you can really be whoever




00:40:17

you want to be. So I appreciate you saying that earlier. And yeah, man, I'm




00:40:19

looking forward to kind of stay, you know, staying all over and staying tuned to




00:40:23

your new channel. I'm excited to see you grow it.




00:40:27

Likewise, man. I'm going to, I'm going to keep watching the stuff that you put




00:40:30

out. And this was cool. I'd love to come back whenever




00:40:33

you need to fill a spot. Awesome, man. All right, well, Eric, thanks so much




00:40:36

for joining us. And until next time, everyone, thanks for tuning in.




00:40:40

Did I tell you about my albatross? Thanks for tuning in, everyone. Don't miss




00:40:44

out on our upcoming golf giveaways and experiences. They're exclusive to our




00:40:47

subscribers and all you gotta do is subscribe. And until




00:40:51

next time, golf's easy. Think fairways and greens.