The Skillest Podcast

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The Skilly Pod is for golfers and coaches who care about getting better — on and off the course. Hosted by Baden Schaff and Alex Clapp, the show covers everything from game improvement and coaching insights to what’s actually happening in golf right now. It’s real conversations, practical advice, and plenty of fun along the way. Each episode mixes:  Honest takes on improving your game  Coaching insights from two of the best in the business  Current events in golf  Interviews with some of the biggest names in the game No fluff. Just better golf, better thinking, and a few laughs along the way.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    PGA Championship Preview, Chris Wood's Comeback & The LIV Endgame

    Baden and Clappy kick off with a deep dive into the oddities of international timekeeping — Mother's Day, Father's Day, and why Adelaide is somehow half an hour ahead of Brisbane in summer — before getting into the golf that matters. Chris Wood's win on the Hotel Planner Challenge Tour gets the treatment it deserves: a former Ryder Cup player who bottomed out, rebuilt on the Mina Tour, and quietly reminded everyone he was always that good. Then Alex Fitzpatrick's near-miss at the weekend sparks a conversation about whether he's already the real deal — back door PGA Tour card or not. Brandt Snedeker. First win in a decade. Baden tries to recruit him at Steph Curry's charity event after three gin and tonics. It doesn't go well. Neither did the Brad Faxon putting lesson pitch at the PGA Show — though apparently there's a mate in Brisbane with $10k and a Scotty Cameron collection who's still waiting by the phone. Lucas Herbert's LIV win leads into a broader discussion on where the rebel league is headed, the pathway problem for players like Laurie Canter and Patrick Reed, and why the Aussie Open deserves more than it's getting from the PGA Tour. Then it's onto the PGA Championship preview at Ermenegildo Golf Club outside Sydney — Donald Ross design, Gil Hanse renovation, and what both mean for how the course will play. Baden makes his pick. Clappy floats Fleetwood and Rahm. Phil Kenyon gets a mention, a story, and a standing invitation to come on the pod. Plus: the Victoria Institute of Sport, the danger of turning everyone into the same swing, and why Herbie's career is basically a masterclass in knowing who you are at 17. Next week: KB joins the show. The hair rankings are officially open.

    28 min

  2. 8 MAY

    The Most Powerful Man In Golf Coaching! Luke Kerr-Dineen

    What happens when one of golf’s smartest media minds sits down with two golf-obsessed coaching nerds? You get a conversation that goes everywhere — tour players, TPI, coaching methods, golf media, LIV, mobility, practice, AI, and the future of instruction. This week on the Skillest Podcast, Baden and Alex Clapp are joined by Luke Kerr-Dineen from Golf Digest — one of the most influential voices in modern golf instruction media. Luke opens up about his journey from aspiring journalist to becoming one of the key figures shaping how golfers consume instruction today. The guys dive deep into:  Why tour pros obsess over the “boring” basics  The danger of constantly changing swing methods  What Luke learned from his full TPI assessment  How body limitations shape golf swings  Why great coaching is becoming more evidence-based than ever  The future of AI, digital coaching, and platforms like Skillest  The changing landscape of golf media and instruction  LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, and what global golf should look like It’s part golf philosophy, part swing nerd heaven, and part look into where the entire game is heading next. If you’re fascinated by coaching, golf swings, player development, or the future of the game — this one’s a must-listen.

    44 min

  3. 5 MAY

    Methods vs Systems: The Truth About Golf Coaching Today!

    Why do great golf coaches disagree on so many things? And more importantly… does it actually matter? In this episode, Baden and Alex unpack the reality of modern golf coaching — where data is everywhere, opinions are stronger than ever, and there’s still no single “right way” to swing a club. You’ll learn:  Why disagreement in coaching is actually a strength  How different swing styles can all produce elite results  The shift from rigid “methods” to adaptable coaching systems  Why players need different solutions based on their body, goals, and time  How technology is lowering the barrier to getting great coaching If you’re trying to improve your game — or become a better coach — this episode will challenge how you think about learning golf.

    35 min

  4. 28 APR

    High Performance Habits: What Elite Coaching Really Looks Like — with Mark Govier

    This week on the Skilly Pod, Baden and Clappy sit down with Mark Govier — Welsh Dragon, high performance coach at Altus Golf, and one of the most engaged coaches on the Skillest platform. Mark's coaching journey spans 30 years, from running his own academy in Wales to being recruited by Cam McCormick to join the Altus setup in Dallas, where he works with elite juniors, college players, and tour professionals. The conversation gets into what separates real coaching from the traditional one-off lesson model — and spoiler: it's not about more swing videos. Mark, Clappy, and Baden unpack why accountability, habit tracking, regular touchpoints, and genuine human connection are the real drivers of player improvement. Mark also opens up about how he uses Whoop data to catch things like a student playing Call of Duty until midnight before a tournament round, and why building a player's individual "formula" is the foundation of everything he does. They also get into swing models, Nelly Korda, Fitzpatrick's incredible week, the danger zone between lessons, and why the five-or-six lesson package might be the worst thing that ever happened to golf coaching. If you want to understand what high performance coaching actually looks like in 2025 — in person and online — this one's for you.

    44 min

  5. 23 APR

    Ball Rollback, Ground Reaction Forces & LIV's Reckoning

    Baden and Clappy are back to unpack a massive week in golf. They kick off at Harbour Town — a course that makes the case that great design, not a rolled-back ball, is how you defend par. From there it's a proper debate on the USGA's bifurcation plan: is it pointless engineering theatre, or the future of the pro game? The boys get into why slower swingers barely notice the change, the social awkwardness of "which ball are you playing?" at your home club, and why Trotty Golf reckons driver designers will claw every yard back anyway. Then it's ground reaction forces — the thing Baden famously doesn't have. Clappy breaks down the three flavours (lateral, vertical, rotary), why Scottie Scheffler slides and Matt Fitzpatrick pulls his front foot out of the way, and how understanding ground forces turned his clubhead speed from 116 to 132 mph. Plus a sharp take on why most 18-handicappers should be nowhere near a force plate. The back half dives into LIV's rumoured cash crunch, TaylorMade team rebrands, and the no-man's-land waiting for returning players like Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann and DJ — while Patrick Reed serves out his suspension. Bryson's stirring up trouble again. And next week: golf media insider Luke Kerr-Dineen joins the pod. Grab a coffee. Plenty to chew on.

    32 min

  6. 13 APR

    Rory's Masters, Steep vs Shallow & Where Are Golf's Next Superstars?

    The Masters is done for another year — and Rory McIlroy made it look frighteningly comfortable. Baden and Clappy break down how a man who ranked second-last in driving accuracy for the weekend somehow won by three, why Augusta may be more forgiving than it used to be, and whether any of the chasing pack ever really had a chance. Then the conversation turns to a topic that lit up the coaching world during Masters week: Brandel Chamblee's claim that Scottie Scheffler has a "steepening move." The boys dig into why the terminology matters, what the camera angle wasn't showing, and how the steep-vs-shallow debate — however it's framed — keeps causing real confusion for everyday golfers. They wrap up asking a question that's been nagging all season: where are the new personalities? With the same veterans filling the leaderboard week after week, is the game crying out for its next superstar — and is the coaching world doing enough to find them?

    29 min

  7. 7 APR

    Masters Preview!

    Augusta National is the greatest stage in golf, and this week it's centre stage. Baden and Alex (Clappy) kick off Masters Week with an unfiltered preview — debating why the Masters beats every other major (no phones, perfect contrast, Amen Corner), picking their contenders for the Green Jacket, and revisiting Tiger's single most iconic moment on that course. They also touch on what it actually takes to win Augusta — why first-timers rarely contend, why the best players almost always win it, and what separates the course knowledge of someone like Ludvig Åberg from the rest of the field. This week's picks: Baden: Bryson DeChambeau & Jason Day (tip from Matt Fryer)Clappy: Chris Gotterup & Cam Young — plus a quiet word for Patrick ReedAnd if you're watching all the action and feeling the itch to fix your game — every coach on Skillest is offering 20% off your first month. Use code GREENJACKET at checkout. Offer ends Sunday night.

    14 min

  8. 3 APR

    The man who built Bryson's clubs! Tom Bailey of Avoda Golf

    What do you get when a pain-riddled amateur golfer goes down every rabbit hole imaginable — coaching, biomechanics, club grinding, and manufacturing — and ends up accidentally building one of the most disruptive equipment brands in the game? You get Tom Bailey and Avoda Golf. Tom joined us for a wide-ranging conversation about how a bench grinder, a brother with an e-commerce background, and a frustrated Bryson DeChambeau turned a 50-set goal into one of golf's fastest-growing club companies. We get deep into the science behind what Avoda actually does differently — lie angle as the single most important spec in your bag, why combo-length irons make more sense than you think, how the right grip size is just like wearing the right shoe, and the curve-face technology that had Bryson saying "I've never seen a club do that." We also get into Tom's current work with Jason Day and his coach Colin Swatton, and the remarkable story of how the right sole grind fixed in a week what they'd been working on for years. In this episode Why lie angle trumps everything else Combo length vs same length irons The Bryson DeChambeau story Jason Day's wedge revelation Curve face tech explained The precision fitting system for coaches "We know the golf club is not just a thing that you buy and use for a year. You can get it dialled in exactly how you need it — to take you on the journey you're going on with your coach." — Tom Bailey, founder of Avoda Golf AVO Golf is giving away three precision fitting systems to coaches. Follow @avogolf and DM the word Skillest to be entered into the draw.

    1hr 2min
See All (39)

About

The Skilly Pod is for golfers and coaches who care about getting better — on and off the course. Hosted by Baden Schaff and Alex Clapp, the show covers everything from game improvement and coaching insights to what’s actually happening in golf right now. It’s real conversations, practical advice, and plenty of fun along the way. Each episode mixes:  Honest takes on improving your game  Coaching insights from two of the best in the business  Current events in golf  Interviews with some of the biggest names in the game No fluff. Just better golf, better thinking, and a few laughs along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Skillest
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Skillest Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Skillest Podcast

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