Connor Doyal is a 26 year old caddy at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. He almost never goes to the range. 3 weeks ago he won the Terra Cotta Invitational against a stacked junior field. Last week he Monday qualified into the PGA Tour's Myrtle Beach Classic and made the cut on the number after hitting his approach into 18 from 137 yards in a divot. This week he's at Desert Mountain playing the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. In this one we get into the 14 for 12 playoff that put him in the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kinloch, the quarterfinal against Evan Beck that gave him the confidence to compete with the best mid-amateurs in the country, the mental reframe that made the PGA Tour feel less nervy than an amateur event, why he never practices on the range, and the 30 minute practice protocol he'd give an average golfer. Follow Connor: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connordoyal/ Try Play Ready Golf (Use code PRG POD): https://onelink.to/93ggkv Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:34 Quitting Consulting in Atlanta 02:26 Why He Didn't Play College Golf 04:19 An Albatross on His First Day Caddying 06:12 The Practice He Actually Does 10:16 The Biggest Mistake Amateurs Make 12:08 The 14-for-12 Playoff at Kinloch 13:50 First USGA Match. Down Three Early. 17:25 Quarterfinal vs Evan Beck 19:58 Monday Qualifying for the PGA Tour 21:21 Making the Cut From a Divot 22:49 "I'm Just on Vacation." 25:56 Winning the Terra Cotta 30:46 He Never Goes to the Range 32:21 The 30 Minute Practice Protocol 34:11 Prepping for the Four-Ball

App: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6752723937 Most amateurs think they know how far they hit their irons. The Arccos data says they don't. The average 20 handicap thinks their 5 iron flies 187 yards. The actual median carry is 152. That 35 yard gap doesn't just cost one shot. It cascades. Short approach, harder chip, missed up and down, lag putt from 90 feet, three-putt 27% of the time. Two to three strokes per round, every single round, and it had nothing to do with your swing. This episode breaks down where the cascade actually starts, why "80% of strokes lost inside 100 yards" is the most repeated lie in golf, and the 15 minute gapping session that fixes most of it before your next round. ——— Free resources The 59 minute practice plan: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/59minuteplan The PRG benchmarks PDF: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/comprehensivestats The simple stat tracker: https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/simplestatstracker ——— 00:00 The 35 yard lie in your bag 01:46 Hayden's college par-3 story 03:25 Why hitting past the pin feels worse 05:43 The cascade from one wrong club 06:32 Where amateurs actually miss from 150 08:45 Aim long until you actually go long 10:48 The 9, 7, 5 gapping drill 13:52 Why Pelz was wrong about the short game 15:30 Isaak's launch monitor rabbit hole 17:58 The middle 6 of 10 balls drill 21:04 Two rules that kill club selection ego 23:54 The Bryson 5 iron rant 25:50 The take two more clubs challenge 29:35 Why block practice does not transfer 30:38 What to actually do at the range 34:21 Resources and final word

Scott Turner owns the Minor League Golf Tour, runs over 100 events a year, raises a daughter, and somehow still wins elite mid-am tournaments against fields full of guys who hit it 310 yards.

He hits balls 4 to 5 times a year. His best tournament prep is 9 holes with his buddies for 20 bucks. In this conversation he explains exactly how he competes without practicing, why 90% of professional golfers lose money every year, what Eric Cole was like for a full decade before breaking through to the PGA Tour, and the course management mistake that every handicap level makes without realizing it.

We also get into his years as a "part-time hobby professional" working 28-hour weekends in a cart barn to fund Monday qualifiers, the college golf team that rejected him for 4 years straight, and what he tells young players who ask him whether they should keep grinding or hang it up.

If you're a working golfer trying to get better with limited time, this one's for you.

FOLLOW SCOTT + THE MINOR LEAGUE GOLF TOUR: Website: ⁠https://minorleaguegolf.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/minorleaguegolftour⁠

ALSO MENTIONED: Back of the Range Podcast (Ben) : https://www.instagram.com/thebackoftherange/

PLAY READY GOLF: Download the app: ⁠https://apps.apple.com/app/id6752723937⁠

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction 0:27 How Scott stays sharp hitting balls 5 times a year 2:41 Beating 310-yard bombers with a 15-year-old hybrid 5:09 Why 9 holes beats 7 days at the range 7:54 The college team that rejected him for 4 years 13:44 Life as a "part-time hobby professional" 17:21 Turn pro or stay mid-am at 23? 20:50 How the Minor League Golf Tour started 24:18 90% of pro golfers lose money every year 27:45 What separates the 10% who make it 30:25 Eric Cole shot 65 every day for a decade 34:09 The $100 training division for working golfers 37:07 How good are mini tour players really? 41:26 The club selection mistake every golfer makes 43:28 Winning the Gasparilla at Palmacia 47:18 Legacy, fatherhood, and the Jumbotron story 50:21 Where to find Scott and the Minor League Golf Tour