236: Lou Stagner - Stats, Expectations, and Managing Emotions on the Golf Course

Lou Stagner is a statistician, coach, and one of the most influential voices in the golf industry. He joins The Mental Golf Show. Topics and Timestamps: 00:00 Emotional Control in Golf 05:07 Statistics and Anger 10:23 How much should we be thinking about stats? 12:56 The Importance of Data Tracking 14:49 Playing with Confidence vs. Emotion 19:15 Stat Tracking Apps 22:39 Does Lou practice what he preaches? 39:48 What to do when you don't know where the ball is going 41:31 How does Lou manage his own anger on the course? 46:20 Lou's Pre-shot Strategy Routine 48:25 What should our stat benchmark be? 55:33 Structuring Practice with Swing Changes 58:09 Does playing shorter tees help or hurt your handicap? 1:00:13 How can Mike & Eli of Chasing Scratch get to scratch? 1:04:25 Does Statistics Actually Help You Improve? 1:06:19 Lou's Role as Statistician at Princeton Golf 1:09:45 Lou Stagner ----- Lou's newsletter: Lou Stagner Golf Lou on X Lou on Instagram ----- 🏌️‍♂️🗓️ Basic Practice Plan Template A practice plan robust enough to help you actually improve, but flexible enough to handle the chaos of your life. Click here to check out the Basic Practice Plan Template ----- Get 10% off a Divot Board! Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code MentalGolf10 to get 10% off your entire purchase. Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏 ----- FREE Weekly Mental Game Newsletter Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your inbox every week. ----- Assess Your Mental Game Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement. ----- 📚 2025 Book Club! Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info. ----- Take the next step in practice! Custom Weekly Practice Plan Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently. ----- 1-on-1 Mental Coaching Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Mental Coach? Email Josh directly at ⁠⁠ josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshnicholsgolf.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . ----- Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at mentalgolfshow@gmail.com ----- Follow Josh on social: X/Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@joshlukenichols⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@joshlukenichols⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh Nichols Golf