Episode Details

Secrets of the elite mid am 👉 https://playreadygolf.beehiiv.com/secretsofthemidam

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Sam Jackson sells windows for a living. He has a 7 month old at home and practices once or twice a week. He's also been South Carolina Golf Association Player of the Year 4 years in a row, made the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and won the 2025 South Carolina Amateur with a wedge to 3 inches on the final hole.

His edge isn't his swing. It's caring less. Golf used to be his #1 priority. Now it's 4th or 5th, and he plays better for it. In this episode he explains how to stop living and dying with every shot, the 3 checks he runs every time he practices, and why his best week in golf came after his worst prep.

You'll learn:

Why a 4x Player of the Year calls himself a mediocre college player

How to take the pressure off every single shot

Why he's hit it great and finished 7th, then hit it average and contended

The 3 fundamentals he checks every session

How he got into contention on 4 rounds in 4 months with a newborn

Where to start when you have an hour at the range and no plan

Follow Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samuelnotljackson

Need windows or doors in the Columbia, SC area? Sam's with Pella Windows and Doors of the Carolinas.

0:00 Not that Samuel Jackson

1:08 Starting golf at 12

2:30 What sped up his development

4:23 The U.S. Junior at 15

5:09 A 74.8 college scoring average

6:53 Treating every shot like the one

7:58 How to stop living and dying on every shot

8:22 The mental game beats the physical by a mile

9:01 Golf went from #1 to #5

10:35 Make golf as meaningless as possible

10:56 Less pressure at a D2 school

11:33 Staying sharp with a newborn

13:12 The 17 Golfers cheat sheet

13:41 4 rounds in 4 months, then the final group

15:07 How he picks what to practice

16:11 Where to start with an hour and no plan

17:44 The Play Ready Golf app

18:19 His 3 checks: grip, ball position, alignment

20:12 A $70 indoor winter setup

21:44 Getting away from the golf course

23:40 What golf can teach his daughter

26:00 Why he doesn't set goals

27:40 The 2023 U.S. Mid-Am and Stewart Hagestad

29:06 Bad prep, best week

30:58 The walk off at the 2025 South Carolina Am

33:38 Merion with his wife on the bag

36:43 The one thing to steal from Sam

38:01 It won't be on your tombstone

38:22 Where to find Sam