PGA Tour Winner Derek Ernst: Mindset, Winning a Playoff & Elite Golf Coaching Insights #402
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
Release Date: 03/27/2026
PGA Tour Winner Derek Ernst: Mindset, Winning a Playoff & Elite Golf Coaching Insights #402
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
What does it really take to become a PGA Tour winner—and stay at the top of your game? In this episode of The Mind Caddie, we’re joined by PGA Tour winner Derek Ernst, now Associate Head Coach at the University of Tennessee, for a deep dive into the mindset, discipline, and decision-making behind elite golf performance. Derek shares powerful insights from his journey—from teaching himself the game to winning on the PGA Tour in a dramatic playoff—along with the lessons he now passes on to the next generation of top golfers. Inside this episode, we explore: How Derek developed his game...
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To Heaven and Hell and back – Ian Baker-Finch #401
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
Today on The Mind Caddie, we’re joined by a true legend of the game — Ian Baker-Finch, winner of The Open Championship in 1991. In this fascinating and deeply honest conversation, Ian reflects on his unforgettable victory at Royal Birkdale, including that extraordinary back-nine 28 on Saturday that helped secure his place in golfing history. He also opens up about the emotional highs of winning one of golf’s greatest prizes—and the very real challenges that followed. We dive into his new book To Hell and Back (or perhaps, as Ian suggests, To Heaven and Back), exploring the full journey...
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Golf Mental Game Mastery: Lessons From 400 Episodes of The Mind Caddie #400
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
400 Episodes of the Mind Caddie: The Real Keys to Golf Improvement What could the Mind Caddie do for your golf game this year? Today marks a huge milestone — Episode 400 of the Mind Caddie podcast. Hard to believe that over the past 8 years we’ve shared hundreds of conversations exploring the mental game of golf, performance psychology, and what it truly takes to improve your game. Have we solved every problem in golf? Probably not. But along the way, we believe we’ve started asking better questions about how golfers actually improve. In this special episode, we turn the tables as Ben...
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Golf Warm-Up Secrets with Kiran Mistry - Mobility, Strength & Mental Readiness for Better Golf #399
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
Today on the podcast we’re joined by rising golf fitness coach Kiran Mistry, founder of The Golf Athlete X and one of the fastest-growing voices in golf performance training. We met at the European Teaching Conference in Portugal, and his approach to golf conditioning, movement efficiency, and pre-round preparation immediately stood out. With a large and rapidly growing Instagram following, Kiran has become known for his simple but powerful message: 15 minutes can transform your golf performance. In this episode, we dive into: The non-negotiables of a proper golf warm-up How to activate...
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Being able to Deal with WHATEVER the game of golf and life throws at us – Jim Waldron #398
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
Can a Rite of Passage End Modern Psychological Suffering in Golf? | Golf Psychology & The Mental Game Why do so many golfers struggle with fear, frustration and emotional suffering on the course? In this powerful episode of The Mind Caddie, I’m joined by renowned golf coach and deep thinker Jim Waldron for a fascinating conversation about golf psychology, ego, performance pressure and the concept of the rite of passage. For most of human history, societies marked the transition from child to adult with a rite of passage — a psychological shift from ego-driven identity to mature...
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The REAL truth about stretching is it useful or useless – Chris Finn from Par4Success #397
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
On this episode of Mind Caddie, we welcome back leading golf performance expert Chris Finn, founder of Par4Success — one of the top golf fitness and rehabilitation companies in the world. If you want to increase clubhead speed, improve mobility, prevent injury, and finally make lasting changes to your golf swing, this conversation is essential listening. Chris and his team specialise in golf-specific strength training, flexibility, rehab and conditioning. In this episode, we break down: The biggest myths about stretching for golfers Why traditional flexibility routines may be making you...
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What everyone FORGETS about their golf game! – Ben Hacker #396
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
How do you lower your handicap without rebuilding your swing? On this episode of the Mind Caddie Podcast, we’re joined by Ben Hacker — co-developer of the Mind Caddie app and a committed club golfer who has significantly reduced his handicap through mastering the golf mental game. We explore why swing changes aren’t the answer for most time-pressed golfers, the biggest myths in golf psychology, and how building resilience, adaptability and acceptance can transform your scoring. If you want to handle bad shots better, stay in the game under pressure, and finally see real improvement on...
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The Role of Dopamine in Fluid Motion – Dr Keith Wallace and Steven Yellin #395
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
Why do some golf swings stick while others fall apart under pressure? The answer may lie in your brain chemistry. In this episode, we explore the crucial role of neurotransmitters in golf performance, with a special focus on dopamine and motor learning. We’re joined by Dr Keith Wallace and Steven Yellin for a fascinating conversation on how the brain learns movement, builds repeatable golf swings, and performs under pressure. How Dopamine spikes can influence your golf game Why your reactions to your shots are so important How do you RECOVER from a poor shot Keeping dopamine at optimal...
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Mental Resilience: Tools for a Stronger Mind | Matt Caldaroni #394
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
In today’s unpredictable and high-pressure world, mental resilience is no longer optional — it’s a vital life skill. In sport, especially golf, resilience is what separates good players from great ones. Bad shots, missed putts, poor rounds and stalled progress are inevitable. The difference is how you respond. On this episode of The Mind Caddie, we’re joined by Matt Caldaroni, a performance coach specialising in mental resilience, mindset, and elite performance. Matt’s journey into resilience began early. At just twelve years old, a coach tried to end his dream of becoming a...
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The MAGIC of just OBSERVING your BREATHING – JS Legare #393
Mind Caddie - Improve Your Mental Golf Game
And how it could make a huge difference to the clarity, composure and timing in your game Today we are joined on the show by the outstanding Canadian coach JS Legare JS is a certified Mind Factor coach but also an expert on BREATHWORK We had a fascinating conversation about how we can become more aware of the impact of our breathing on our physiology When our breathing is poor our access to our skills is compromised Just merely OBSERVING the breath can be a profoundly beneficial exercise We can down regulate our nervous system simply by observing our breath Think of the opportunities golf can...
info_outlineWhat does it really take to become a PGA Tour winner—and stay at the top of your game?
In this episode of The Mind Caddie, we’re joined by PGA Tour winner Derek Ernst, now Associate Head Coach at the University of Tennessee, for a deep dive into the mindset, discipline, and decision-making behind elite golf performance.
Derek shares powerful insights from his journey—from teaching himself the game to winning on the PGA Tour in a dramatic playoff—along with the lessons he now passes on to the next generation of top golfers.
Inside this episode, we explore:
- How Derek developed his game from scratch
- The importance of setting clear, tangible goals
- Why loving the process is key to long-term success
- The mindset shift that helped him win on the PGA Tour
- The hidden dangers of playing too much golf
- How to schedule smarter and avoid burnout
- The challenge of competing on multiple tours
- Why understanding your values is crucial for performance
- The surprising downside of being a “selfish golfer”
- His transition into elite college coaching
- How modern college golf has evolved in the U.S.
- The growing influence of sponsorship in amateur golf
- Coaching top-level amateurs, including Walker Cup players
- Lessons from renowned coach Randy Joyner: focusing on shots, not swings
Whether you’re a competitive golfer, coach, or simply love the game, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you improve your mindset and performance on and off the course.
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www.mindcaddie.golf
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