2025 was a year of motion…on the course, at the range, on-camera, and in deeper layers of life.
From winter swings at Five Iron Golf to national award recognition with the Golf Fitness Association of America...
From Detroit Golf Club ahead of the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Mortgage Classic to Yellow Stone Club on Trackman Golf...
From writing for GolfWRX and GFAA to building “Professional Golfer & Explorer” into a real identity...from meditation at Belle Isle Golf Detroit to quantum golf experiments...
From bunker work and mechanics to deeper conversations about life with my wife Jen through our new podcast...
There’s nothing like seeing someone do what they love in their true “passion space.”
In this clip, I was sharing why that can be even more compelling than a competitive “gladiator arena,” and I reflected on the real pressure that shows up when your bills depend on how you perform.
It’s a reminder that you can grow through it, but the system doesn’t have to be built that way.
In this episode of The Long and Short of It, Jennifer and Jaacob unpack the idea of “performing for survival,” when your identity and your income are tied to how you play.
Starting with a memory from one of Jaacob's tour events in Morocco and a striking moment of seeing a monkey forced to perform, they trace the parallel to life as a working pro: loving the game, yet feeling the pressure of “if I don’t play well this week, I don’t know how I’m paying my bills.”
From there, they explore the difference between competing like gladiators and playing in a true “passion space,” and why watching someone do what they love can be even more powerful than watching them win or lose.
They end with a grounded reminder: yes, you can grow through the pressure, but the system doesn’t have to be built this way, and we can treat people a little bit better.
PGA TOUR pro Charles Howell III once topped a fairway shot on a par 5 right in front of me, after driving it perfect all day at Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, California.
In this clip, I talk about how that moment reminded me that even the best players in the world are still human, despite the perception you might have of them from TV highlights.
In this episode of The Long and Short of It, Jennifer and Jaacob pull a card labeled “Charles Howell III” and trace a story from Jaacob’s early years as a new pro at Pebble Beach into a wider conversation about resilience when things go sideways.
Watching a world-class player top a fairway shot or hearing Roger Federer’s reminder that even he as a GOAT barely won more than half his points, they unpack what it can take to recover after a stumble.
Along the way, Jen brings in her doctoral journey, perfectionism, and performance anxiety, and together they land on a simple mantra, “hit ball, go forward,” as one way to meet mistakes, creative blocks, and everyday stumbles with more neutrality, self-kindness, and courage to keep moving.
Part 2 of my conversation with Ralph Perez of Gotham Golf Blog is out. We get into my time with Mike Austin in California, working with Dan Shauger, hitting balls with Mike Dunaway, the evolution of Swing Man Golf and Sterling Irons® single length irons, and what playing pro golf in my 50s looks like now that PGA TOUR Champions Q-School is gone.
Interested in sponsoring my journey or partnering with me? Get in touch.
New clip from my chat with Ralph Perez on Gotham Golf Blog: we get into how PGA TOUR Champions, already tough to break into, has eliminated its traditional Q-School for senior pro and, as I approach 50, what that means for my path as a tour player.
Interested in sponsoring my journey or partnering with me? Get in touch.
Part 1 of a deep-dive conversation with Ralph Perez of Gotham Golf Blog is out. We got into my path from a 14-handicap computer engineer to a world-ranked pro, the World Long Drive Championships, the Speedgolf World Championships, Sterling Irons® single-length irons, Swing Man Golf, and what’s ahead as I turn 50.
Everyone assumed we were moving for his golf career. In reality, every move—Monterey to LA, Zurich, New York, DC, Detroit—was for her work, and we had to figure out how to keep two careers and one relationship thriving while constantly starting over in new places.
Of course, it's important to be supportive in relationships for them to succeed. You can also plan life all you want and it's just going to take you where it's going to take you, sometimes to better places than you would've ever even imagined.
In Episode 011 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer pull an “invisible card” that reads: “Moving around for Jen’s career,” and, while recording from the Eaton DC during a work trip in Washington, DC, trace how more than two decades of relocations for her work have shaped both of their lives. Jen realizes she hadn’t fully seen how each move forced Jaacob to rebuild his local golf community from scratch, which opens a deeper conversation about the dynamics of successful and supportive relationships and co-creating a shared path while surrendering to the flow of life.
Got cut from JV. Earned a Minnesota Twins tryout. A pickup-game collision tore my ACL, but I still made the college team. How you respond to failure can make a difference.
In Episode 010 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer pull a card that reads: “Tearing my ACL after senior year + NBA dreams,” and trace how a knee injury at 17 shifted Jaacob’s trajectory—and his mindset. He describes making a college basketball team while braced and tentative, the long tail of that fear in later competition (from long drive to Speedgolf), and even recurring dreams about performance at moments of truth. Together they examine how early trauma can create protective patterns that mute our power, how to spot those “blind spots,” and how the point of some setbacks may be to redirect us toward a new path.
Would you believe there are golfers far more talented than Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods? In this clip from The Long and Short of It podcast (Episode 009), Jaacob reflects on how the system weeds out potential greats, while Jennifer shares the story of a village kid with a beautiful swing.
When I turned pro in golf at 27—after starting as an average golfer only six months earlier—I wasn’t sure where the journey would lead. By the time I neared 30, I didn’t know how I was going to keep going. But even if my golf career didn’t work out, I already felt like I’d won—because it brought me to Jen.
In Episode 009 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer open with the “rainbows” in the room (spoiler: window crystals) before diving into what they’d tell their 20-something selves—now that Jennifer is 46 and Jaacob is 49 (50 soon). Starting, as usual, from a moment in Jaacob’s golf career, they revisit his mid-20s leap from a stable corporate job to professional golf—despite being an average golfer at the time.
Perseverance is one of the 11 wealth-building habits Jaacob uncovered. In this clip, he shares how obstacles were coming from every direction, forcing a choice: give up or keep going. Neither path is inherently right or wrong, but those who ultimately succeed often credit their perseverance through the inevitable storms.
Continual learning is one of the 11 wealth-building habits Jaacob uncovered. In this clip, Jennifer discusses how different generations are embracing—or ignoring—AI in their work and lives.
In Episode 008 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer break down 11 wealth-building habits and how to apply them—through the lens of a working pro golfer and two entrepreneurs. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with millionaires and billionaires, Jaacob shares the patterns he reverse-engineered as they unpack each habit into practical actions.
The gated knowledge of using responsible debt to grow...a clip from "The Long and Short of It" podcast Episode 7, breaking down 11 wealth-building habits and how to apply them.
In Episode 007 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer break down 11 wealth-building habits and how to apply them—through the lens of a working pro golfer and two entrepreneurs. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with millionaires and billionaires, Jaacob shares the patterns he reverse-engineered as they unpack each habit into practical actions.
Dedicated to Mr. Moses, their 18-year-old cat, who passed peacefully two days after filming (he appears in Ep. 6).
Data revealed a hidden edge—I was lag-putting better than PGA TOUR player and former world number one Jordan Spieth, widely hailed that year as the best—and it rewired my on-course strategy.
In Episode 006 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer explore Jaacob’s high tolerance for risk, how data analysis and self-study (including astrology and personality assessments) have shaped his golf strategy—particularly his approach shots and putting—and the balance between external validation through metrics and internal confidence. The conversation evolves to touch on comparisons, competition, joy, and reframing success beyond purely competitive measures.
In Episode 005 of The Long and Short of It, Jen and I shift from our usual format and dive into a deeper conversation sparked by a difficult round of golf I played the previous day.
Jen references an article I recently wrote for GolfWRX.com about how world ranked #1 golfer in the world Scottie Scheffer doesn't find winning to be a fulfilling life.
In Episode 005 of The Long and Short of It, Jen and I shift from our usual format and dive into a deeper conversation sparked by a difficult round of golf I played the previous day, his day at the office made worse by my attachment of extra perceived importance to the round.
In Episode 005 of The Long and Short of It, Jaacob and Jennifer shift from their usual format and dive into a deeper conversation sparked by a difficult round of golf Jaacob played the previous day.
Jen observes how Jaacob came home feeling off—wearing bright orange (his subtle signal for "caution")—and they use this moment to explore the emotional layers beneath a bad day at the office.
In Episode 4 of The Long and Short of It, Jen's back from Europe and we return to our usual format — pulling a conversation starter card from my professional golf career.
This one sparked a deeply personal conversation about something that happened long before golf ever entered the picture.
We pulled our first conversation starter card — and it took us back to 2003.
That was shortly after I took a leap of faith and left the stability of a corporate job to see if I could make it on the PGA TOUR… starting as an average golfer.
Episode 2 of The Long and Short of It is now live on YouTube.
Who would start a golf podcast that’s not really a golf podcast...with their spouse?
Apparently, we would.
Episode 1 of "The Long and Short of It" is now live on my YouTube channel.
We use stories and prompts from a 20+ year career as a professional golfer as jumping-off points to have deeper conversations — about ourselves, society, the world, and life itself.
Want to support the podcast?
• Click on the in-video ads • Subscribe for weekly videos • Like this video if it resonates • Comment — We love to read your thoughts • Share this with someone
Thanks to host Fred Greene of the Golf Smarter podcast for having me on as a guest for the 5th time!
Description:
"Episode 888: Jaacob Bowden of swingmangolf.com and jaacobbowden.com was convinced that someday he would be a competitive Tour level golfer. He’s now been around the game for 20 years and his quest has brought him to the Speed Golf World Championships, World Long Drive Championships, and becoming an excellent golf instructor. In this episode we discuss his journey and how golfers at any age or skill level can increase their swing speeds which results in greater distance."
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Intro 1:31 First time we met 2:41 Making the PGA TOUR 6:27 Being a starving artist 12:50 Mindset in long drive 17:18 Losing the ego 18:47 Swing speed training 20:16 Benefit of swing speed training 25:04 How to increase swing speed 28:56 Speedgolf 31:26 What clubs do you carry in Speedgolf 34:19 Running on a golf course 38:38 Tour experience 40:47 PGA TOUR experience 43:52 Plans for 20th anniversary 47:55 Swing Man Golf