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Distance To The Pin

Distance To The Pin

By: John Thomas (JT) Svogun
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Distance to the Pin is the first performance-driven golf podcast created by a junior golfer for junior golfers and their parents.

Hosted by John Svogun, 2025 U11 Under Armour Golf Spring New England Champion, this show breaks down the practice drills, mindset prep, and challenges specific to junior golfers looking to lower their scores, earn brand sponsorships, and compete at the next level.

Each episode goes beyond traditional practice advice to explore what actually moves the needle in junior golf development, from smarter technical training and strength work, to nutrition, recovery, mental toughness, and competitive preparation.

Listeners learn from John’s first-hand experience, insights from top-rated coaches, and expert guest appearances who understand the demands of high-level youth and competitive golf.

This podcast is designed for youth golfers who are serious about improving and parents who want a clear, long-term development roadmap for college golf and beyond. Distance to the Pin delivers real conversations, proven strategies, and honest insight into what it truly takes to move forward and compete at a higher level.

Follow for more training tips on Instagram @jtsvogun and subscribe to jtsvogungolf on Youtube.

Copyright 2026 All rights reserved. Golf
Episodes
  • Hidden Signs Your Junior Golfer Needs an Equipment Check (Before You Change Their Swing)

    Hidden Signs Your Junior Golfer Needs an Equipment Check (Before You Change Their Swing)
    25 Feb 2026
    Welcome to Distance to the Pin, a performance‑driven podcast built for junior golfers and parents who care about development as much as scores. In this episode, host John Svogun sits down with his dad, to uncover one of the most overlooked reasons a young golfer’s swing suddenly feels “off” and it’s not mechanics. Before you rebuild a swing that isn’t broken, make sure your equipment isn’t the real culprit. Too many juniors start chasing drills and sequencing fixes when what’s really changed is their body, strength, or speed. John and his dad share their personal story of discovering that a lie‑angle issue, not a swing flaw, was sabotaging John’s ball flight. From growth spurts to strength gains to swing‑speed spikes, they break down the subtle warning signs that your golfer’s clubs may no longer fit their evolving body. 3 Reasons Equipment Checks Matter 1. Swing Speed Evolves Faster Than Equipment: Growth, strength training, and better sequencing all add speed quickly outpacing shafts, lie angles, and weights designed for last season. 2. Small Misfits Create Big Misses: Even a few degrees of lie‑angle error can change ball direction, impact pattern, and timing making a solid swing look like a bad one. 3. Confidence Comes From Consistency: When clubs and golf balls truly match the golfer’s body and speed, patterns stabilize, contact improves, and focus returns to competition, not troubleshooting. Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Distance to the Pin 00:31 The #1 rule for junior equipment 01:43 Why adult clubs too early causes problems 04:28 The turning point 08:30 The overlooked variable (wedges + golf ball) 19:16 The 6–12 month fitting rule (height + club head speed) 31:22 Final takeaway for parents + juniors Resources Mentioned in This Episode 1️⃣ Club Fitting with Kyle Nolin at Chris Cote’s Golf https://www.chriscotegolf.com/pages/b... The fitting fee is 50% OFF with purchase on the same day, now through March 14, when you tell him John Svogun sent you! 2️⃣ LAB Golf Remote Fitting https://labgolf.com/pages/remote-fitting Refine your putting performance from anywhere with LAB’s remote precision fitting service. 3️⃣ Ballnamic Ball Fitting https://ballfitting.com A data‑based golf‑ball fitting platform powered by Ping engineers—find the right ball for your unique swing speed and spin profile. Let’s Connect Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtsvogun
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    33 min
  • #1 Reason Why Your Swing Breaks Down

    #1 Reason Why Your Swing Breaks Down
    11 Feb 2026

    Welcome to Distance to the Pin, a performance-driven podcast built for junior golfers and parents who care about more than just scores. In this episode, elite junior golfer John Svogun and his mom break down the real reason your swing falls apart late in the round and it’s probably not what you think.

    Most junior golfers assume they need more swing work, but when timing feels off on holes 14, 15, and 16… it’s usually not a mechanics issue. It’s a capacity issue.

    Your body can’t support the swing anymore. In this conversation, John unpacks why strength training is the missing link for so many junior golfers, how modern swing speed is outpacing physical development, and why building the body behind the swing might be the biggest competitive edge a young athlete can create.

    Timestamps

    00:00 – Why Junior Golf Swings Break Down

    03:25 – Golf Fitness Explained

    04:05 – Strength Training for Junior Golfers

    05:41 – Tiger Woods & The Rise of Golf Strength and Conditioning

    07:15 – How to Increase Swing Speed

    12:52 – Best Gym Exercises for Junior Golfers

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    Svogun Performance Golf- FITNESS APP

    To access hundreds of golf specific exercises each month for junior golfers, learn more here: https://bit.ly/svogunperformancegolf

    Let's Connect!

    Follow John on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/jtsvogun

    #YouthGolf #JuniorGolf #GolfPerformance #GolfStrength #GolfPodcast #juniorgolfpodcast #DistanceToThePin #golfexercises
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    18 min
  • This ONE Habit Is Holding Junior Golfers Back From Lower Scores

    This ONE Habit Is Holding Junior Golfers Back From Lower Scores
    4 Feb 2026

    Welcome to Distance to the Pin, a performance-driven podcast built for junior golfers and parents who care about more than just scores.

    In this episode, elite junior golfer John Svogun and his dad break down the one thing most junior golfers aren’t doing when it comes to lowering their scores and it has nothing to do with swinging a golf club.

    Instead, this conversation focuses on goal setting, why most athletes never learn how to do it properly, and how writing clear goals can change confidence, focus, and performance on the course.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

    • Why 92% of people fail to reach their goals without structure

    • How writing goals down increases follow-through

    • The difference between outcome goals vs process goals

    • How John’s 2025 vision board led to real results

    • How he’s setting smarter, clearer goals for 2026

    • How parents can support goals without adding pressure

    Timestamps

    00:00 – Welcome to Distance to the Pin

    00:29 – Why most people fail at goals

    01:31 – What “goals” really mean + introducing vision boards

    02:38 – Outcome goals vs. process goals

    08:39 – Why Discipline beats motivation

    10:26 – Advice for parents: ask better questions, not more pressure

    11:34 – How goals help handle bad rounds

    12:53 – Final takeaway

    Listen & Subscribe

    If this episode helped you think differently about junior golf development, follow JT on Instagram www.instagram.com/jtsvogun and subscribe to Distance to the Pin so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

    New episodes drop every Wednesday!
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    13 min
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