February 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n2. Ball-first, centre contact<\/p>\n
Amateur golfers often miss short, but not just because they under-club themselves. It\u2019s also because their quality of contact is bad. They\u2019re missing the sweet spot of the club, or worse, hitting the ground before the ball. Off-centre contact bleeds distance and predictability.<\/p>\n
Solid contact is the ultimate first principle in golf, and it\u2019s why pros focus so intensely on it. Often you\u2019ll see their range sessions start with chips and little wedge shots before working progressively up. And when they do, they\u2019ll use periodic resets back down to wedges to ingrain that feeling of solid strike.<\/p>\n
As Matt Wallace explains:<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to think about the swing a lot, and then when you\u2019re thinking about that, you don\u2019t move as well. I try to dumb it down as much as I can when I\u2019m about to execute the shot, and that comes literally back down to striking the golf ball as clean as I can, right? So\u2026 that\u2019s why I think my ball striking has elevated. Scottie Scheffler, Rory, whoever you are, if you don\u2019t strike the ball well, then it\u2019s in the lap of the gods as to where that ball\u2019s gonna go.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. The takeaway is more important than you think<\/p>\n
It\u2019s wrong to say that all takeaways should look the same \u2013 they shouldn\u2019t. Go on tour and you\u2019ll spot all sorts of different takeaways. But it\u2019s also wrong to say that because of the differences, takeaways aren\u2019t important.<\/p>\n
Go on tour and you\u2019ll see golfers grind over their takeaways. They incorporate it into their waggles; they drill it on the range. And again, they\u2019re not all textbook. Bobby Jones had an unusual takeaway, but he wrote and spoke often about the importance of his takeaway. Making sure it starts with a gentle breaking of the wrists, and with a smooth, slow tempo.<\/p>\n
The specifics of the takeaway change, but one thing is clear: The best players in golf think about it, and work on it often.<\/p>\n
4. Setup: the only thing you can change instantly<\/p>\n
Think of the golf swing like this: the moment it starts you gradually begin losing control of it \u2013 any changes you want to make become progressively more difficult. By the time you\u2019ve reached the top of the backswing, you basically can\u2019t change it. The moment you start your downswing, your brain literally doesn\u2019t have enough time to process any action you may want to do until the ball is already gone.<\/p>\n
It means your setup is the only thing you can change quickly, instantly, and relatively easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cPosture, ball position, stance width; those are the things you have complete control over,\u201d Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher Justin Parsons says. \u201cBasic stuff, but it\u2019s astonishing how much time [tour players] spend on it getting it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. Their grip moves around. So does yours.<\/p>\n
Watch Scottie Scheffler on the range and you\u2019ll see the best player paying a lot of attention to the most boring thing imaginable: his grip.<\/p>\n
Grips and golf swings move around, often without you even realising. One day you place your left hand on the club a little differently than the day before, then a week later it\u2019s a little different than that. Fast-forward a few months and you\u2019re missing shots left and have no idea why.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why players and their coaches are so proactive in preventing any bad things happening in their grip. Golf Digest No.1-ranked teacher Mark Blackburn uses 3D systems to measure it by degrees when his players are playing well so he has a baseline for when they\u2019re not. It\u2019s your only connection to the club, as it\u2019s often said. Something Scheffler spoke to when I asked him about it:<\/p>\n
\u201cI always use the grip club, because I\u2019m trying to get the same fundamentals down, just because they will change subconsciously as I\u2019m trying to do different things. Just because I get really into playing golf versus trying to search or find things\u2026 So like I\u2019m always trying to make sure I get those fundamentals down to make \u2019em try to keep my neutral to neutral\u2026 My thing is if I can get a feel for where the club is, I can do what I need to do with the golf ball. So if I\u2019m having trouble getting a feel for where the club is I\u2019ll make a little judgment to try to feel the club. That\u2019s why I talk to getting back to neutral and seeing and creating shots, because my goal is always to have a feel for where the clubhead is and then use that feel to curve the golf ball different ways and control it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"2282415297\"\/](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2026\/6\/travelers-championship-2026-scottie-scheffler.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix\/1782255153880.jpeg\")
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Photo: Kate McShane<\/p>\n
6. Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable<\/p>\n
How many times have you thought about managing discomfort? With the rise of data and analytics in sports, this art of the emotion has become equally important. Why? Because often the shot players want to hit (a.k.a. a layup off the tee) is in direct contrast to what the data would say is the best play (a.k.a. hit driver). Learning to get comfortable and commit to the shot that puts the odds most in your favour is an essential part of the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some ways getting the numbers is the easy part. So much of my job after that is helping players manage discomfort,\u201d says Tour IQ founder Cory Jez. \u201cAccepting the range of outcomes, and not letting discomfort prevent them from choosing the right shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
7. Rest is as important as practice<\/p>\n
Of all the ones on the list, this is arguably the one pros are worst at, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t consider it important.<\/p>\n
Players often try to hard work their way out of every problem. It\u2019s what makes them great. The problem is it can also be counter-productive. Their well-meaning hard work can veer into panic practice. Reps for the sake of reps that gradually turn into bad reps.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why players\u2019 coaches often implement ball counts around big weeks, like major weeks. Rest doesn\u2019t feel like hard work, but it\u2019s just as important.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the best thing you can do is prioritise intentional rest and recovery. It\u2019s hard for these guys, but it\u2019s often what they need to perform their best,\u201d Parsons says.<\/p>\n
8. Know your carry distances inside and out<\/p>\n
In many ways the number players care about the most is the simplest one: carry distances. Pros pay such close attention to it that even without a launch monitor, most of them can guess their numbers within a yard or two \u2013 even on their mishits.<\/p>\n
Carry distances change based on altitude and temperature too, but don\u2019t worry, pros take time to plot that all out as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn my machine at home I have four numbers that pop up,\u201d Scheffler says. \u201cDistance, spin, ball speed, clubhead speed. If the distance is where I think it should be, I don\u2019t look at anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the furthest thing from the way amateur golfers approach carry distances. Most of the rest of us ballpark our own carry distances and overestimate on the high side along the way. And our scores suffer for it.<\/p>\n
9. Check the wind on the range, not just the course<\/p>\n
A quick note that pros think a lot about wind direction. That\u2019s in part because it affects them so much more given the height and speed they hit their shots. But there are two specific things you can learn from them.<\/p>\n
Before getting settled on a golf course, pros always pay close attention to two things:<\/p>\n
What the most common wind direction is on the course
\nWhat the wind direction is on the range<\/p>\n
The latter is especially important, because it can give you a false dawn. No, you\u2019re not hitting draws on the range \u2013 the wind is just strong right-to-left. If you head to the course planning for it, you won\u2019t be happy with the result.<\/p>\n
10. Use the two types of practice<\/p>\n
Few things are more tedious than practising your pre-shot routine, but pros instinctively reserve time on the range to practise exactly that as part of an overall balance.<\/p>\n
At the start of their range and putting sessions, you\u2019ll often see players hit the same shot with the same club, usually as they do some kind of drill. This is known as \u201cblock practice\u201d \u2013 they\u2019re repeating the same task, over and over again.<\/p>\n
Towards the end of their range sessions, they\u2019ll move towards \u201crandom practice\u201d. They\u2019ll hit different shots with different clubs to different targets, using their pre-shot routine throughout. It\u2019s the same mentality they\u2019ll use on the golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth random and block practice are used, and they\u2019re both good at improving different skills,\u201d coach Matt McCullough of the Country Club of Darien and long-time coach to PGA Tour U star Ben James, says. \u201cOnce you\u2019ve used block practice to ingrain technique, you should move into random, target practice. The mix is what\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n