was struggling. I had to keep telling myself everybody else was struggling, too, because the course was so hard. I thought, Just stay patient. Knowing it’s OK to make some mistakes is freeing. You can stop thinking about what’s going to happen on the next hole,
‘WHEN I’M PLAYING MY BEST, I’M FOCUSED ON THE TARGET, THE SHOT SHAPE. . . . I’M NOT THINKING ABOUT SWING MECHANICS.’
you approach technical improvement. That was one of the biggest adjustments Scheffler made going from college golf at Texas to the PGA Tour. “I’ve always been very good at being focused, but I focused on random stuff – like games on the range and trying to hit a certain pole or something,” Scheffler says. “Keeping practice fun is important, but ultimately the practice you’re putting in needs to serve what you’re trying to accomplish when you play. There are certain guys you can watch out on the range, like Patrick Cantlay or Justin Thomas, and you immediately see that they’re intentional and focused. I used to be able to spend all day out there, but now I just don’t have as much time or energy because there’s just more stuff going on. I can’t be ready for what happens on Sunday if I’m wasting a bunch of time Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.” The takeaway for you is to come into a range session with a single, specific thing to accomplish. Treat it like a mission. “One of the big benefits of the Ryder Cup was, for the development process, it showed me the max amount of pressure I could feel. That really informed the way I practised after that,” Scheffler says. “You know what you were feeling and thinking over those shots, so you can start to practice to prepare for those scenarios.”
or what the guys behind you are doing, or where the ball is going to end up, and just try to hit a good shot. Then get to the next shot and try to do it again.”
BURY YOURSELF IN THE PROCESS
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At the 2022 Masters, his tee shot on the 18th on Saturday afternoon was like a needle scraping across a record. He pulled it deep into the thick line of trees and bushes that form part of the “vegetation tunnel” you have to get through to find the fairway. Before that big miss, Scheffler had been cruising, building a four-shot lead over Cameron Smith. As he got to the area where his ball landed, and it still hadn’t been located, his first feeling was a flash of panic and the next was to second guess: Why did that happen? Was I trying to hit it too hard? Was I not fully committed to the shot? “Those feelings and thoughts come first – and that’s all right,” Scheffler says. “But how quickly can you reset and get into ‘solutions mode?’ I have to go find my ball in the woods. OK, found it. Can’t hit it. What can I do? How do I get to a place where I can hit it?” Scheffler dropped in the pine straw and ripped a high, hard 3-iron that hit the green and ended up just off the back edge. He wound up making bogey, but it was more of a triumph than a defeat, preserving a comfortable cushion leading into Sunday. “That’s the thing Tiger has been so good at,” Scheffler says. “When he’s in those situations, all he’s thinking about is trying to execute the shot. He isn’t worried about if it’s going to work out. He’s fully committed to what he’s doing. I’m just trying to get as close to that as possible. When I’m playing my best, I’m focused on my target, the shot shape. I’m getting so focused on what I’m trying to do with the golf ball that I’m not thinking about swing mechanics. I’m not thinking about anything other than good rhythm and feeling where the shot is going.”
IRONS: TAKE THE SLAP OUT Scheffler hits more balls than virtually anyone
on the planet, Smith says. He even carries a club with a reminder grip for practice. “Every player’s grip drifts, which means every player needs to be checking it,” Smith says. Scheffler’s is- sue was the handle drifted up and his lower hand was almost off the club. The subtle change in feel made his hands more active, giving him the impression he was slapping at the ball. Your hands should play a more passive role in the swing, Smith says, so adjust your grip to reduce the impulse to hit at the ball with them.
PUT IT AWAY
At any level – and especially at the highest level – managing failure is a fundamental part of the game. Shots don’t always work. Players lose tournaments. Other players play well to win. Even Scheffler’s breakout year in 2022 ended on an off note when he let a six-shot lead get away on Sunday at the Tour Championship. Keeping the losses in the proper perspective can make them fuel for future success instead of scar tissue. “Tiger didn’t make every putt and win every tournament,” Scheffler says. “What happened at East Lake at the Tour Championship or being one shot away from winning the US Open, I’m never going to forget those tournaments. Those experiences are good lessons when it comes to putting in the work. Even though the good and bad memories will stick with me, they don’t hang over my head every day. When I get home, I’m home. I’m just trying to have fun. Golf’s one part of my life, but it’s not my entire life.” Even there, he’s fully present.
PRACTICE WITH REAL INTENT
The emphasis here is on the mental game, Scheffler says, but that doesn’t mean mechanics don’t matter. They do, but you probably have to change your relationship with them – and how
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