Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Scottie Scheffler makes an impossible game look easy.
Coming into this week’s Masters, he’s the prohibitive favorite — and with good reason. He’s won two out of his last three starts, and is World No. 1 by a large margin. If I were a betting man (which I’m not), I’d wager a large sum on Scheffler to get his second green jacket this week.
Not only does the 27-year-old have a history of success at Augusta National, but he’s also the best ball striker on the planet. He leads the PGA Tour this season in SG: Tee to Green as he did last year.
There’s been some speculation that his red-hot ball striking isn’t sustainable. Thus far, though, Scheffler is proving that theory incorrect.
So how has Scheffler been able to hit the ball at such a high level for such a long stretch? It all starts with keeping up with the fundamentals.
Scheffler’s simple practice routine
If you’ve watched Scheffler practice on the range at all lately, you’ll likely notice him using a molded grip. The training aid makes sure he’s putting his hands on the club consistently and keeps his grip from developing any bad habits.
“I feel like when my swing gets off, it’s usually something that’s very basic about what I’m doing,” Scheffler says. “And so I have my grip club because I’m checking my grip.”
A molded grip is a training aid that many beginning golfers use to learn proper hand placement. But as Scheffler illustrates, it can be a useful aid for even the best players in the world.
Additionally, Scheffler always lays down some alignment sticks at his feet when hitting balls.
“I want my alignment to be good,” Scheffler says. “[It] also helps me with my ball position. Then usually either Randy [Smith] or Teddy [Scott] is back there making sure I’m taking the club back on line.”
There isn’t much more to it than that. Scheffler doesn’t use anything super advanced when getting dialed in. He just focuses on the fundamentals.
Remember that next time you head out to practice. After all, the fundamentals are the building blocks of your game. Dial them in and you’ll be amazed how much you improve.
