As a teaching professional with over 15 years in the game, I’ve seen countless swings and coached players from aspiring pros to dedicated weekend warriors. One thing remains consistently true: everyone wants to improve, and everyone CAN improve. Sometimes, however, the path to improvement isn’t what we expect. We often get caught up in the idea of a “perfect swing” or trying to fix every perceived flaw. But what if I told you that embracing your unique golf DNA, rather than fighting it, could be your secret weapon?
Just look at the game’s current dominant force, Scottie Scheffler. He’s a player who, according to recent reports, has won an incredible 18 PGA Tour events and 12 victories in the last two seasons alone! At just 29, he boasts four major championships and has held the world number one ranking for over 150 weeks. His career achievements through 2025 are staggering:
- 18 PGA Tour wins in just 148 total events (a remarkable 12% winning percentage)
- Four major championships
- $72.4 million in official earnings ($108.1 million including FedEx bonuses)
- Three consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year awards
- Olympic gold medalist (2024 Predicted)
He’s on a pace that puts him alongside legends like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Trevino. Yet, what makes Scottie truly fascinating to me, and what offers a profound lesson for all golfers, is his swing.
Your Unique Swing: An Advantage, Not a Flaw
Many golf magazines showcase pristine positions and picture-perfect sequences. Scheffler’s swing would never make those pages. It’s full of idiosyncratic movements that modern instruction often tries to “correct.” He has a noticeable lateral move on his backswing, and his club approach looks almost vertical compared to the shallow plane often taught. Yet, none of it matters. He’s arguably the best ball-striker on tour.
This challenges a fundamental assumption many of us hold: that technical perfection equals performance. Scottie proves the opposite. Consistency trumps aesthetics every single time. As the source article insightfully puts it:
“This destroys a fundamental assumption most golfers make: that technical perfection equals performance. Scheffler proves the opposite. Consistency trumps aesthetics every time. Your weird move might be an advantage, not a flaw.”
What does this mean for YOUR game? It means it’s time to stop fighting your natural tendencies and start working WITH them. If you have a natural draw, learn to control it. If you swing a little steeper, let’s refine that steepness for powerful, consistent contact, rather than trying to force a shallow plane that doesn’t feel natural to your body and timing.
Try this Drill: Embrace Your Natural Motion
Stand in front of a mirror or have a friend record your swing. Don’t try to make it “perfect.” Just swing naturally a few times. Identify your unique traits – perhaps a slight hip sway, a more upright backswing, or a noticeable follow-through. Now, instead of immediately trying to eliminate it, try to focus on making that movement consistent and repeatable. For example, if you sway slightly laterally on the backswing like Scheffler, try to control that sway so it loads your trail side effectively and gives you a powerful base to return to every time. This isn’t about ignoring fundamentals, but about adapting them to your body.
Strength-Based Golf: Double Down on What You Do Well
We’re often told to work on our weaknesses. While improving an area that costs you strokes is important, Scottie Scheffler’s success highlights a different priority: doubling down on your strengths. He knows his iron play is elite, so he constantly refines it. Even with his occasional putting struggles (he ranked 77th on tour in putting in 2024), he doesn’t panic. Instead, he focuses on managing those weaknesses while pressing his advantages.
“Most golfers do the opposite. They obsess over their worst skills while neglecting their best ones.”
In my teaching experience, I’ve seen countless golfers spend hours trying to fix a slice when their driving distance is already a huge asset they could be leveraging even more. If you’re a great wedge player from 100 yards, a 10% improvement in that area could save you more strokes than a 50% improvement in your dismal pitching from 30 yards. Why? Because you’re already consistently applying that strength.
Here’s a Drill: Strength Training
Identify your strongest part of the game. Is it driving, iron play, chipping, or perhaps bunker shots? Now, design a practice session solely dedicated to refining that strength. For instance, if your irons are solid, spend an entire range session focusing on hitting specific yardages with perfect control, hitting 15-20 shots with each iron in your bag, striving for consistent ball flight and dispersion. Don’t touch a weak area during this session. The goal is to make your greatest asset even more formidable.
The article also points out that professional golf has become obsessed with putting statistics, but Scheffler’s success argues for prioritizing elite ball-striking:
“Hit 14-16 greens consistently, and putting becomes far less critical. Miss only 2-4 greens per round, and those up-and-downs transform from desperate scrambles into routine tasks.”
If you learn to hit more greens, everything else gets easier.
Building Stability: The Power of Consistency
One often overlooked aspect of Scottie’s success is the unwavering stability in his support system. He’s worked with the same coach, Randy Smith, since childhood. This isn’t about constant overhauls or chasing the latest trend; it’s about persistent, incremental improvement within a trusted relationship. The golf industry often profits from selling new methods, but real improvement comes from consistent work on fundamentals with guidance you trust.
This applies to your game too. Find an instructor who understands you, your game, and your goals, and stick with them. Avoid the “change addiction” that leads many amateur golfers to switch coaches or overhaul their swing every few months. Consistent commitment to a plan, tailored to your unique game, will always yield better results in the long run.
Try this Drill: Your Game Audit
Before your next practice session or round, take honest stock of your game. What are your indisputable strengths? Where do you consistently lose strokes? Be specific. For example, “My driving is usually straight and long,” or “I consistently miss greens short-sided.” Once you have this clear picture, prioritize your practice. Spend 70% of your time refining your strengths and 30% on managing your most costly weaknesses (not eliminating them entirely, but finding ways to minimize their impact).
Your Application Plan: A Different Path to Improvement
Scottie Scheffler’s journey offers a powerful blueprint:
- Start with brutal honesty: What do you actually do well consistently? What costs you strokes every round?
- Maximize your best skills: They have more improvement potential than you realize.
- Systematically manage weaknesses: You don’t need to eliminate them – just prevent them from destroying rounds.
- Find your version of repeatability: Scheffler’s swing works because it’s consistent for his body and timing. What’s naturally repeatable for yours?
- Resist the change addiction: Stick with methods and instructors who understand your game.
The goal isn’t to swing exactly like Scottie Scheffler or have his same competitive mindset (though that would certainly be a bonus!). It’s about applying his core principles: self-awareness, strength maximization, and consistent, stable improvement tailored to YOU. This approach can help any golfer find sustainable improvement and, most importantly, enjoy the game more. Golf is a journey, and with the right perspective, every step is a chance to get better.
