Despite his recent putting woes, Scottie Scheffler still comfortably sits atop the Official World Golf Rankings. If you really break down the statistics, his ball striking prowess is bordering on other worldly, and has been for around two years now. Almost every single week during that period, Scheffler is right at the top end of the Strokes Gained tee-to-green charts, in a show of consistency that is both unrivalled and astonishing.
According to statistics compiled by Data Golf, over the past two years on all major tours, Scheffler sits firmly at number one in total Strokes Gained, but it is how he has compiled this number one ranking that is truly remarkable when you consider he is the 214th ranked player in Strokes Gained putting. He is number four for Strokes Gained around the green, number one for approach shots and number two off the tee.
WATCH: Learn how World No.1 Scottie Scheffler sets up his golf bag
This makes for pretty impressive reading on its own, but when you consider that Scheffler is achieving this with what many describe as a very agricultural swing and hugely unorthodox footwork, I find it fascinating. Make no mistake about it, Scottie Scheffler is currently in the most dominant period of ball striking the game has seen since strokes gained statistics began, and that includes the great Tiger Woods at his best.
As someone who has watched on uncomfortably over the past few years as the Instagram coaches seem to be taking over the game with their picture perfect demonstrations and incessant need for 'shallowing' and technical perfection, I absolutely love that Scheffler is showing irrefutably that there is no right way to swing a club.
Yet golfers often still buy into the notion of the 'perfect' action, born from coaches looking to control and standardise one of the most complex and individual movements in all sports. As humans, our body compositions are all so different. From height, weight, mobility, limb length and more, how we can all be expected to work towards the same ideal, I will never know. Just switch on any PGA Tour event and marvel at the array of methods on show that do a similar job.
Whilst Scheffler doesn’t hit all the positions that so many modern coaches seem to demand, what he does do - clearly from the stats - is repeat his motion.
Having become somewhat obsessed with his generational level of consistency in the long game, I have been taking some deep dives into how he achieves this, and it seems that, from the countless interviews and YouTube videos I have watched, simplicity, basic fundamentals and repetition is what Scheffler prioritises most.
Scheffler has worked with the same coach, Randy Smith throughout his career which will obviously help to promote consistency, and rather than nitpick his unorthodox foot movement and balance, one of the things they work on religiously is Scheffler's consistent hold on the club. With the grip being our only point of contact with the club and the number one influence over the clubface, it is absolutely essential that we are regularly checking this.
To do so, Scheffler has a specific practice club (I can’t tell exactly what club it is, but it appears to be a six or seven iron), made to the exact same specifications as his gamer set, but it is fitted with a moulded rubber training grip that ensures he places his hands on the club the same way every time. He is constantly warming up and practising with this club to diligently reinforce correct hand placement and as such optimal clubface control.
To the best of my knowledge, it seems like Scheffler is the only top player using this grip which I find very interesting given his statistical dominance from tee-to-green. Now, obviously I cannot prove that this club and idea is the differentiator between Scheffler and the rest, as his coordination and talent are indisputable, but I can say with some degree of certainty that it isn’t hurting his performances (or bank balance).
As someone who still competes fairly regularly on the regional PGA circuit in the UK, I was curious to see if this could help me, so around two months ago now, I built myself an exact replica of my Callaway Apex CB gamer 7 iron. I ensured it was the same length, same shaft, same lie angle and even the same swingweight. The only difference being that I fitted the Scheffler moulded rubber grip, and I set about including it in every single practice session since.
Once again, the evidence here is only anecdotal and could be put down to coincidence, but in my first three PGA competitions this year I have finished 2nd, 1st and 2nd hitting 16, 17 and 15 greens in regulation (or 89 percent) respectively and totalling 12 under par for those 3 rounds - I can assure you I wasn’t doing this last year!
I personally believe that the training grip has had a monumental impact on my ability to place my hands on the club consistently and in turn my ability to control the clubface. Even if you are sceptical and don’t think something so simple could have such a dramatic effect, I implore you to try it. In an age where it seems all people want to do is over complicate the game with notions of shallowing, using ground forces, controlling exit points or whatever the latest fashionable Instagram trend is, why not be a Scheffler and just swing your swing with sound fundamentals?
Concentrate on finding ways to perfect and more importantly, repeat what YOU do and stop obsessing over the aesthetics of your golf swing. It’s working for Scottie, and to a much lesser extent, it’s working for me right now. You can thank me later…
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