What tour pros actually do before a major—and why it's the opposite of what most amateurs do
Ever wonder what pros do leading up to the PGA Championship? I asked an expert to find out
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — There's no busier place than a driving range during major championship weeks. It's teaming with players, coaches, and caddies.
What are they so busy with? I was curious, so I called an expert to find out. Stuart Morgan is a golf coach and skill acquisition specialist who has worked with the European Ryder Cup team.
His background is in golf instruction, but after recognizing that he can only explain so much, he turned his attention to practice design and performance. Morgan wants golfers to become what he calls "system thinkers. " To break the cycle of chasing quick fixes, which may work briefly before disappearing as quickly as they arrived, and instead build a system for consistent, steady improvement.
Morgan studied this as part of his doctorate in human performance and innovation. He interviewed 18 different professional golfers across various tours to understand how they prepare two weeks before, one week before, and the week of a tournament. "Not one player did the same as another player.