Humility As Strategy

Elite golf requires a complex blend of skills and traits. You need power and speed to be a consistent driver of the ball. You need precision and distance control to excel in your iron play. You need finesse and feel on and around the greens. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler checks all of those boxes.

But to thrive on the biggest stages over an extended time period, physical talent does not suffice; you need to master the mental game. Racking up six big-time wins over the last 13 months, Scheffler has demonstrated a strong command of the mental side of golf, too.

If you can find 20 minutes in your day, I’d recommend watching Scottie Scheffler’s pre-tournament press conference from this past week’s Players Championship. The video lends tremendous insight into a mentality that has dominated the top ranks of the sport.

Let’s examine the mindset of the top-ranked player in the world through the lens of that press conference.

Over the weekend, Garrett Morrison tweeted that Scottie Scheffler’s attitude—one grounded in focusing on controlling what is controllable—is an effective way to approach competitive golf. Co-sign. Scheffler’s entire approach to the sport relies upon understanding his skill set while also acknowledging that he does not exert as much control over outcomes as he might like.

Scheffler's attitude that he can't control everything—an attitude that, for him, seems to have a religious basis—is probably a very healthy and effective way to approach competitive golf.

— Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) March 11, 2023

At the 11:00 mark of the press conference, a reporter asks Scheffler if TPC Sawgrass is a difficult course. He responds that if you were playing Sawgrass on a video game, it would not be very hard, but in real life it is challenging. He explains, “If you’re hitting every shot exactly how you want to, which is pretty much impossible in a round of golf, then it is pretty easy.” That is a simple quote, but it is illustrative of Scheffler’s mindset. He recognizes that despite his best efforts, the golf ball is not always going to go where he wants it to go.

He is expressing a foundational philosophy of optimal golf strategy. The smartest golfers in the world view their targets as dispersion patterns, not as a singular line. You cannot control exactly where the ball is going to travel. For this reason, on holes with water, smart golfers aim far from the penalty hazard and swing with confidence. Picking targets this way acknowledges that even the best ball-strikers should allow for a wide range of outcomes. Such an acknowledgement requires humility.

At the 14:10 mark, a reporter asks which hole at Sawgrass is most challenging. Scottie singles out No. 18 because it calls for a draw off the tee, and his preferred shot shape with driver is a fade. As he explains, the advantage given to a right-to-left tee shot on the hole is enhanced by the rules: if you end up in the water, you have to drop where your ball crossed into the hazard. Whereas a fade would cross close to the tee, a draw would cross farther down the fairway. Smart.

It is exceptionally difficult to work the ball both directions reliably with a modern driver. Scheffler does not let his ego get in the way of accepting this philosophy. He does not decide that, as the top-ranked player in the world, he can draw his driver while others cannot. Thus, Scottie game-planned to hit a draw with 3-wood on No. 18. All four rounds, Scottie hit 3-wood off that tee. He gained over two strokes to the field on the 18th hole.

Scottie Scheffler's conservative strategy on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass

His outperformance on this hole cannot be wholly attributed to strategy. Scottie has all of the shots. Not every player can flush a draw with 3-wood. However, a key difference between Scheffler and many other golfers is that, despite his ability to hit all of the shots, he has the humility to restrain himself from attempting them unwisely.

Playing to conservative approach targets, as optimal strategy recommends, is not the sexiest style of golf. Perhaps that is part of why the strategy continues to provide a reliable advantage against the field.

Scottie Scheffler's play to the fat side of the green on the eighth hole at TPC Sawgrass

Many of the best professional golfers do not want to look at a back-right pin and accept that a flat, stock shot into the middle of the green is the appropriate play. Scottie has no issue putting aside his pride and leveraging useful information to his advantage. It’s the same humility that shines through when he is asked at the 15:10 mark of the press conference if he thinks he can remain one of the top three golfers in the world for the next decade. He said, “Who knows? That’s pretty far ahead… hopefully we’ll all continue to play great golf.” Answers like this one are probably why some people bag on Scheffler’s personality. Sure, it’s a simple answer, but it is also brilliant. I am reminded of Scheffler’s comments in episode 2 of Full Swing on Netflix.

“There are only so many times in your career when you’re going to be playing some really good golf and you’ve seen that happen for people. I’m just trying to keep it going. Even when you’re playing your best, you still feel the weight of how difficult of a sport it is.”

Both in his philosophy of the sport and strategy on the golf course, Scheffler understands uncertainty. He understands that the golf ball isn’t always going to fly exactly on its intended line. He understands that he is going to have bad rounds and good rounds. Such is life. It is a useful attitude to hold when trying to bounce back from a shaky couple of holes like he experienced on Sunday at the Players. And it is an attitude that propelled him into the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

So if you’re an aspiring professional golfer, I’d recommend that you watch Scheffler’s pre-tournament press conference to glean insight into mastering the craft. Once you’ve finished that, there is another Scheffler video that should be easy to find: the champion’s press conference.