5 Things You Can Learn From Watching The Golf This Weekend
How watching the pros can improve your game

Golf tips and expert instruction, golf club reviews and the latest golf equipment.
Thank you for signing up to Golf Monthly. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
There's always a free lesson to be had when sitting down and watching the pros - here are five for starters...
5 Things You Can Learn From Watching The Golf This weekend!
The beauty of sitting down on the sofa all weekend to watch Rory and co go about their business, is that you can pick up a few free tips.
Yes, it's that simple: you can actually get better at golf by simply watching it on television.
Here are 5 things you can learn from watching the golf this weekend.
E-Learning Tutorial - Shoot Lower Scores!
Are you interested in making lasting improvements to your golf game? Shoot Lower Scores is an online course from Golf Monthly designed to help you find power in your swing and hole more putts as well as how to avoid falling foul of the more challenging rules of golf. Whether you want to brush up your knowledge or learn something new; this tutorial is perfect.
1 Know Where To Miss
If you know where to miss, you have a better chance of keeping big numbers off the card.
You might not have a caddie to help you plot your way round the course, but you do have your course planner.
Pros will often highlight the absolute no go spots, such as water hazards, pot bunkers, ditches, or areas where they could end up short-sided.
It's not about aiming for those areas; rather it's knowing where you might have room for manoeuvre, and where's 'deadsville'.
It comes under the umbrella of good course strategy - which is another area where Tour pros tend to excel.
Related: 7 Mistakes Great Golfers Don't Make
2 Putting: "Never Up, Never In"
Ask a Tour pro to list the most common errors they see amateurs make during pro-ams, and leaving putts short will definitely feature.
If there's one thing that bugs tour pros on the greens - other than three putts - it's leaving putts short.
As the saying goes, "never up, never in".
Make a note of how many putts you see left short from from inside 10 feet this weekend - it won't be many.
Pay particular attention to the rhythm of the stroke, and you might pick up a few extra putting tips.
3 Temperament
Tour pros don't get angry. Ok, they do, but club throwing, swearing and digging up tee boxes are rare... usually.
If you have a tendency to lose your temper, or even just let your shoulders drop after a bad shot, watch how the pros carry themselves. In fact, spend an hour or two observing Dustin Johnson when he's coming down the stretch.
With the world number one, you wouldn't know whether he was on for a 76 or a 66 - and that cool demeanour is one of his greatest assets.
As Ben Hogan once said, "The most important shot in golf is the next one."
If you're giving yourself grief for a missing a three-footer on the last, it's unlikely to help you focus on the next drive.
4 Pre Shot Routine
Lots of club golfers will just pull a club from the bag, have a practice swing or two and then pull the trigger.
Watch the Tour pros and you'll see that they all have their own, very deliberate pre shot routines - it lays the groundwork for a well-executed shot.
Often, they'll pick a target in the distance; some rehearse different parts of the swing, others have a very specific way of lining themselves up at address.
There's no right or wrong pre shot routine - they all have their own idiosyncrasies. What's important is that you have one.
5 Bunker Play
It's easy to watch the golf and obsess over long driving, especially if Bryson DeChambeau is dominating the coverage.
As useful as a slow motion swing analysis can be, many club golfers would benefit more from studying the pros' greenside bunker techniques.
Watch how the pros accelerate in the downswing by turning the body towards the target.
The professionals release the clubhead forward in the downswing fairly early, so they're not holding on to the handle or trying to get the shaft leaning forward.
Related: Basic Bunker Technique Explained
-
-
John Daly Gets Disqualified At PGA Tour Champions Event
The 56-year-old had been sat just outside the top 10 before he was disqualified for not signing his scorecard
By Matt Cradock • Published
-
WATCH: LET Player Takes A Tumble At Aramco Team Series
Chloe Williams was able to laugh off the embarrassing moment, with the 27-year-old receiving a modicum of sympathy from her playing partners
By Matt Cradock • Published
-
Best Indoor Golf Venues UK
We take a closer look at some of the best golf indoor golf facilities in the UK
By Michael Weston • Published
-
How To Earn A European Tour Card
The European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour, offers many ways by which you can qualify for a European Tour card
By Roderick Easdale • Published
-
10 Of The Best Arnold Palmer Quotes
Here we take a look at 10 of our favourite Arnold Palmer quotes
By Roderick Easdale • Published
-
10 Most Demoralising Golf Shots
Here we take a look at the 10 most demoralising golf shots from lost balls to missed putts!
By Neil Tappin • Published
-
17 Top Winter Golf Hacks
Our guide to playing golf, enjoying your time on the course and shooting good scores throughout the winter months
By Kit Alexander • Published
-
"I Don’t Even Use An Alignment Stick" Brooks Koepka's Simple Warm-Up Routine Revealed
Brooks Koepka tells Garrett Johnston about his simple warm-up routine
By Garrett Johnston • Published
-
Inside Kings Golf Studio: The UK's Largest Indoor Golf Facility
We take a look inside the Kings Golf Studio: the UK's largest indoor golf facility
By Neil Tappin • Published
-
7 Ways To Modify Your Golf Gear For Winter
Here, we highlight the 7 ways to modify your golf gear for winter that could help lower your scores
By Joel Tadman • Published