3 Golf Habits That Can Slash Your Handicap In 2026 (Many Fail On The Range With No.3)

Creating good habits as an amateur golfer can help you to see long-lasting improvement, according to a tour coach with decades of experience at the highest levels of the game.

Nick Bradley is a renowned tour coach who has worked with an impressive list of pros including Justin Rose and Sir Nick Faldo. He also expertly analysed the top players in the game and shared things amateur golfers can copy from Scheffler, McIlroy and others - helping you to improve your game this season.

As an expert in the golf instruction field, Nick describes how collecting data, holding your teacher to account and making no excuses with your practice sessions are three great habits that can deliver the gains that many amateurs miss out on.

Many amateurs fail due to not following through on the third habit, sometimes falling foul of seven things never to do at the driving range, but by following this process you can shoot lower scores and cut your handicap in 2026.

Below, Nick Bradley explains each habit and how it can help your game, while I share how I have adopted the process as part of my winter golf rebuild...

Habit 1: Collect Data

Learn to take basic statistics when you play or get some of the apps that do it for you. I think without the feedback on your golf and how you actually play the game, it then makes my second point more difficult to do, which is to know what to work on.

You should be noting down things like the number of fairways hit/missed, and where you missed them (left/right), but also the number of three-putts and putts missed from inside 4-feet - as these things will start to highlight useful patterns.

Understanding what aspect to work on without collecting the data is difficult as you've got nothing to point towards. Once that data has informed you, go and find a golf teacher with a good reputation.

Now, I'm going to put a caveat on that, which is, and this is where I think amateurs do go wrong, you need to remember the golf teacher is a consultant.

They are there to improve your condition, but make sure you go to them with at least six rounds of data to steer your tuition in the right direction.

How has Baz applied habit 1 throughout his winter golf rebuild...

I have collected basic data in each round throughout my winter golf rebuild and shared the findings with my coach, head pro at Sand Moor Golf Club Alex James.

This helped to inform our lessons and the direction of travel with regards to my improvement plan, but it also helped me to track progress and set goals throughout the process.

Habit 2: Hold Your Teacher Accountable

Start by asking how many lessons it will take for you to get to the target you have set.

Roughly, I mean, we won't be holding a gun to their head, but an idea of a realistic timeframe to achieve the goal.

Amateur golfers are really poor at holding teachers' feet to the fire. You're paying the money.

If you go have your wall done by a bricklayer, you're not going to accept, "Oh, just do it the way you want to in whatever timeframe you want, mate. No problem."

Go to a golf teacher with a good reputation and then say, "Look, this is what I want to improve upon. Can you do it? And, how long do you think it will take in your experience?

Then, it’s easier to say, "Ok, I'll pay for three lessons now. Let's go."

How has Baz applied habit 2 throughout his winter golf rebuild...

Since I started working with my coach, Alex James, I have always felt a strong partnership and an investment, on his part, to help me improve as a golfer.

Alex was very clear what he felt was achievable, based on a certain level of commitment from me over the winter, and he duly delivered the results - helping my to hit driver over 240 yards (as a 22-handicapper) and shoot personal best scores on the course.

By having an open and honest dialogue throughout, I have certainly improved as a golfer due to the positive professional relationship I have developed with my coach.

Habit 3: Make No Excuses

If you've got the information, work hard and diligently at it.

You need to go back to the golf instructor after each lesson with it almost overdone.

It's far easier to bring someone back if they've overdone something because it was their inherent pattern anyway.

But, if they never get close to the thing, you haven't got there. So, my point would be, whatever you're told to do, go back with it slightly overdone and then the learning has happened.

How has Baz applied habit 3 throughout his winter golf rebuild...

As you can see in the video above, I made a commitment to put in the hard yards on the range. This had been missing in my pursuit of progress in recent years and I often wondered why I wasn't getting better - but in truth I wasn't working smartly.

Many amateurs fall at this hurdle. They will have lessons and then not actually follow-up and practice the key teachings, so see limited progress.

By going back to Alex with updates on how my practice had developed in the week between our lessons, this helped to personalise drills and differentiate the plan moving forwards.