5 Pro Practice Tips From 2026 Volvo China Open Winner Bernd Wiesberger

Bernd Wiesberger demonstrated incredible patience and resilience to claim a ninth DP World Tour title at the 2026 Volvo China Open recently, five years on from his last professional win.

The Austrian pro, who represented Team Europe at Whistling Straits in the 2021 Ryder Cup, dominated the Volvo China Open field with his expert short game, ranking 1st for Strokes Gained: Around The Green, and also ranked 2nd for Strokes Gained: Tee To Green in China.

In order to help you play better golf in 2026, we asked the serial DP World Tour winner to share his best practice tips or habits that can slash your handicap and help amateurs to shoot lower scores (especially in medal competitions).

1. PRACTISE EFFICIENTLY

I won't generally hit balls for longer than half an hour. At some point you get an overload and then it's actually detrimental to your progress, so I try to break it up into different segments (a plan that helps you avoid one of the seven things never to do at the driving range).

It's fine if you work on technical things, but then I want to bring some kind of challenge into it or break it up completely and go and do some short game to reset my brain.

If the sessions get too long, you'll lose focus and then you're also losing the ability to improve.

So try and add some structure to your practice. My game certainly improved when I approached it with little tasks and a lot of variation, with the bottom line of trying to improve what I wanted to achieve on the course.

2. MEDAL PLAY

It's a game and the freer you are in your approach, the more relaxed you'll be.

Obviously, there's always that aspect of being focused on what you want to do, but you can't be focused for four-and-a-half hours, so you need to detach a little bit in between shots.

Again, I think practice can help you to break it up into segments. You want to start working a bit more towards how it would actually work better in competition play and bring that into your practice.

I like to work on my ball flights, all sorts of shapes. In the short game, I don't want to stand over six-footers for too long.

Don't make it too one-dimensional. Have fun combining the whole aspect of the game into practice sessions and that will transfer into making stroke play more enjoyable.

3. THE WARM-UP

Club golfers can try and do too much just before a round.

You're not going to learn anything more about your game or improve your technique in the 20 minutes before your tee time.

I will hit a set number of balls towards certain targets. I won't have an alignment stick down as that's something I do on Tuesdays and maybe Wednesday mornings.

I'll start with the shorter clubs, progress to the longer ones and will always finish with the tee shot I want to hit on the 1st – I will picture a target and the shape I want to hit.

Everything on the day is purely in preparation for tournament golf and there is nothing more on the technical aspects.

In the last ten to 20 minutes, even if you sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and just try to relax, that's fine. Maybe set yourself some goals for that day, hit a few putts to get some touch and then head off.

4. WORK ON THE OBVIOUS

It's no secret that the biggest chance to improve for any golfer, pros or amateurs, is 150 yards and in.

If you get really good around the greens, especially as an amateur, get a good feel for your putting and actually spend some proper time on it, there's so much room for improvement there.

And be honest with your yardages. We work endlessly to discover how far the ball is travelling on a certain week, but club golfers consistently come up well short of not just the pin but also the green.

Be more realistic about your distances and what you can achieve with each club.

5. LEARN FROM THE BEST

I will often watch videos of players who I love seeing swing the club – for example, Ernie Els and Freddie Couples.

If I struggle with my strike, I focus on two things. First, it's rhythm, especially in my transition, so I will try to hit big slices and big hooks and then tighten it down. That helps me with my strike.

I want to be able to move it both ways and, if I have a target, especially on a particular flight, that helps me to commit to the shot a lot better.

It feels like a lot of younger players have gone too one-dimensional in the way they see their shots.

I would say it is beneficial to practise being able to bring your flight up or down and shape it towards certain flags. That also helps me keep my strike tight, especially with the irons.