The PGA Championship is here, and if you've ever wandered near the driving range during a major week, you know it’s a hive of activity. Players, coaches, and caddies are all moving with purpose. But what exactly are they so busy doing? It’s a question that might cross the mind of any golfer who’s ever dreamed of teeing it up under that kind of pressure.
To find out, we turned to Stuart Morgan, a golf coach and skill acquisition specialist who has worked with the European Ryder Cup team. Morgan’s focus has shifted from traditional instruction to the science of practice design and performance. He wants golfers to become what he calls "system thinkers"—breaking the cycle of chasing quick fixes that work for a round or two before vanishing, and instead building a reliable framework for steady, long-term improvement.
As part of his doctorate in human performance and innovation, Morgan interviewed 18 professional golfers from various tours to understand their preparation two weeks out, one week out, and during tournament week itself. His findings? "Not one player did the same as another player. It was very, very individual to them, but there were certain themes," he says. If you look closely at the range this week, you can spot those themes in action.
Perhaps the most surprising insight was just how much time pros spend playing on the course leading up to a major. But it’s not just about logging holes—it’s about how they treat that time. Amateurs tend to view the driving range and the golf course as two completely separate worlds. Elite golfers, on the other hand, blend them together seamlessly. This is something you’ll often see during practice rounds at majors: big chunks of their practice sessions mimic actual play. They hit different shots as if they were playing specific holes, working through scenarios they might face in competition.
And it works both ways. During practice rounds, pros will drop multiple balls to test different shots or experiment with different clubs off the tee—treating the course like an extension of their practice. The goal, Morgan explains, is that the more these two worlds merge, the better you become at both building your skills and transferring them to the pressure of competition.
It’s a mindset shift that separates the weekend warrior from the major champion. And for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that great golf isn’t just about what you do on the range—it’s about how you connect the dots between practice and play.