Nelly Korda’s key to game improvement comes down to 1 word

There is no clear way to achieve lower scores.

Padraig Harrington says if you spend “20 minutes” chipping”you’ll be a better scorer.” Rory McIlroy suggests that amateurs don’t try to hit shots they can’t execute properly. The reigning Masters champion believes that improvement for young golfers starts with nurturing a burning love for the sport that keeps them practicing day in and day out. Lee Trevino warns against making changes to your swing. Change your hands or the placement of your ball, but ‘own your swing’.

Every professional has their own idea of ​​what can help the average hacker improve.

For Nelly Korda, the idea is simple. Golf is essentially an artist’s sport. If you keep your brain engaged, thinking, and having fun while you practice, you will get better.

“I had a great coach growing up and we hit fun flop shots and worked on the more creative side of golf versus the technique side,” Korda said at the CME Group Tour Championship. “I think she would sneak it in here and there, but golf is a game of creativity, and if you work on that from a young age, it will only continue to grow.”

Korda asked ams to leave the shooting range and play. Look at the shots you want to make. Learn to play under different conditions. You don’t play 18 holes on the range.

“I see a lot of people standing on the course and just drilling golf balls or just practicing a lot instead of going out and visualizing,” Korda said. “Ultimately, golf is a game of creativity, and you will never have your best game. One day the wind will be from the left and the next day it will be from the right. The hole will play very differently. It’s all about creativity.”

But if you want to do more technical work, Korda has one thing she says most amateurs can benefit from at the range: understanding what they’re aiming for.

“A lot of the people I see who are AMS never have a stick on the range,” Korda said. “If you don’t know what you’re aiming for, chances are you won’t know what you’re aiming for on the golf course.”

So, do you want to get lower scores? Understand what you’re aiming for and spend more time playing golf the way it was meant to be played, rather than mindlessly shooting balls at the range. And thank Nelly Korda if your scorecard looks better in 2026.