OAKMONT, Pa. — Scottie Scheffler's practice routine is an exercise in discipline.
He goes through the same checklist every time, with the same set of drills. And while some—or most—golfers would get bored doing that, Scheffler maintains focus. Throughout it all, his longtime coach Randy Smith monitors the World No. 1 from every angle, sniffing out issues before they even arise.
This was on full display ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open.
One angle of particular importance that Smith always checks is from behind Scheffler, so Scheffler's back is facing Smith. I asked him why he always checks this.
"We want to make sure his hips are level, and his spine is upright," Smith says.
Scheffler has a tendency, Smith says, to pitch his right hip slightly higher than his left, which tilts his upper body over his lead leg. Smothering your front leg is a common problem at the amateur ranks that can cause golfers to get steep and hit slices.
"Scottie's played good golf from here before," Randy says. "But it's simpler when he levels everything out. It stops him from having to work so hard to square the face."
It's a pretty simple checkpoint that the rest of us can learn from. Level out the hips and tilt your upper body away—learn more about that here. You'll probably play better golf that way.