I asked 6 of the world's best coaches for a boring tip that works. Here's what they said

We're all looking for the secret. That one magical swing tip that transforms our game and makes our swing feel like a knife through soft butter.

But talk to the really smart people in this game and you'll find that improvement in golf is rarely a revelation. It's a process, made up of a bunch of small, slightly boring things stacked up over time.

Recently, I asked a small group of some of the best teachers on the planet what those boring things that can help us are. Here's what they said.

1. Mark Blackburn: Dial your full swing start lines

You'll often see the students of the No. 1-ranked teacher in America with a stick poking out of the ground. For good reason: They're working on their shot pattern, and making it more predictable.

"A lot of golfers get hooked on the idea of hitting the ball dead straight. That's all well and good, but what matters is predictability. Am I starting the ball out of the window I'm trying to? Is it moving in the direction I want it to? Is my pattern consistent? Working on your start lines gives you a baseline to understand that."

You can follow Mark on Instagram here

2. Chris Como: Take inventory when things are good

Chris Como, the coach who helped Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau win a combined three majors, has an interesting one: Take an inventory of your golf swing when you're playing well. Often players only video their swing when they're trying to fix something. Taking stock when things are good, so you have a reference for later, is just as, if not more, important.

"On a day you're striking it well, stop and take physical records of your fundamentals so you have a baseline to return to when it leaves. I do it with 3D with my tour players, but even if it's just a video of yourself, if you sort of document things where you're playing well — like your fundamentals, your grip, and your setup, and how far you are away from the ball — and then just having that as a reference for whenever you get off."

You can follow Chris on Instagram here

3. Jason Goldsmith: Audit your thoughts

Goldsmith, a mental coach to Jason Day and Justin Rose, among many others, says to take an inventory of your thoughts on the golf course. Identify what you are thinking about—you may be surprised what you find.

"Practice mindfulness, and get comfortable being bored, so you can start auditing which of your thoughts are actually doing anything for you. We're always working on: is this thought building my confidence, or is it corroding it?"

You can follow Jason on Instagram here

4. Ralph Bauer: Read greens from the same spot

Putting coach Ralph Bauer works with a host of tour players. He says green-reading is a classic boring skill with a high return on investment. And he's got some advice for how you can get even better at it...

"Read the slope from the same spot every single time, on the low side, so your read has a consistent reference point. You're not adding in different variables that may confuse you. You're taking those out of the equation, and just improving the skill of green reading."

You can follow Ralph on Instagram here

5. Jason Baile: Rehearse with your eyes closed

2025 PGA Teacher of the Year and No. 5-ranked coach Baile says his boring tip that helps might be the most boring—and best—of all. It requires no golf ball, no golf course, no shot-hitting at all. In fact, the opposite...

"Rehearse your swing slowly with your eyes shut, checking whether you can actually feel your body do what you think it's doing. Can you really think about your golf swing with your eyes closed and move the club the way you want it to? Can you feel your tilts and bends? Can you feel your rotation? Do you know where your pressure is?"

You can follow Jason on Instagram here

6. Scott Hamilton: Watch your eyeline

Speaking of eyes, No. 17-ranked coach Hamilton says to pay attention to where they are during your golf swing. Your eyeline is something few golfers think about—but they should.

"Your eyeline is hugely important. Your body and club often follow where your eyes are pointing. I'll see golfers who take the club inside because they're turning their head and their eyes. Or I'll see golfers pick the club way outside because their right eye gets higher than their left. Sometimes fixing that stuff can be as simple as fixing their eyeline."

You can follow Scott on Instagram here