CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Most coaches stand directly behind the target line when their player is on the range. Like this.
Logan Bowles
The official term for this view is “down the line,” and it makes sense why coaches default to standing here. Driving ranges at professional golf tournaments—especially majors—can be busy, crowded places.
When a coach stands behind their player, they take up less room, while also being able to see their players’ swing and the shot itself. Scottie Scheffler’s legendary coach, Randy Smith, spends plenty of time standing down the line, too. But Smith also spends lots of time standing directly facing Scottie. Like this.
Maddie Meyer
Ben Jared
Michael Reaves
This angle is known as “face on,” and to my eye, Smith spends more time camped out here than most others. On the ground at the 2025 PGA Championship, I asked the legendary coach why. “Well, I can see better that way,” he quipped. But there are some good technical reasons why Smith stands there, too. He says it helps him see key fundamentals in Scottie’s move:
- Stance Width
- Ball position
- Grip
Scottie’s grip is an especially important part of Smith’s monitoring.
Kevin C. Cox
“We’re making sure his right hand doesn’t get too [on top of the club],” Smith says. “When it gets that way, his right can go out and close the clubface.”
Every golfer has tendencies, and this is one of Scheffler’s—his right hand grip can rotate slightly over the club. This was an issue that popped up at the Masters back in 2024, and it’s one of the reasons Scheffler spends so much time using the molded grip on his 7-iron.
By standing face on, Smith says he can monitor this tendency more closely, making sure his hands are in Scheffler’s ideal position on the club, and that his takeaway is moving the way they want on the backswing.
“Just making sure everything’s where we want it,” he says.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
