Scott Hend

The well-travelled Queenslander has three European Tour titles to his name, and a wealth of knowledge having turned pro in 1997

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1 Pitching

Short to long – that’s what I always say. It’s all about keeping the backswing short and the follow-through long. This helps you to keep accelerating through the ball. When people decelerate, they lose control of distance, which is really common. You want to be accelerating through impact, whether that’s a short or long shot.

2 Increasing power

To make real gains, it’s all about flexibility and stability. I do a lot of work on my core muscles and triceps. You have to be flexible, too, so getting warmed up is important.

3 Coping with nerves

When you have your practice stroke, imagine you’ve already missed. Visualize how you missed it and then think about how you’re going to rectify it. All of a sudden you’ve got rid of the anxiety of missing the putt and you’re focused on doing the right thing.

4 Reading greens