There is nobody like Nelly Korda! No, truly! After 14 months of being winless, she bounced back, and in such a way that she has been unstoppable. She recently provided insights into the key adjustments to her training regimen that have contributed to her extraordinary success. She has just recently tied for the record for most consecutive wins at the LPGA Tour, with 5 consecutive wins. In an open discussion on YouTube, Korda described the changes that revolutionized her game with her longtime friend, fellow golfer, and YouTuber Ryan Ruffels.

Korda acknowledged that, particularly mentally, the year before this one was among the hardest in her career. She worked harder than she had ever worked, but she was not happy with her performance. But this year, after re-evaluating and reorganizing her strategy, she managed to make things right. She made a lot of adjustments, but one of the biggest ones was her practice routine, especially when it came to competitions.

To address her performance problems, she found herself practicing a lot at tournaments last year and doing extra work and drills all the time. She came to the understanding that her intense focus on technique during competitions was counterproductive. Korda explained, “Before, I would always be like, ‘When I’m at a tournament, it’s not my time to practice, it’s my time to play.’ But last year, I was out there practicing, doing drills, or doing extra because I thought I wasn’t performing well.”

This year, she reverted to her original mindset, which was doing all the necessary prep work before the tournaments and focusing solely on playing during the events. “I’ve done all my prep before; I’ve practiced really hard. When I go to tournaments, it’s my time to play—not think about my swing, not think about my drills, not think about my stroke,” she added. This approach allowed her to play with more freedom and focus on visualizing her game rather than overanalyzing her technique.

Another crucial aspect Korda highlighted was the importance of creativity in the course. She became aware of how her creativity had been limited by her obsessive attention to technique. She made an effort to rediscover her creativity this year since it’s crucial for handling golf’s unexpected nature. “If I’m not hitting it good that day, I can still shoot well. I need to work on my creativity because I feel like when I started working on technique so much, I lost the creativity,” she said.

Korda has her team to thank for her victories

Nelly Korda’s success is also largely due to the strength and support of her inner circle. Jamie Mulligan, her coach, has played a key role in upholding an easy-to-use approach that emphasizes staying in the moment and avoiding overthinking. She calls her overthinking, Nelly Things. “I don’t like the Nelly things phrase for too many reasons to list,” says her coach. “I’m like, ‘Let’s do our system.’” Under pressure, Mulligan’s easygoing yet determined demeanor has kept Korda composed and self-assured.

There are others on the list. Jason McDede, her caddie, has been a vital member of her team, offering constant encouragement and support. Korda has frequently expressed gratitude to McDede for helping to keep her centered and grounded, particularly under stressful circumstances.

Korda has also received unwavering support from her family, which includes her sister Jessica Korda, and her father Petr, a former world-class tennis player. Their encouragement and attendance at events have helped her deal with the demands of being a professional golfer.

Nelly Korda’s success has largely been attributed to her capacity to tune out outside distractions and have an optimistic outlook. She gives her team credit for their encouragement and support, saying that it has helped her to keep her self-assurance and confidence. Korda has maintained her mental toughness and excelled because she has focused on her inner circle and their support.