Many amateurs skip the practice range before a round, leading to poor results.
Pros usually arrive hours early to relax, fuel up, and practice with every club. But one DP World Tour pro is doing things differently and it’s working for him.
Joe Dean has had a unique journey in golf. He played just four DP World Tour events over 11 years before 2024. One of those was the 146th Open Championship where he finished T70. His game improved significantly last year when he qualified for European Tour starts through Q-School but could only attend his first event in February due to travel costs.
Joe Dean’s Unconventional Approach
Dean’s second tournament this year changed everything. At the Magical Kenya Open, he tied for second place and earned $215,109.33 (£170,000). Not bad for someone who used to be a supermarket delivery driver!
In six tournaments after Kenya, Dean made $105,270.66 and is on track for a full DP World Tour card in 2025 if he keeps making cuts. Fans might think his approach is risky but interesting.
Instead of hitting the range like everyone else before playing his rounds, Dean focuses on chipping and putting. When asked about it at the KLM Open where he had a chance to win, he explained: “It’s just something that I’ve worked on over the last couple of years.”
He added that going to the range makes him feel too loose sometimes: “I’m just trying to get more feel from coming straight here [to the short-game area] and seeing what I’ve got.”
Straight down the middle with an early tee pick up!🤩@joedean_golf's first shot of the day (literally)…#KLMOpen
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour)
His method seems effective; at The International in the Netherlands during KLM Open week, Dean started each round with four pars from four holes consistently.
What do you think about Joe’s unique way?
