Dylan Dreyer Golf Swing: Why Her Game Is Better Than the Scorecard Suggests

You’ve seen her tracking hurricanes and laughing through the 9:00 AM hour of the Today show, but if you follow Dylan Dreyer on Instagram, you know her real obsession happens on the grass. Not the weather-map kind. The fairway kind.

Honestly, the Dylan Dreyer golf swing has become a bit of a fixation for casual viewers and weekend warriors alike. Every year, like clockwork, she heads out to Edgewood Tahoe for the American Century Championship (ACC) or shows up at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. And every year, the internet starts buzzing. Some people are mean about it. Others are genuinely impressed that a mother of three with a grueling morning-show schedule can even find the time to break 100.

But let’s get real for a second. Golf is hard. Really hard.

The Mechanics of the Dylan Dreyer Golf Swing

If you look at the raw data from the 2025 American Century Championship, the numbers look a little rough. Dylan finished near the bottom of the leaderboard with a Modified Stableford score that would make most pros weep. She shot rounds of 100, 99, and 99.

But a scorecard is a liar. It doesn't tell you about the tempo.

Dylan’s swing is surprisingly fluid for someone who doesn't play for a living. She has a classic "hitter’s" setup. She stays relatively centered over the ball, and her backswing is compact. She isn't trying to be John Daly. She’s trying to survive.

One thing you’ll notice if you watch her on the range is her rhythm. It’s consistent. Most amateur golfers—especially those under the pressure of NBC cameras—start rushing. They "fire from the top," as coaches say. Dylan usually keeps her transition smooth. Her biggest struggle, predictably, is distance and the occasional "big miss" that comes from a thumb injury she’s been nursing.

Playing Through the Pain

Back in 2024, she revealed she was playing through a sprained thumb. Have you ever tried to hold a golf club with a bum thumb? It’s a nightmare. It ruins your grip pressure. It makes you scared to hit the turf.

Despite that, she’s out there grinding. Her handicap has fluctuated over the years, sitting anywhere from a 15 to a 24 depending on which tournament registry you’re looking at. For a "recreational" golfer, a 15 handicap is actually quite respectable. It means on a good day, she’s shooting in the high 80s.

What We Can Learn From Her Approach

Dylan has talked openly about how she learned to play. She didn't spend ten years at a fancy academy. She basically followed her husband, Brian Fichera, and his friends around the course.

Her strategy was genius: The Scramble Method.

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When she was starting out, she wouldn't just hack her way up the fairway. She’d pick up her ball and place it wherever Brian hit his. This gave her practice with every club in the bag—woods, irons, wedges—without the soul-crushing frustration of hitting ten shots just to reach the green. It’s a brilliant way to build "golf muscles" without the mental burnout.

• Practice with Purpose: She focuses on contact over power.
• Mental Toughness: She laughs off the bad shots. That’s huge.
• Tempo is King: When her swing stays slow, the ball goes straight.

The "Celeb Golf" Reality Check

People love to critique celebrity swings. We do it to Charles Barkley (who, to his credit, has improved immensely) and we do it to Aaron Rodgers. But the Dylan Dreyer golf swing is unique because she represents the "regular" person.

She’s not a retired athlete with eight hours a day to practice. She’s a working mom.

At the 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, she was playing alongside legends like Annika Sorenstam. Imagine trying to keep your head down and follow through while the greatest female golfer of all time is watching you. You’d probably shank it into the woods too.

Dylan finished the 2025 HGV tournament with a total of 32 points in the Stableford format. For context, the leaders like Jeff McNeil were up in the 140s. But again, look at the pars. She’s capable of making them. She carded several pars at Lake Nona, a course that eats average golfers for breakfast.

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Is her swing "perfect"?

No. She tends to get a bit "armsy" when she's tired. Her lower body doesn't always clear as fast as a pro's would. But her fundamentals—grip, stance, and eye on the ball—are better than 70% of the people watching her from their couches.

Why She’s Good for the Game

Golf has a reputation for being stuffy. Dylan breaks that. She treats it like a "glorified hike with a beer," which is exactly what it should be for most of us.

She’s also part of a growing movement of women getting into the sport. She’s vocal about "normalizing" women on the course. She wants to see foursomes of just women, without the pressure of "keeping up" with the men. That perspective is doing more for the growth of golf than a perfect 300-yard drive ever could.

If you want to improve your own game by watching her, don't look at her distance. Look at her recovery. She hits a bad shot, she smiles, and she moves to the next one. That’s a "pro" mindset even if the swing is still a work in progress.

Actionable Takeaways for Your Game

If you're inspired by Dylan's journey from "shanking it in the backyard" to playing in televised tournaments, here is how you can actually improve:

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1. Adopt the "Pick Up" Rule: If you're a beginner, don't grind out a 12 on a par 4. Pick up the ball, drop it near your partner's best shot, and practice the good positions.
2. Focus on the "Big Three": Grip pressure, alignment, and tempo. Dylan’s best shots happen when she isn't strangling the club.
3. Manage the "Miss": Notice how Dylan plays away from trouble. She knows her limitations. If there's water on the left, she aims right. It’s "boring" golf, but it saves your scorecard.
4. Protect Your Body: Golf is hard on the joints. If you have a thumb or wrist injury like Dylan did, use a splint or take the week off. Pushing through can create bad swing habits that take months to break.

Dylan Dreyer might not be winning a green jacket anytime soon, but she’s proved that you can have a "human" golf swing and still command the respect of the gallery. Next time you're at the range, try to find that "Dreyer Tempo"—smooth, relaxed, and not taking itself too seriously.