Reach Your Golf Goal in 2026

The New Year….. time to think about your golf goal for the year ahead.  Maybe it’s breaking 80, 90, or 100, shooting your age, or winning a club or state title.   It may surprise you that achieving your goal may have less to do with your golf swing than it does with your mental issues.  Having helped dozens of golfers reach their goal during the past season, I’ve found that addressing the following 6 categories is associated with success.    

·      A program of physical conditioning, flexibility and the right nutritional support.     I worked with a few golfers over age 70 who added 25 yards to their drives and it was not from buying another new driver.  You can stop focusing on the clubs once you’ve had professional fitting. 

·      Creating the right Mindset.  Instead of going out every round with a scoring goal, use a more process-focused mindset.   Some examples of the successful mindsets included: I am going to enjoy my golf swing today.  I will be curious to see what my swing is today. I will accept whatever happens today.   I am grateful to be here.  I am going to enjoy the beauty of this course.  I will focus on my mental and physical balance.  I am committed to engaging in my pre-shot routine on every single shot. 

·      Learning to fend off the temptations to get dragged back into an outcomes/scoring mindset, especially when things are going well.   We all have heard about the importance of letting go of bad shots.  It’s just as important, but talked about much less, to let go of good shots.  There is an art to learning how to stash away your scoring goals during a round even though you may remain aware of your score.    

·      Engaging in mindfulness to stay in the present as much as possible.  This usually requires a commitment to mindful breathing, but there are other ways as well.  The challenge escalates the closer you get to the finish line.  Everyone knows what happens when you start thinking “I only need one more par to win this match or set my record.”   Golfers who made some commitment to regular meditation practice (even for 10 minutes 3x/week) were more likely to meet their goals.    

·      Learning to be patient!  Since big numbers are score killers, it’s rarely a good idea to try a shot that you cannot make 80% of the time.  Golfers who met their goals almost never tried anything heroic.  Great scores do not require all good shots; it’s more often about “playing smart” and avoiding the big  misses.

·      Creating and following a revised pre-shot routine that includes the right mental keys.  Re-thinking and committing to a pre-shot routine was one of the strongest predictors of success.    

·      More short game practice, especially greenside getting up and down.  The golfers who met their goal usually switched their practice times from 80% range/20% greens to the opposite. 

All six of these factors are within the control of the average golfer.  None of them requires being an extraordinary athlete.   Reaching a goal often requires stepping out of the swirl of golf tips and acknowledging that simply playing more and hitting more balls has not helped.   And those who commit to a new pathway will also discover the satisfaction that comes from enhanced awareness and personal development.