Some had a road map on how they would proceed toward their goal. These are all successful individuals who play, or want to play golf. I think looking ahead to the year in front of us is a great time for goal setting and to create a clear picture of what we want to accomplish.
To improve at anything, it is helpful to assess, as accurately as possible, where we are and where we want to go. Improving requires action, if only just a tweak here or there.
Let’s start with conditioning. You can’t play if you are incapable of swinging a club or getting around the course. Strengthening, increasing range of motion and just general health is vital. I know that many of my students will see improvement if they set conditioning at the top of their priority list.
Next, there is practice; not only finding time to practice, but working on specific areas that will reflect most on the scorecard. I think people have a general idea what they need to do to improve. The short game stood out the most from those I asked to participate in this article. They believe working on the short game will have the greatest impact on their score. I agree.
For the new golfer, get help. Find a teaching pro who you enjoy learning from and develop a partnership with them. There are many things the new golfer will need to learn, so it is essential to find someone you are comfortable working with.
If asked, most professional golfer’s would agree that improving is their top priority. How they go about that might be different from one to the next but improving their score is their number one goal. They are making a living at golf and the lower they shoot, the more successful they are.
I would like to share my 2010 golf goal with you and that is to simply have more fun when I golf. This means I want to enjoy the golfing experience more then I did in 2009. That could mean that I need to do a little of everything that was noted by all the golfer’s and friends I conversed with. Maybe this means to enjoy myself, the game, my playing partners, the challenge golf presents and the golf course and surroundings more.
My attitude will allow that to happen or not. Make sure that you don’t overlook this. Golfers tend to sometimes get a little frustrated. Make sure that your attitude is part of the solution and not the problem. Yes, I want to have more fun when I play and it’s probably going to help my score as well.
I wish all of you Happier Golfing for 2010.