Often making small tweaks and forming simple habits will amalgamate to form big changes in your game. Here are 8 ideas to help set those expectations for the New Year.
Pick A Happy Number
Everyone wants to reduce their handicap, but what does your most enjoyable handicap look like? Often the lower your handicap gets, the more pressure you apply to yourself. The heavy weight of expectation can often take away some enjoyment from your game.
Think about where you need shots, ask yourself what’s an acceptable figure to strive for. Often having a shot at each hole can stop you from chasing those pars. On the green in one, less than the par, then 2 putt. By relaxing pressure, often we see pars just happen. Think about this.
Bite-Size Chunks
Compartmentalise the elements of your golf game and give yourself one thing to improve in each area. Rather than seeing your game as a whole, by gently polishing every aspect should result in a shinier bigger picture.
Aim to improve 3-foot putts. Aim to stick to your pre-shot routine with your driver. Swing 2 clubs on the first tee to warm-up and stretch. Practice chipping into an umbrella for 10 minutes. These small goals will add up to a better game. It’s worth writing a game plan.
Marginal Gains
Let’s talk about healthy habits in life that will ultimately improve your golf. Making tiny changes in your everyday lifestyle can really help to improve your golf.
A spot of weight lifting, just a few sets a week to begin with and then building up. Drinking more water. Taking a healthy gut supplement. These things add up to a healthier body and mind. This will in turn improve your game as well as make you feel a million dollars.
Get A Friend Into Golf & Get Back To Basics
You may wonder how this will help your game, but often returning to the range with a friend who’s not a golfer will help you return to basics. Revisiting the fundamentals of your own game by showing someone else how to do it is a really fast way to nightlight faults that may have crept in.
Equally, book yourselves a joint lesson and really soak up the set-up instruction. The majority of faults stem from a wonky set-up, so you’ll be giving your own game a spruce and gaining a golf buddy. Also the feel good vibes that you’ll get from giving the gift of golf will nourish you.
It's A Timepiece
Being realistic about how much time you have available to spend on your golf will help you to be more realistic in your expectations. If you have a busy life (work, family etc) then chances are that a single figure handicap will have to wait. Be kind to yourself.
The frustrations of life in general often get to us. Add into that a golf game that can be hit or miss and you welcome a gentle meltdown. But ask yourself the question, “What am I realistically going to achieve with little or no time to practise? Sometimes taking your golf as it comes and accepting the good, the bad and the ugly, can be rather liberating. It can also result in a great game that hits you out of the blue. Go with the flow and what will be will be.
Make Time
Saying that, we all complain that we have no time. This is often true when it comes to playing 9 or 18 holes. But we could probably all squeeze some time in to practice. Writing a chunk of practice into your calendar as if it is a task to be completed will help you gently chip away at your game.
I find indoor drills a helpful way to improve if you are struggling with a hectic week. Pick a cushion up from the sofa and practice correct weight transfer, delivering that cushion at pace into the back of the seat. This simple drill will help remind you of the correct sequence of applying power and it can also tick the box for venting frustration! Putting mats are also a brilliant piece of kit to add to your indoor armoury.
Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail
Get into a habit in 2024 of prepping your golf gear the night before. Or always making sure you have water, high protein snacks and all the necessary accessories to make your round an effective one.
Forgetting a glove or not having an extra layer in your bag can annoy you enough to affect your game. So, write a checklist. Being able to gently fuel yourself on the course will help you to maintain focus and energy levels. This in itself could be worth a few shots. Rummaging on the fairway for a protein bar as you’re feeling dizzy is not the way to lower scores.
Smile
Sounds easy, but how often do we actually grin our way round the course? A great resolution is to write a list of WHY golf makes you happy. This can be very revealing when you realise it actually makes you rather grouchy. Then you’ve highlighted the need for change.
On your list of golfing gratitude should be health, friends, headspace and down time. Read that list once at the golf club and before you get out of the car. Crack a big smile, acknowledge how lucky you are to play this game and set off to the tee in the right frame of mind.
Whatever you choose to focus on next year, try starting now. Get a journal or a diary. The old aged art of actually putting pen to paper has almost been forgotten in this digital age, but it is so much more effective and beneficial to write things down. The release of getting something off your mind will be so freeing and you can start your year with a surge of motivation and a smile on your face.
