Last night we had our first real snowfall of the winter season. Most golf courses closed after the third week of October. Being in Canada our golf season can be short depending on where you live. Looking back at the past golf season I know I did not reach all of the goals I had set aside. Did you? Now looking forward to next season I am beginning to set the goals I want to achieve.

My biggest goal for the next season is getting out to play more. I played a total of 6 times all year. I keep using the excuse that I have young children but I know it is just poor time management. I have started the year out with full intentions by going to the practice range when the weather permits in the spring. But after a couple of weeks I go back to my old routine I got used to in the winter.

As for my scoring this year I was pleased with the way I played overall. All of my scores were in the 70’s and I came close to parring the course in my last round. One aspect I need to improve are my finishes especially the last 4 holes. Seems I just ran out of gas mentally. Physically I was in better shape than I had been in the past three to four years. I lost about 10-15 pounds early in the spring and was able to maintain my weight through the summer and fall.

My last two rounds I was under par after 12 holes and shot 75 and 73. I know I started thinking ahead to what I will end up shooting if I make this next putt and I would begin forcing my play. I did not stay in the moment. And I became frustrated if I made a bogey, had a bad bounce, or made a dumb mental error. Then the what ifs began swirling in my head. Even though I played a decent round of golf I felt it could have been better.

For next year my main two goals are to get out more often and when I play to play one shot at a time for the entire round. I felt my ball striking was pretty good considering the amount of time I spent playing and practicing. I do track basic stats and one area I would like to improve upon would be my scrambling skills so I can make more pars if I miss the green in regulation. Again given the amount I practiced the short game this year I know it is a matter of getting the feel rather than pure fundamentals.

What are your goals for next golf season? Do you want to improve your score by a certain amount of strokes? Add some distance? Reduce a slice or hook? What ever your goals is what is you plan at achieving those goals? What small steps are you going to take to achieve your goals?

Myself, my action plan very simple. Through my employer we have an active living program where we can ask to have a small portion of our paycheque. This deduction can be used for recreational activities. One option is to purchase ten rounds of golf. This will almost double then number of rounds I played last year. To achieve my second goal I want to learn how to control my breathing when on the golf course so I can calm myself and control my mind better. I have begun reading Michael Anthony’s “Mental Keys” again to get an action plan set up so I can put aside some time a few times a week.

I know that if I want to improve I must find my weaknesses then find ways to improve on them and then put them into action. So let me ask you again, what are your goals for next season? Is there something that is holding you back? How will you find ways to strengthen you weak link? More importantly what will be you plan of action?

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