Planning for Success In Golf

Article by Herb Rubenstein

Introduction

What are your golf plans for this year and next? You are an amateur and so am I. You may or may not belong to a club. (I don’t). You don’t have a caddie. (Neither do I). You love the game and want to improve. (So do I).

Since we are amateurs, we don’t have a “team” like Jordan Speith or Zack Johnson. We don’t have the support that pros have to help them achieve great levels of success in the game.

Amateurs, like you and me, need a plan to support us in making the most out of and getting the most out of our golf game. Having a “golf plan” will get you through the tough times in golf when your game does not improve, and your scores go through the roof. And it will help you carve out scheduled, set aside time for practice, possible lessons, maybe golf related travel, and playing a few tournaments during the year, if you want to taste “competitive golf.”

So, the question this article addresses, amateur to amateur is – “How are you going to plan to be successful in golf this year and beyond.”

Next Steps

Golf can start with picking up a club, any club, and just whacking at the golf ball as it sits on the ground. It can also start with seeing a beautiful golf course or trying to make a putt into a ridiculously small hole. Being outside, where all of your attention is spent on your swing and where the golf ball goes, is physically and mentally rewarding.

Serious, or even recreational, golf for an amateur also often starts with learning and applying the fundamentals of the game including:

• Grip

• Stance and posture

• Swing and tempo

• Chipping

• Putting

• Sand trap shots

• Strategy – course management

• Intentionally “working the ball” – left (draw/hook), right (fade, slice), straight shots; trajectory, high or low; and,

• Improving distance and distance control

How good are you in each of these areas? Each area can be learned and practiced on the range, on the golf course, in lessons with a pro, and even indoors with modern technology. You can assess and track your progress on these and many other dimensions of the game of golf. You can read books, watch instructional videos, watch professional golf on TV or in person. This article suggests that to be as successful as you can in amateur golf, given your limited time and limited budget, you need a “golf plan.”

Define Success Clearly

And, what does “success” mean in golf? For me, tt means improvement in your ability to play the game and the enjoyment you receive from the playing game.

So, let’s start with a simple plan for some level of success in golf, as we have defined it, in 2016 and beyond. To build the foundation for your “golf plan” for this year or next, for each month of the year, take a stab at answering these questions:

• How often will you play (how many holes)?

• Where will you play golf?

• How often will you practice?

• Will you get any lessons?

• Will you invest in new golf clubs?

• How much time will you spend reading books and watching golf videos or tournaments?

• What is your budget for golf for this year or next?

Good plans alone will not make you a more successful golfer. Becoming a successful golfer takes setting goals for every area of your game, excellent execution of your plan, and the understanding that golf is truly learned “on the course” (in all types of weather conditions).

Conclusion

The one final thought I want to leave you with in this first “golf planning” article is that golf is a physical game, so don’t forget to create a plan and set some great goals for the level of physical fitness you want to achieve in 2016 and beyond. So, while you are answering the golf planning questions above, have fun and tackle a few of these questions.

• What are your physical fitness goals for 2016, and specifically, each month in 2016?

• How much time will you put each week or each month in for exercise, stretching, weight training?

Research shows that people who put their plans and goals in writing do better at achieving their goals when compared to their peers who do not put their plans and goals in writing. Building this first part, the foundational part, of your golf plan for 2016 should take about ten minutes tops. In my future articles on planning for successful golf, I will refine the plan, make it more detailed, and help you customize it for how you want to improve your golf game and your physical fitness.

So, share this article with your friends and golfing buddies and even share the beginnings of your “golf plan” for this year or next year with them. If they say something complimentary about your plan, buy them a drink. And if they don’t, then plan on giving them a few more “shots” during the year than you are giving them now in you bets with them. Nobody said golf was fair!