The Grateful Golfer – 2016 Year in Review is not as positive as I had hoped. I looked back at my early articles and found that I did not set any hard goals to achieve. After a bit of introspection, I remember thinking that 2016 was a transition year in my life. So, I consciously decided not to add any additional pressure to my life and to enjoy my golfing year.

As in past years, I have one main golf of being a scratch golfer in mind! That has never changed and won’t for the foreseeable future. As I continue to work on my game, my intent is to change only those things that add benefit for reaching my main goal.

I could recount many different successes and challenges, but I think given the tremendous changes at work and home, these stories would be a bit superficial. However, I do like to tell a story or two; so now that I have your attention, here are a couple of things I want to share with you.

The highlight of my year was playing more golf with my wife. After I retired in May, (actually ended up being semi-retired) my wife and I started to practice and play more golf. We had a nice little track 5 minutes from our house that fit our requirements perfectly. As a result, we hit the links together more than any other time. This is something I hope to foster in 2017 and into the future.

In the fall, I helped my intersection golf team win the league and playoff championship. Specifically, the last round rekindled my competitive spirit as it was the best head to head match I played in years! I am looking forward to playing more competitive golf in 2017 because it is fun and it will help me achieve my main goal.

Every relocation has its challenges to golfers. I moved 600 km drive north from my golfing network of 3 years. With Roundel Glen (my home course) only 5 minutes from work, it was easy to practice and play during the week. With the move, my golfing buddies were left behind; this is not unusual for military personnel as we move fairly often, but Mike, Jean, and Carm were a great crew and are missed. We played plenty of golf together and I will especially miss playing early on Saturday and Sunday.

Fortunately, I fell into my old crew at Osprey Links and this helped lessen the change.

Lastly, I had some swing challenges in 2016. I found that I was losing distance off the tee and with my fairway woods. I am not sure why, but it was very disconcerting. I actually think my tempo was a bit off and I was trying to swing too hard and fast to make up for the lost distance. I can also tribute my swing challenges to life and the lack of focused practice. The mental side of golf is something all amateurs struggle with from time to time. Not to worry, I am refocusing my efforts and 2017 is going to be a better golf swing year.

With 2016 in the books, I look forward to what 2017 has to bring. As always, I will develop a plan and this year write down some achievable goals. Ultmately, I want to keep moving forward towards my main goal.

I am grateful for all the blessings in my life and look forward with hope at what 2017 is goong to bring!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!