Golf is a journey of persistence is nothing new to most readers. As a player with over 40 years invested in the game, I can honestly say I have failed more times than succeeded. Of course, there has to be a benchmark for this statement and fortunately it is a standard set by each player. Through introspection, I set goals each year in attempts to provide a clear path to something achievable. Unfortunately, I fail to meet most of these goals, but my yardsticks continue to advance to my ultimate goal of being a scratch golfer.

Winston Churchill was spot on especially if you apply his quote to golf. Most avid players like me take solstice in this statement as we apply it to our goals. It is interesting that if I experience as many failures in another endeavour, I would have quit a long time ago. But not golf! For some reason the small successes are enough to keep my plodding along my path. 

Take 2018 for example. As a golf season it was a complete bust. Yes, my medical issues were the main cause, but that is a life. I achieved no goals until I was finished treatments. Once my health started to improve, I experienced many small successes!

For example, I was playing 18 holes within 3 weeks; I played in a tournament; and I bought a new driver. I am grateful for all these success and would not have considered any of them possible until 06 Sept when I changed my goals and expectations. By changing my thoughts, I was able to draw positives out of my 2018 golf season. Believe it or not, playing 18 holes at one time was my biggest accomplishment; I would never have expected when going through treatment. This and other small successes turned my 2018 season around from dismal to acceptable and as a result, I am ready to push on to the 2019 golf season.

Winston Churchill was right. My enthusiasm to play golf has not waned. It is as strong as ever. I wish I could get out and play right now, but the cold temperatures and snow on the ground prevents that desire. However, I will soon be setting my goals for next year and developing an achievable plan to ensure I can reach successful milestones along the way.

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