Happy New Year to all you grateful golfers! With the coming of 2026 golf season, it is time to reflect on last year’s performance and focus on what I can improve moving forward. Of course, as I live in northern climes, my golf season is still 4 months away, but it is never too early to start thinking about where I want to take my golf game. I realize over the past year I wrote less articles due to many factors and I hope to remedy that shortfall in 2026. Regardless, I am still dedicated to providing a positive, informative, and relatable golf blog for all to enjoy. And today is my first step towards achieving my goals.

Similar to other years, the first step towards improving my golf game is to set goals and benchmarks for my golf season. As this is the first article (although I have been thinking about my game a fair bit lately), it is hard to be definitive about where I want to go. There is one question I ways ask myself during my periods of introspection is: Do I really need to make changes?

This fundamental question is the basis of all my efforts moving forward. The premise of this question does not focus on the small things, but rather the large ones like a swing change or course management focus. I realize that approaching my golf game in this manner is a two edged sword because of the domino affect of any change. This year, I know I will not be focusing on a swing change, but rather improving the one I have now. I will focus on improving my grooved swing in order to make less swing errors for no good reason. I know this moving forward, so my focus for change will not encompass this area of my golf game.

We all know that improving our golf game comes with many challenges. Time, money and desire are the three big hurdles all golfers my broach. I am fortunate to have all three. Desire is my biggest challenge to golfing. I love golf and have for 50+ years. However, do I still love it enough to practice regularly or take time from my other enjoyments in life? These and other primary questions relating to my golf game are ones I will tackle over the next few weeks.

As you can see, I have much to think about and discuss. The start of any golf season provides an opportunity for all golfers to take stock of their game and where they want to go. Golf is an amazing sport and is a large part of my life. I just have to determine how much of a chunk do I want it to be in 2026. How about you? Are changes to your game in your future?

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