And My 2025 “Report Card” + The Realistic Plan for the Year Ahead
Are you setting golf goals for 2026? January is the month we love to make resolutions. Within days, the resolutions fade away, making golf goals more important!
Last January, I wrote about realistic golf goals, not the “pie in the sky” stuff that sounds great on January 1 and disappears by February 1. The idea was simple: set golf goals that actually fit my life. Then build a plan that makes success almost unavoidable.
We’re now into January of 2026, a new year. And I’d like to do something I don’t think enough golfers do. Look back and grade their previous year, honestly! Not to beat ourselves up. Not to brag. But to learn what worked. So, we can create realistic golf goals that we can repeat in 2026.
I know many of the golfers who read my blog and watch my YouTube videos are mid- to high handicappers with busy lives. I’ll include practical examples you can steal and apply immediately. To stay true to your resolutions. But to the goals you set for yourself in 2026. As a golfer and as a person.
My 2025 Golf Goals: What I Got Right (and What I Didn’t)
In January 2025’s post, I highlighted and emphasized making realistic golf goals like practicing consistently, even if it’s only 10 minutes a week. Other golf goals like improving fitness, playing a bucket list course, tracking stats, and playing more golf are all doable if you make a consistent and concerted effort. Which is what I did!
Here’s my 2025 “report card.”
Golf Goals I Met in 2025
1) I lost 20 lbs.
I’ve always struggled with weight gain since I was young. As I get older, it becomes harder to maintain a healthy weight. With help from my endocrinologist, whom I’ve been seeing for several years, and my general practitioner, we created a manageable plan in May that I’ve been following ever since. It’s all about moderation and understanding why and when I eat. Losing weight matters to me and others because it isn’t just about the number on the scale. It’s more about my energy level and staying consistent throughout the day, as well as maintaining mobility due to a hereditary deterioration of my lower spine.
What I did that Worked – Process > Outcome
Instead of obsessing over a number, I focused on habits I could control. This idea is supported by something I read this year: an analysis of goal-setting research among athletes that found process goals more effective than outcome goals. So I concentrated on what I could control: movement, better routines, and protecting my body so I could coach and play.
If you’re a mid/high handicap golfer, steal this:
- Pick one health process goal for January: “Move 20 minutes a day” (walk, stretch, light strength).
- Tie it to golf: “If I move daily, I’ll swing better and hurt less.”
- Don’t overdo it. Consistency beats intensity.
2) Every Doctor I Visited Said I’m Healthier
Yes, as you age, you start to see your fair share of doctors. 2025 was one of the years when I saw more doctors than other years due to “routine’ checks and tests. Each test came back showing me I’m in good condition. But it could be better for my lower spine. Some of the issues are hereditary. Some are overuse and past injuries. Regardless, I could be in a lot worse shape. But happy that each doctor I saw noted that I played more golf in 2025 (see below) and lost weight. Small yet attainable goals for 2026 to continue the progress I made in 2025 and to plan for the year ahead.
Here’s the part a lot of golfers skip over when they look at golf, health, fitness, and how it all comes together. Your golf goals are not just about golf. If you’re making obtainable golf goals for yourself, you’re mimicking the same processes you do when making life goals.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m healthier. But not at the fitness level I prefer. Getting there will take a different effort and a new process to fit into my daily routine.
If you’re a mid/high handicap golfer, steal this:
- A “golf fitness” goal doesn’t have to mean a gym transformation.
- Start with mobility and durability: hips, shoulders, back, ankles.
- Ten minutes a day is enough to start building momentum.
3) I Played a Special Course: The Cascades at Omni Homestead Resort
In my 2025 post, I listed “play a bucket list course” as a decisive golf goal because it creates memories and motivation. I did it, and I’m glad I did! And doing so was just happenstance, which is always one of the best ways to gain access to and play a bucket-list golf course.
Early in 2024, I needed to find a replacement summer location to continue what I had started the previous two summers elsewhere. Through the help of my home in Orlando, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, I was referred to Mark Fry, the Director of Golf at Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, who readily and warmly welcomed the clients I established and me. And in doing so, an opportunity to play a perennial Top 100 Course and the home of one of golf’s greatest players ever was now a reality.
The Cascades is one of those places that will remind you why golf is so exceptional: mountain setting, classic design, and a course that demands commitment to targets while constantly dealing with a not-so-perfect lie. The William S. Flynn design has hosted numerous USGA championships and is always in top condition. And the four times I played the course, on top of the multiple opportunities to coach clients at The Cascades Course, gave me a chance to live in Sam Snead’s shoes and imagine what it might have been like to play the course with the older equipment of the day.
What I did that worked (short-term planning):
I treated this accomplishment as a realistic goal, not a wish. Whether it was The Cascades Course or any other Top 100 course I wanted to play, there had to be a doable plan in place for scheduling. And I would have to protect that schedule to complete the goal.
If you’re a mid/high handicap golfer, steal this:
Your bucket list course doesn’t have to be Pebble Beach.
- It can be the best public course within 2 hours of you.
- Or the nicest course you’ve always driven past.
- Or the course your buddy won’t stop talking about.
How do you get on that course in 2026? Commit yourself to making it happen! And commit to what the experience of playing that course could provide you both as a golfer and as a person. You’ll be surprised by how your effort to play a great golf course inspires and fuels you to play more often and recommit to your improvement process.
4) I Played More Golf – 18 More Rounds!
In last year’s post, I admitted I sometimes feel guilty about playing golf instead of doing my job, coaching golf, and operating an award-winning coaching practice. Playing more golf in 2025 was a golf goal. But with all goals, there must be a sacrifice of something else. In my case, sacrificing time away from making videos, writing blog posts and magazine articles, and looking back and in perspective, a small amount of time away from coaching. So could play more golf.
I must thank a few individuals who pushed me to play more golf and reminded me of my goal. First is my son, Jack. Four different times throughout 2025, Jack and I played 2-4 consecutive days of golf together. And sometimes with his friends. Second is my video and image expert and friend, Jean Perpillant. Jean is a novice whom I would bring to the course and coach as a way of saying thank you. But in 2025, Jean insisted I play with him at the course to help him. Third are the Directors of Golf at my two Omni Homes: Patrick Dill at Omni ChampionsGate Golf Club and Mark Fry at Omni Homestead Resort. Each of these great gentlemen and friends would hint about going to play with them. And I took them up on the offer a couple of times. All the invitations and hints to play golf in 2025 were well-intended and meant a lot to me. Adding up to 18 more rounds of golf played than in 2024.
What I did that worked:
I didn’t wait for “free time.” I accepted the invites, took the hints, and scheduled golf like I would a coaching appointment with a client.
If you’re a mid/high handicap golfer, steal this:
- Replace “I need 4 hours to play” with “I need 90 minutes to improve.”
- Nine holes count. A par-3 course counts. Even a twilight loop counts.
More reps = more learning opportunities.
5) I was statistically more accurate (Arccos proved it)
In 2025, I encouraged golfers to track stats beyond fairways, greens, and putts. But deeper stats that matter. Such as approach shots and birdie opportunities, or B.I.P., birdies in position. Or when missing a green, where do I miss and what shot do I leave myself with most often? I relied heavily on Arccos, a longtime partner, as a tool to make it easier to track these stats and gain deeper insight into my entire game. Not just fairways, greens, and the number of putts.
I leaned into the stats after each round and found that, with my ailing back, I was hitting less distance, forcing me to check the ego at the door and play longer clubs into greens. Doing so increased my greens-in-regulation by 15%. I also leaned heavily on first-putt distance, using it to adjust to the various greens I played throughout the year.
Why this matters:
Golfers judge themselves by score way too often. But feedback is where real improvement starts. Arccos and similar tools give you feedback beyond “I shot 92.” Built around automatic shot tracking and strokes-gained insight, Arccos makes it easier to identify where shots are actually lost.
If you’re a mid/high handicap golfer, steal this:
If you don’t use Arccos, you can still track the “big three” on your scorecard:
- Fairways (or playable drives)
- Greens in regulation (or “greens missed by one shot”)
- Total putts (and number of 3-putts)
But I’d highly recommend you delve deeper into your 2026 stats. Objective measurement of real-time data is the feedback you need to turn frustration into a plan.
The One Goal I Did Not Meet in 2025
More Practice
This one golf goal I knew would be the hardest to accomplish, given time constraints and the need to protect my lower back from further discomfort and injury. If my back could not function, I could not function and meet all the golf goals I had set. And could jeopardize my ability to function as a golf coach.
With any commitment to improvement, practice is required. So it stung a little to make even more improvements to the statistical goals I worked on. But I did make what little bit of practice time count. By being mono-focused on one item to practice, not several. As well as having a planned strategy and purpose for each practice session. Most practice sessions were 15 minutes or less. And most focused on set up, impact, or getting through a golf shot.
As much as I tried, the irony is that I am trying to inspire all clients to practice at least 10 minutes a week, if not a day, doing something indoors that focuses on one thing. I did my best to do this and will continue in 2026, committing to 10 minutes a week, working up to 10 minutes a day. While also attempting to toss a little fitness into the mix to continue to support my ailing back. That’s all it takes to make real change.
So what’s the lesson? It’s not about “trying harder.” It’s about “building a better system” and making every attempt “to do” more often.
The Biggest Golf Lesson I’m Taking Into 2026 – The Process of Golf Goals Only!
I do a lot of reading at night to stay current with my craft and to satisfy my curiosity. And I came across a study that found athletes in any sport could improve when goals are measured not by score but by process. Process goals outperformed outcome goals. By default, golf lends itself well to being mono-focused on scoring goals. Doing so will always backfire. What we forget about is the process it takes to meet the scoring goals. Those processes and your ability to hone your processes are the real “gold” you’ll find when setting goals.
Heading into 2026 and as you craft your golf goals, consider the following takeaways from the reading I’ve done and the experiences I’ve shared with you in this post. I think you’ll surprise yourself when you:
1) Focus on the process, not the outcome
Handicap goals are fine, but they’re incomplete. The process of lowering a handicap is where the rubber meets the road.
2) Your goal doesn’t have to be perfectly specific
All too often, perfection gets in the way of understanding what was learned and obtained. A simple statement like “Let’s see how good I can get” can work and may even outwork a perfectionist’s goal. So long as you have a process attached to it.
3) Feedback is essential
Goals without feedback don’t move the needle. If your practice lacks feedback, you’re wasting your time.
4) Short-term golf goals work better than long-term golf goals
Golf changes. Your body changes. Your schedule changes. Learning to adapt is key. But even more important is your ability to reach short-term goals, which keeps you motivated to press forward to the next obtainable goal.
5) Avoid comparison goals
Build yourself up to your own standards, not to others’. Trying to “beat your buddy” only creates confusion and anxiety because your buddy’s standards might be too different than yours.
6) External and objective guidance helps
Mentors, coaches, and other experts can see things you can’t. Integrating a well-respected, experienced coach into your goal-setting, such as me, can often help you set goals that outperform your own.
7) Your plan should reflect your game
Your life, your body, your time, your skill set. All should be considered when formulating an improvement plan for 2026. Not doing so creates unrealistic expectations and unnecessary stress in your life.
My Realistic Golf Goals and Plan for 2026 – Built on What Worked in 2025
Last year, I recommended dividing golf goals into short- and long-term, and taking small steps to reach them. As I did in 2025, I’m doing it again in 2026. But with a stronger emphasis placed upon the process, the feedback the process provides me, and the short-term obtainable checkpoints that ultimately get me to the final destination, reaching my golf goals for 2026.
Goal #1: Practice twice a week (and keep it embarrassingly simple)
My process goals are:
- Two practice sessions per week for 20 minutes each session
- One skill per session
- No exceptions or excuses for not practicing. Which is why I’ve now added practice session time to my weekly calendar.
If I can’t get to a practice facility, I’ll do what I recommended. Doing something at home that is small in focus and big in feedback.
For you, the mid to high handicapper, an example of this would be:
- Practice Session #1 – 20 minutes working on putting speed control. Such as using the ladder drill, with emphasis on your first-putt distances.
- Practice Session #2 – 20 minutes learning to control the carry distance of your wedges.
As you can see, you don’t need 3 hours, just a short and highly focused session working on one skill, not many.
Goal #2: Maintain the health progress I made in 2025 and continue to protect my back
There will always be a constant effort to protect my back from further complications. But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep the strides I made in improving my health in 2025. Now the goal is sustainability. While maintaining a realistic expectation of what I can do daily.
My process goals are:
- Walk more for exercise. Minimal of 2 times weekly. You don’t need to run to get your heart rate into a healthy zone to create better overall aerobic health.
- Mobility and Stability of the areas supporting my spine. A daily routine with a yoga mat and a Swiss ball, including a regimen of spinal-strengthening exercises, has already begun.
- Strength – adding strength exercises after establishing mobility and stability is planned for Q2 of 2026, with the assistance of an expert.
If you can relate to some of the items I’ve mentioned about my back, or any other part of your body, preventing you from reaching your golf goals, what are you waiting for? My three process goals are an easy start. You can feel like an athlete again, without needing to “train like a tour player,” if you start small. You’ll surprise yourself when you do.
Goal #3: Improve one Arccos “bucket” at a time, one quarter at a time
In 2025, Arccos showed I was more accurate. Now I want to stack improvement in focused phases.
My process goal:
Each quarter, I’m choosing one statistical bucket to improve upon:
- Quarter #1 – Approach Shots, ensuring I make all efforts to hit more greens
- Quarter #2 – Short Game, ensuring I continue to be creative, and understand the touch shots necessary to keep scores down
- Quarter #3 – Length, giving myself six months to get into the shape I need to sustain speed training to gain length with all golf clubs.
- Quarter #4 – Putting, it’s always been my strength. But by the last quarter of the year, I’ll have enough statistical data to hone my putting for when I play the most, during the alleged “off-season” in Florida.
My advice to you, the average golfer, is to keep it simple and break down each category into a focus area. I prefer you become an expert in one bucket of skills and watch how the other buckets follow. Trying to fix everything all at once hasn’t worked in the past. So why not try something different?
Goal #4: Play another “special” course as a reward
In 2025, I played The Cascades. In 2026, I plan to play at least one more golf course that provides “an experience.” I’ll have that opportunity and have already blocked off dates to visit a yet-to-be-announced Top 100 Course in the Carolinas and in Virginia, as I make my way back and forth to Omni Homestead this summer. I have also reached out to a yet-to-be-announced Top 100 course in Florida, where I plan to schedule that round in the last quarter of the year.
My process goal:
Contacting these courses has already begun.
- Tentative dates are already blocked in my calendar.
- Travel plans to each of the courses are already planned.
- The golfers I want to share these experiences with are already committed to play.
Playing a special golf course seems to be a shared golf goal among all golfers. So why not choose a course, right now, that inspires you to prepare for an experience, not another round of golf? Doing so is how your goal becomes reality.
Goal #5: Play more golf again in 2026
I played 18 more rounds of golf in 2025 than I did in 2024. That wasn’t an accident. I want to keep that momentum going. And have plans to do so after our seasonal rush dies down in April.
My process goal:
- I have one day a week planned from April 20 through the end of the year, when I will play at least nine holes of golf.
- I have one day a week from May 1 through November 15 that is earmarked for 18 holes.
Notice there’s an intention behind this golf goal. And the intention was that I make a career of the game I love. The purpose is to get back on the course and create the thirst and lust to play even more. If I can do that, the lust will revitalize the love I have for the game.
Conclusion
Simple, Realistic. Scheduled. And little by little. This can and will work for me. And it can work for you too. So long as there is a process incorporated into your golf goals and efforts to achieve those golf goals.
I continually instill in my clients that small and slow becomes smooth. And smooth eventually begets fast. Making golf goals without a process that incorporates the same methodology is doomed to failure. And 2025 proved this correct for me personally and professionally.
As you craft your golf goals for 2026, I hope you keep these ideals in mind. And that you stay honest with your process by incorporating feedback, objectivity, and realism based upon your life priorities. Make all your golf goals obtainable and personal. While keeping in mind what you can and can’t control. Doing so is how golf goals are realized.
Please share your golf goals for 2026 in the comments below. My coaching staff and I will do our very best to help you achieve those goals. And if you’re wanting to build a 2026 golf improvement program, our Orlando Golf Lessons focus on simple practice plans, clear feedback, and sustainable improvement. Contact us to schedule your golf school or golf lesson dates with us now.
