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New Year’s Golf Resolutions I Will Likely Ignore

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What New Year's golf resolutions will you make?
What New Year’s golf resolutions will you make?

It seems it never fails.  Every year I make a few golf-related New Year’s resolutions.  But when the time comes around to collect on them…I’ve done nothing about it.  I let myself down every year.

But, at the risk of doing the same thing once again, I’m still going to make some resolutions anyway.  Yes, I know…they’re pointless.  But I feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t make them.  So with that in mind, here goes…

The one I make most often is simply to play more.  Somehow, this is just always out of my control.  I try to make the time to play more often, but something is always getting in the way.  Be it work, family commitments, kids sports…whatever.  It’s like there’s always something going on.

But, I’ll still try to make the effort.  After all, if I can’t find a few hours out of every week or two, then obviously I need some help with my time-management skills.

Secondly, I resolve to purchase a new driver.  I once spent a good amount of money on a nice Callaway driver.  For a couple of seasons I was in love with it and hit it a ton.  But then, one year out of the blue, I lost the feel for it.  I could rarely hit it straight and every time I touched it, everything just felt wrong.  So after dealing with that for a season or two….it went to eBay.  I haven’t used a driver since.  Depending upon the hole, I’ll tee of with a 3 or 5-wood.  I realize this is a problem, so I’m going to do something about it…maybe.

Thirdly, and this is a new one.., I’m going to try to introduce someone to the game.  I’ve been working on a couple of people – one to give it a try, the other a former golfer to take it up again.  But I’m not trying to bring people to the game by teaching them the rules or telling them they need to practice, practice, practice.  I’m trying to explain that it’s a fun game and they should look at it from that standpoint.  Not like it’s something they have to constantly work at.  To me, that’s the wrong approach.

So only three.  All seem relatively attainable, right?  Of course there’s no guarantee I will follow through on them.  But this time of year is about making the resolutions.  The rest of the year is for follow-through.  So check with me again next December to see how things went.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

An Indirect Golf New Year’s Resolution

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Is it time to make some indirect changes to your golf game?

For the past two years I’ve gone against my better judgement and made some golf related New Year’s resolutions.  I say against my better judgement because I already knew there was no way I was going to follow through.  I never do.

But each time, my resolution was fairly simple and very attainable.  All I resolved to do was play golf more often…that’s it!  But each time, it simply didn’t work out.  As usual, things just get in the way.  So this time I’ve decided that I’m going to try something not really golf related.  But at the same time, it somewhat is.  I’m going to resolve to take better care of myself.

See, especially over the past several months, I’ve noticed some changes in my physical condition, and not for the better.  It became pretty noticeable during and toward the end of the golf season.  I noticed toward the end of the round I was more tired than I would normally be.  And it wasn’t just golf – it was in other routine activities as well.  I just felt a little more worn out than previously.  Like it was becoming more of a struggle toward the end.

So now maybe it’s time to go back on some things I once said I would never use as a New Year’s resolution.  I probably still won’t join a gym.  But I am going to have to seriously start working on my weight and obviously watching what I eat.  And that hurts because I love to eat!

But, besides the obvious health benefits, I think getting myself into better physical condition will also benefit my golf game.  Again, I’m not so concerned about my final score although I’d like to do better.  I’m more concerned with feeling better at the end of my round and not dragging my ass from holes fourteen on.  And if I feel better once I hit the 19th hole, I’ll care even less about the three-digit score at the bottom of my card.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Another Shot At My New Year’s Golf Resolution

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New Year’s Golf Resolutions TAKE 2!

Well, it’s that time of year again – New Year’s resolution time. A time of empty promises. A time of hollow intentions. Approximately a month away from a time of letdown. It’s nothing new. Same thing year in and year out.

Last year I made the mistake of going against my “No New Year’s Resolutions” rule when I made a silly resolution regarding my golf game. No, it had nothing to do with game improvement. It was simply a resolution to play more golf. But, like all other New Year’s resolutions I’ve made in the past, it fell flat. I didn’t play any more. As a matter of fact, I may even have played less!

But did I learn my lesson? No, of course not. I’m making the same golf resolution as I did last year. I resolve to play more golf this coming year. But I think this time I can make it happen.

So why is this year going to be different? I don’t know. I just have a good feeling about it. No specific reason. It’s just that I know how I felt this past year when I didn’t get much chance to play. It was terrible. Especially considering I had that shiny new set of clubs to use for a full season. A year later, they’re almost as shiny as when they were brand new. That’s a terrible feeling! It’s like playing a game of football and leaving with a clean uniform.

With that said, what am I going to do to make it happen? After all, I said the same thing last year. Well, I’m going to have to start by trying to plan further ahead of time. Maybe if I set aside a few weekends specifically for golf, that could help. Possibly another golf trip – it’s been a while since I’ve done that!

Well whatever methods I choose to instill, I’m determined to make it happen. Even if it’s just one more round this year than last. Hell, I’ll even settle for just nine more holes, as long as I play more than last year!

Swing ’til you’re happy! I resolve to do so!

Prepping for My Golf Season (Not that it will Matter)

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It’s a new year, and along with it comes the giddy anticipation of a new golf season! (Photo via Pixabay)

A brand new year. Yep, this is the time during the winter when I begin thinking about my upcoming golf season. Up here in New England, it starts to get pretty cold in November. By Thanksgiving there could be snow on the ground and by the holidays, you’ve already forgotten what the trees look like when they have leaves and what it feels like to step outside without a coat and scarf.

Come January 2nd though, I’m ready for the winter to end. As far as I’m concerned, two months of frozen weather should be good enough. I just ate my ass off, drank too much beer and champaign and used up all my vacation time. If I’ve gotta go back to work on January 3rd, the ground better be thawing out and the crocuses better be coming up.

Inevitably, the realization that we have 3 more months of this shit hits me while I’m scraping frost off my windshield at 7 AM Monday morning. But instead of slumping into a wintery depression, I begin thinking about what I need to do to get prepared for the upcoming golf season.

Keep in mind that very little of this involves me actually practicing. No sir. Every year around this time, I will finally remove my clubs from the trunk and bring them inside to warm up. Stupid, isn’t it? It’s like I’ve felt bad for them the past two months…out there freezing their grips off.

I’ll bring them inside and clean them. I’ll rummage through my golf bag, remove all the scuffed-up balls and throw away greens fee receipts. I’ll check to see if I’m running low on tees and find a couple scorecards I wish remained unfound. When I’m finished, I’ll set my bag down next to the table in the dining room and let it stay there.

My wife will eventually ask why my golf clubs are in the dining room and I’ll tell her I’m stowing them in the attic for the rest of the winter. A few days will go by. She’ll ask again…”Yeah, sorry. I’m getting around to it.” A few more days pass. I’m looking at them right now as I type this at my dining room table. My new Burner driver is beckoning me to take it outside and smash one into the woods across the street.

Around the beginning of February, I’ll finally put them in the attic. And right after I do, I’ll head back out to my trunk and grab my two pairs of golf shoes. You see I’ve just returned from the golf store with brand new soft spikes (I had to bring one of the old spikes with me to make sure I bought the right ones). The ensuing two hours will be spent hurting my fingers with that stupid metal tool while trying to loosen the old spikes. Nevertheless, it puts me in a golfing mood.

Finally, around the end of February, I make my annual off-season golf purchase. Last year it was new grips and this year I need a new pair of golf shoes. Next year is the biggie and I hope I follow through on it – new clubs!

Sure, I may hit the indoor range once or twice between January and April, but it’s all the little things that really get me chomping at the bit to play again. And though none of this will ever be reflected on my scorecard, it’s nice to have something to look forward to after you realize the long, cold, winter has really just begun.

Happy January, February and March everyone!

A New Year’s Golf Resolution

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What are your New Year’s golf resolutions?

Do you know what I hate? New Year’s resolutions. Aren’t they the worst? Honestly, what’s the point?! How many of you have actually made a resolution that you’ve stuck with? Actually, how many of you even make New Year’s resolutions?

I gave up on resolutions long ago. I have come to the realization that I’m not going to join a gym, I’m not going to make a serious effort to lose weight and I’m not going to try to be “nicer” to people. As a matter of fact, the only resolution I have stuck with is to not make any more resolutions. It seems to be working out!

However, this year I’ve decided to make a special exception. This year, I’m going to make a resolution regarding my golf game. Am I going to work on my handicap? No. I don’t even know what my handicap is, nor do I care. Am I going to practice more? Heck no! I’ll practice a bit, but no more than usual. But what I am going to do is resolve to play more. That’s it! Seems pretty attainable, right?

See, that’s the key to a New Year’s resolution – make it attainable. I’m not going to practice more because, well, I don’t want to! And, quite frankly, I could care less about my handicap. I play to play. My score is my score. My handicap (or anyone else’s for that matter) is meaningless to me. So that’s out the window. But I sure do want to play more than I did last year! So there you go. Instant resolution!

Actually, I didn’t play much last year and that was kind of a disappointment. I would really like to make the time to play more often. Even if it’s just nine holes. Hey, half a round of golf is better than no golf! So I’m going to buck my normal trend and actually make a New Year’s resolution. Simple, attainable and something I want to do. I resolve to play more golf in 2011! How about you?

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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