101 New Year’s Golf Resolutions

101 New Year’s Golf Resolutions

So many options. This collection of resolutions came from a wide variety of sources – Golf Digest, Golf magazine, Golf Monthly, Golfmaintenance.com, golfwrx.com, USGA.org, PGA.com, The Resort at Eagle Point, Reddit, Fargogolf.net, Golfshake.com, Facebook, Instagram and a few are tips and reminders that I have collected over the years.

As you might imagine, many of them – Lower my handicap; Improve my fitness; Break 80, 90 or 100 – were on numerous lists. Despite the many overlaps, there are dozens to choose from below – and you may have one or two of your very own. Here’s the thing about RESOLUTIONS, don’t think of them as PROMISES or VOWS as much as GOOD INTENTIONS. Decide on two or three or four that seem to make sense for you and your game and then give them a try. Most resolutions are short lived, but, who knows, one or two might actually make it through the 2025 golf season. Remember what 6-time Open Champion Harry Vardon said, “You must be thoughtful if you want to get on in golf."

1.     Lower my handicap.

2.     Find a new putter and give it a try.

3.     Buy a GPS device.

4.     Spend more time on the range.

5.     Get lessons (That’s plural.)

6.     Stop moaning about the World Handicap System.

7.     Get friends friends into golf.

8.     Improve my fitness.

9.     Enjoy the game. Have more fun this year than last year.

10.  Making very slow practice swings concentrating on dropping the arms in the slot, keeping my back to the target.

11.  Stick with the same putter all year (This would be a first for me. I usually go through three or four every year.)

12.  Break 80.

13.  Break 90.

14.  Break 100.

15.  Acknowledge that I am getting older and move up one set of tees. (Play It Forward.)

16.  Get My Hole-In-One.

17.  Smile More.

18.  Fingers crossed for another year of good health.

19.  Shoot my age.

20.  Develop a better understanding of the fundamentals of the swing.

21.  Never blame the greens or an imagined pitchmark for missing a putt of less than three feet.

22.  Work on my lag putting. No 3 putts!

23.  Play a round without losing a ball.

24.  Go on at least one Buddies Trip.

25.  Keep my head down an extra second on every shot.

26.  Walk at least as often as I take a cart.

27.  Play the best public golf courses in my area.

28.  Take at least one lesson every month.

29.  Win the Club Championship.

30.  Win my flight in the Club Championship.

31.  Play at a good pace. No Dawdling.

32.  Be Less Emotive.

33.  Be More Emotive.

34.  Play with your kids or grandkids.

35.  Get a set of custom-fitted clubs.

36.  Take a caddie.

37.  Create a course bucket list – and then play at least of those courses.

38.  Commit to every shot.

39.  Make a list of specific goals.

40.  Stretch more.

41.  Be bold and try different betting games with your weekend game -- alternate shot, for example.

42.  Forget the “middle” or “fat” part of the green. Instead go for it. TAKE DEAD AIM!

43.  Always leave the course in better condition than you found it.

44.  Play ready golf.

45.  Cease with the unsolicited swing tips – unless, of course, you truly know your partner’s game and your partner is a good friend.

46.  ONLY ONE – only one excuse per round!

47.  Get to the course early enough so that I can warm up properly.

48.  Turn off my phone once I step onto the first tee.

49.  If something is working, write down what it is.

50.  Determine my list of swing thoughts. As Jack Nicklaus said, “Every good golfer possesses a carefully developed set of key swing thoughts that he uses to keep his game in balance.”

51.  I will never try to execute a shot that I am not capable of.

52.  To have a bogey-free round.

53.  To have a double-bogey free round. (This is somewhat realistic for me.)

54.  Transfer my weight forward. Right now it’s all shoulder and arms.

55.  Replace my 5-iron with a hybrid.

56.  Play more. (At least twice a week if you are retired.)

57.  Work on strategy as much as I do my swing.

58.  Test myself and play in more tournaments.

59.  Practice “hard.” Have a target for each and every swing.

60.  Get new grips for my clubs.

61.  Up my fashion game. As Buzz Willard says, ““I have found that I can say things with colors and patterns that I can’t say any other way – things I have no words for. Colors and patterns tell the world that I am here and who I am. It’s called style.”

62.  Buy – and use – an indoor putting mat.

63.  I will make a full turn and complete my backswing.

64.  While our course is out of commission, use our golf simulator.

65.  Take at least two putting-only lessons this year.

66.  Play with new people. Make new friends.

67.  Remember what Walter Hagen said, “Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. You’re only here for a short visit. So don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.”

68.  Take a look around – there are trees, flowers, hawks, squirrels …

69.  Every once in a while, play by yourself. A little alone time may help your focus.

70.  Be more patient.

71.  When it doubt, take one more club.

72.  Make the most of winter golf. There will be days in the high 40s and 50s in January and February. I am layering up and getting out there.

73.  Go to a real, live professional golf tournament – be it PGA, Korn Ferry, Champions or LPGA.

74.  Figure out how far I hit each club.

75.  If your putting has gone south, then experiment – new putter, new pre-shot routine, new grip, new stance.

76.  Never be too proud to lay up.

77.  My new mantra: Tempo, Tempo, Tempo.

78.  NO MORE cute shots around the green!

79.  Learn to accept bad bounces happen.

80.  Stay wide at the top of my backswing.

81.  STEADY head and DON’T peak on all putts.

82.  I am going to read more about golf. (FYI: Tom Watson’s The Timeless Swing is a great read.)

83.  In match play, always know where your opponent is at all times. Your opponent’s situation should dictate what your tactics on any given shot.

84.  I will embrace optimism. Less Eeyore.

85.  Don’t let bad days dampen your enthusiasm for the game. With any luck, there’s always tomorrow.

86.  Have fun. Humor is a requirement for golf, BUT know your audience.

87.  Learn to score well when you’re playing badly.

88.  Know your foe. In my case, it’s net par.

89.  Age may affect your distance, but don’t let it affect your enthusiasm for the game.

90.  Visualization is key. I will see the shot before I hit.

91.  Reminder: “Finish with your belt buckle facing the hole.” – Tom Watson.

92.  Never blame the weather for losing a match.

93.  Never take a putt for granted.

94.  On the downswing, push off my right leg for more power.

95.  Remember what Stan Thirsk, Tom Watson’s life-long teacher, said: “The driver is the most important club in the bag. If you don’t put yourself in position to put it in the fairway, you face an uphill battle all day long.”

96.  Pay more attention to the ample post-round advice available in the Men’s Grill.

97.  Tension kills distance. I will lighten my grip.

98.  Accept the bad holes and move on.

99.  If a club stops working, I will take it out and replace it with one that might

100. Take your time on the backswing. You don’t hit anything on the backswing.

101. And, finally, enjoy the game – give it your best shot.

So, what is the Most Important Resolution of all? According to Kansas City Country Club Head Professional, Andy Fisher, it is without a doubt No. 5: Get lessons (That’s plural.). As Andy says, “If you want to improve, taking lessons is essential. There’s no doubt about that.”

Swing Away!

Allan Stark

Photo Credits:

No. 1: Scottish golfers 1867 – Public Domain

No. 2: Andy Fisher – Taken by Allan Stark