What are your goals?  Do you even know?  It has been said that “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.”  A life without goals is destined to go nowhere.  You need to expect things to achieve things.

I say this to get you to think deeper about your game.  I have been playing the best golf of my life this year.  I have tied my personal best round 4 times and then finally broke it!  This has got me thinking about how close I am to achieving one of my life’s goals: Shooting Even Par.   I have been getting close this year.  And I think I will achieve this goal by the end of the year.

But I can’t just say that and expect it to happen.  I have to challenge myself every day to get there.  And for me, it’s harder because I don’t really have time to practice.  But I don’t think it’s ALL about practice.

Since I started writing this blog, I have become more aware of my thoughts on the golf course.  I have a greater sense of the moment, and what I need to do to accomplish the next shot.  I have become more focused on achieving the goal – getting the ball into the hole – than on all of the obstacles.

Since I am as busy as most of you are, my golf time is diminished somewhat.  I don’t have the energy, time, or mentality to get out and practice two or three times a week.  Plus it’s WAY too hot here to do that.   Which leads me to this article.

I once asked a friend of mine who played in college what his thoughts are as he tees it up in a casual round.  Was he still in “competition mode” or has that feeling gone away?  He said that he still feels the competitive vibes most of the time.  It’s what golf has always been for him.

Every time I tee it up I have the same goal – have fun.  Golf has never been a competitive thing for me.  I did not play golf in college.  I rarely play in tournaments.  So my mindset on the first tee has always been relaxed.  It’s a great day because I am not working and I get to play the game we love.

But I have felt for a while that I need to be more goal oriented – that I won’t get anywhere until I know where I want to go.  This season has really helped me understand that.  And I am closer to my goal than I ever have been.  I’ll keep you posted!