A 5-step guide to setting your golf goals for 2026

The beginning of the year is when we all like to talk about resolutions. But in a few days, many good intentions quietly disappear, buried under routines and deadlines.

Last January, I wrote about the setup and facts golf goals, not the “pie-in-the-sky” stuff that sounds good in Jan. 1 and will disappear on Feb. 1. The idea was simple: set goals that really fit your life, and create a plan that makes success almost inevitable.

How do you do that? By focusing on small goals and the steps needed to reach (or exceed) them. When you break down big goals into manageable tasks, you put yourself in a better position to achieve what you want by this time next year.

Directive No. 1: Evaluate the past year

Before setting your goals for 2026, take the time to assess 2025 and establish a baseline. Look back and take an honest look at the past year. Not to criticize or brag, but to test what worked so you can repeat it in 2026.

In January 2025, I outlined several goals using the same guidelines in this piece, and accomplished four of the five. I lost 22 pounds. I almost doubled my number of rounds played, logged 18+ more rounds in 2025 than in 2024. I played a special course, the beautiful Cascades Course at the Omni Homestead Resort. And, according to Arccos, I had very good accuracy with my close-up shots.

The goal I didn’t fall for was to increase the time to practice. Due to a back injury, I needed to protect myself so that I could continue to train my clients. Practice sessions were limited in 2025, but when I practiced, the sessions were shorter, more focused, and more meaningful than ever. Which leads to the next question: how can you create purpose in your practice? It starts with creating a process that supports every goal you set for 2026.

Directive No. 2: Focus on the process, not the outcome

When I set my goals for 2025, I focused on the daily actions that would get me closer to them, rather than thinking about the end result.

For example, playing a lot of golf has been on my training calendar. As important as my clients, golf had to rise to the top of my priority list if I wanted to play more rounds. That meant planning golf as part of my regular routine. How often do you put golf on your calendar to make sure you play enough to maintain your handicap and confidence?

That doesn’t mean all rounds were planned. Having a process in place also allowed me to agree to “nine emergencies” at the last minute, knowing that my responsibilities as a coach were still covered.

Processes include planning, checklists, procedures, and habits — things you can control. Results are simply the result of those processes, not the other way around. When your goals are built into actions within your daily control, you are much closer to achieving them.

Directive No. 3: Keep it simple

Golf is a tough sport that cannot be made easy physically, but it is it can be made easy. Breaking down goals into milestones that are achievable within a set time frame is a proven way to meet or exceed annual goals. Small goals are easier to manage and easier to keep.

Take goal scoring as an example. If your goal is to lose 10 shots by 2026, that may sound overwhelming. But what if you broke your round into six three-hole sections, each with a limited scoring goal? Or are you focusing on improving the specific math categories that make up your average score?

The beauty of simplicity is that you can be highly skilled in one area of ​​your game, which takes the pressure off the rest. Most average golfers miss the short greens. A simple goal may be to hit the back of the green more often by taking one more club. That change doesn’t require extra effort, just a smart decision. Compare that to trying to swing hard with short clubs, which is more complicated and time-consuming.

Simpler is almost always better.

Directive No. 4: Face the facts

Right behind the simplicity is the truth, and you could argue that it should come first. Unrealistic goals require more time, more complexity, and often lead to frustration. Simplicity often breeds truth.

I have a small competitive client that already has a green rating of 59 percent legally and set a goal to reach 80 percent by 2026. For context, the PGA Tour’s average is about 66 percent, with the statistical leader moving closer to 74 percent. While I admire the ambition, 80 percent was unachievable given his school schedule and other commitments.

After evaluating his 2025 performance, reset his goal to 66 percent, in line with the tour average. His process begins with improving the greens located on Par 3s between 135 and 165 yards. By creating a simple, realistic plan for those shots, we create momentum that carries over to every lesson, increasing his green-in-regulation percentage and lowering his batting average.

Directive No. 5: Look for the short term

A year-round goal can lose its impact over time, like a picture on a wall, you stop noticing. That’s why your 2026 goals should be broken down into smaller goals with shorter deadlines.

Using the same junior golfer, we set a deadline of April 1, 2026 to reach 66 percent greens in regulation on Par 3s in tournament play. That represents about a third of his goal total. The next two quarters focus on Par 4s and Par 5s, with the final quarter dedicated to refining the process and building momentum into 2027.

Put it all together

Small, simple, very realistic goals, completed in a short period of time and integrated into your daily routine, are very easy to achieve. By 2025, I reached 80 percent of my goals. That success motivates me to achieve more in 2026.

With a clear process in place, the big goals you have set for 2026 are completely achievable. Goals without process, however, will fail.

By now, you probably have goals for 2026 in mind. Spend the rest of this month creating a realistic, straightforward process that allows you to achieve those goals incrementally, and you’ll give yourself a real chance of success.

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