Have you achieved your golf goals for this year?

At the start of each year, I set myself a series of golfing targets. Have I achieved them this year? No. 

But, in fairness to myself, there have been some extenuating circumstances. 

I missed around eight weeks after being diagnosed with cancer and having my right kidney removed. 

Life Can Get in The Way of Your Golf

I only played my first full post-op 18 holes of golf recently. Prior to that I had hit 100+ golf balls on the range, and the next day I could barely move. 

I then played nine holes and had to walk off at the 10th because I was exhausted. This was followed by two rounds where I made it to the 12th and then had to walk back to my car.

But in amongst all of that I did hit some pretty decent shots. It’s still in there somewhere. 

My biggest regret is that all of this has happened during my year as Seniors Captain at Dunston Hall Golf Club. There was so much that I wanted to achieve but fate intervened. Such is life. 

Thankfully, I have been surrounded by many incredibly supportive people, including my colleagues at Golfshake, and their backing has helped me through what has been a tough time when golf had to take a back seat. But I was going stir crazy having to sit at home.

And I cannot tell you the joy I felt at completing 18 holes in a monthly stableford. I had set myself a modest target of scoring 30 points. I managed to record 32, with my only blob coming at the 16th hole.

Work on Your Short Game & Putting

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

One of my targets is always to improve my short game. I don’t care how old you are - you can always improve your putting and your chipping. 

I have recorded here before that I had been struggling with my putting from around 10 feet and in until a putter fitting in 2025. A Wilson Infinite putter transformed my performance on the greens and earlier this year I was offered a custom-built Toulon putter that has taken me to the next level. 

I actually now enjoy putting and during that round where I scored only 32 points, I shaved the hole time after time from distance. It could have been 10 shots better. But my putting and my chipping that day were sensational.

When most golfers go to the driving range the one area they almost always neglect is the short game. I know exactly how far I hit all of my wedges and once I have finished hitting full shots, I then spend an age working on my pitching, chipping and putting.

I am convinced that if most high handicappers (and by that, I mean 20+) could guarantee taking around 30-32 putts per round then their handicaps would come tumbling down. And that is the target they should be setting themselves. A putter fitting and a lesson might solve everything.

Aim to Hit More Fairways

I had also set myself a target of hitting more fairways. 

My course has four par threes. That means there are 14 holes where I would normally reach for a driver. You may be surprised to learn that one of the benefits of getting older (and there aren’t many) is that your swing slows down and that means that without too much thought you are likely to hit more fairways than you did when you swung the club at 100+mph. 

There are some holes where I leave the driver in the bag and instead hit a fairway wood or utility club. 

I bought a seven-wood last year, and it has been an absolute game changer. Under normal conditions I hit it about 150 yards but during the conditions we have experienced recently you can add at last another 20 yards to that, which means that on a par four of 320 yards I am left with nothing more than a six or seven iron - from the middle of the fairway. 

We have several holes that feature water, and many others that are tree-lined - avoiding those at all costs has to be the target.

I started the year wanting to reduce my handicap. I began 2026 playing off 13 and, unbelievably, have got that down to 12.2. Off the yellow tees at Dunston Hall, I have to play off 10.

Do You Struggle From Bunkers?

Ask almost any high handicap golfer what they fear most and most of them will tell you it is bunker shots. If you regularly take two or more shots to escape from a bunker book yourself a lesson and learn the correct technique.

Has Your Handicap Improved?

Everybody who plays this game does so with the aim of improving. We all want to reduce our handicaps and that should be a target at the beginning of the year for all of us.