Just like that, 2024 has come and gone. Maybe you met some (or all) of your golf goals for 2024. Maybe, just maybe, 2024 was the year you were going to add a consistent fitness plan to your weekly regimen. And it was going well … until it wasn’t. If you’re like the vast majority of the population, some bumps in the road may have knocked you off course – and turned those well-intentioned plans into a distant memory.
The thing about getting off track is that we have the ability to get back on and what better time to get a jumpstart on it than 2025? No, I don’t love New Year’s resolutions when it comes to fitness. It is estimated that a whopping 94 percent of individuals who set out to make changes to their lifestyle at the turn of the year drop their effort within two months. However, the best time to make a change is in the NOW and we just so happen to be at that calendar-flipping landmark.
Read along with me as I outline some strategies (and factors for success) you can use to your advantage when tackling the 2025 golf season and finally get that consistent workout routine on track to help you lower your scores in 2025!
Reflection: Looking back on 2024
Growth is impossible without personal reflection. If we don’t know where we are coming from, how can we get to where we want to be? When it comes to golf, data and stat tracking is more readily available than ever. Companies like Arccos, Shot Scope and Garmin, to name a few, give us the ability to access data during and immediately after a round. This past golf season, I gave up about five strokes per round against my target handicap on approach but gained 0.1 strokes off the tee. When I look back on my seasonal data, I can see that approach is a current weakness in my game and thus should be the focal point of my offseason leading into 2025. Without reflecting on that information, I may shift my focus elsewhere and be stuck in the same place as the next golf season rolls around.
The same can be said for fitness. What did you accomplish in 2024 while working towards your health goals? Did you get stronger, leading to an increase in distance? Did you perform a regular stretching routine, helping to increase range of motion and reduce post-round soreness? What about stamina? Doing a self check on your physical wellness will help you understand what you need to focus on in order to play your best golf from a fitness standpoint.
The final key to reflection, and I cannot overstate this enough, is to write down and record your findings. Thinking through it in your head is great but what happens when you go to bed that night and can’t recall your train of thought? Whether it be in a journal, a phone app or on a spreadsheet, WRITE IT DOWN!
Create SMART goals
Now that you’ve completed your 2024 reflection, it’s time to set a goal for the 2025 year. Using the SMART method for goal setting helps to establish a reasonable approach for meeting what you have your sights set on.
“Sounds great, Jason! But what does SMART stand for, anyways?”
I’m glad you asked! The SMART acronym I am referring to stands for the following:
Specific
Setting a clear, singular focus. If goals are too vague or broad, it can be harder to reach them.
Measurable
If you can’t measure your goal and the progress towards completing it, you won’t know if you’re on pace to accomplish it.
Achievable
Your goal must be achievable in the given timeframe you want to complete it by. If it feels too far away or too far off, you’re likely to lose motivation – and potentially give up in the process.
Realistic
This one is pretty self explanatory. If your goal is weight loss, for example, set a realistic number. Sure, it would be great to lose 100 pounds if you’ve got it to spare! However, that may not be a realistic goal in a 12-month timeframe.
Time-Bound
You MUST set a deadline for when you want to achieve your goal. Setting a deadline will help you to strategize the best way to utilize your time in an effort to reach your goal.
A basic example of a SMART goal related to weight loss could look like this:
“I will exercise for 30 minutes a day, three days a week, for three months.”
You may notice that nowhere in this goal does it state a specific target for weight loss and that is OK! However, by accomplishing the above goal, weight loss would follow.
Now that we’ve established how to use SMART goal setting to our advantage, we need to shift focus to one of the most important aspects of making changes to our overall wellness – accountability.
Accountability and motivation
At the root of all success, you’ll find someone who was held accountable in achieving their goals. For some, this is no problem. Others will find it to be one of the biggest challenges they will face when creating new daily habits related to health and fitness.
Motivation plays a big role in figuring out the best way to hold ourselves accountable.
Individuals fall into one of two categories when it comes to motivation – intrinsic or extrinsic. For those who are intrinsically motivated, the gratitude and feeling of accomplishment simply by completing a task is all they need. If I offered an intrinsically motivated individual $50 to complete a task, for example, it really wouldn’t move the needle for them.
Extrinsically motivated individuals need the carrot dangling at the end of the stick – so to speak – to motivate them to reach the finish line. They don’t find joy or satisfaction in the process of completing the task like their intrinsically motivated counterparts. If I make the same $50 offer to an extrinsically motivated individual, they now have something to earn by accomplishing a task and be motivated to do so.
There is no “wrong” motivation type. However, if you do fall into the extrinsic category, you may benefit from some additional outside support for accountability. This could be a personal trainer or workout buddy. Having someone for whom you need to show up will increase the likelihood that you’ll stick to your newfound goals and routine.
Start with the basics
If it’s been a while since your last workout, starting things off with basic movements will be to your advantage. Remember that goals need to be realistic. If a workout is very complex or requires a bunch of different equipment, it will be more challenging for you to stick to. In the beginning stages, you’ll benefit more from consistency with a basic routine than a technical one that you can’t complete as often. Starting a workout plan built around basic bodyweight movements like squats, lunges and push-ups requires only some space and you to show up. Add in some general mobility and stretching exercises, which I’ll cover in a future article, and you’ll be starting your 2025 fitness journey off right.
Simple set and repetition schemes are also the way to go early on. Start off with two sets of 10 repetitions on the above-mentioned exercises and see how you feel. If you don’t notice much soreness the day after, increase it to three sets of 10 reps.
Can’t perform 10 push-ups from your hands and feet? No problem! Modify the exercise so that your knees are on the ground or perform them with your hands on an elevated surface like a countertop, table or stairs. If you still can’t perform 10 reps, complete as many as you can with good form and write it down. The next time you work out, try to build on that number.
Again, the key aspect here is that you are doing something. Building a base of strength with simple exercises will allow you to expand and increase the difficulty of your workouts as you adapt.
Wrapping things up
Implementing a fitness routine will not only benefit your golf game but your overall health and quality of life as well. By utilizing reflection on the year that was, creating SMART goals, finding accountability and what motivates you and keeping it simple to start, you’ll be setting yourself up for success through 2025 and beyond. Stay tuned for more workout tips and advice to make this your best year yet!
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