There’s never a better time to reboot your golf game than at the start of a new year. It’s a clean slate; a chance to be a little better than the year before.

As always, we’re here to help. Don’t think of the below as New Year’s Resolutions (because they’re not), more like reminders as you start your game improvement journey.

So without wasting any more time, let’s dive in…

1. Pick one thing to get better at

A common theme in all of this is that people tend to come in too hot with their resolutions, and golfers tend to think in terms of massive overhauls. That rarely works, so instead, make 2025 the year you focus on one specific thing that you want to improve. Or, if you want to be slightly more ambitious, one long-game element and one short-game element. That’ll be your north star throughout the season.

Some examples:

• Hit the ball longer
• More consistent ball striking
• Make more short putts
• Less disaster shots around the green

2. Track your golf KPIs

Once you’ve picked something specific you want to get better at, pick a few relevant metrics—or Key Performance Indicators, to use a business term we all hear far too much about—and track them consistently throughout the season.

If you’re after distance, maybe it’s clubhead speed. If you’re trying to get rid of blow-up holes, track your double bogeys, or a non-traditional stat like “Greenside in Regulation.” They don’t need to be complicated KPIs, as long as they’re relevant.

A quick shoutout to a few good apps I’ve used for tracking various things:

• Mustard Golf app: Good for tracking specifics about your golf swing technique
• Arccos: Good for tracking on-course and other scoring metrics
• The Tour Read app: It’s helped my Green Reading a lot
• The Stack: A swing speed app that also has a fantastic putting app
• Tour Tempo app: Its frame counter function is a helpful way to work on tempo
• Weight Watchers: Tracks calories and a weight loss goal you may be working toward

3. Commit to something sustainable

I get it, it’s the new year and you’re excited. But similar to the first point on this list, your goal is to make it to next January a better golfer. There’s no good in burning yourself out. If your goal is to get in better shape, then commit to a workout program you can actually sustain. Maybe that’s one hour in the gym a week for the next year—not a lot, but a whole lot better than doing five days a week in the gym for two weeks, then never setting foot in a gym again.

4. Stop doomscrolling; get an expert’s take

Last season, I finally followed my own advice. I’m so happy I did.

I wanted to improve my putting, so I got some lessons with Golf Digest Best in State putting coach Bill Smittle, and had a fantastic putting season. This year, my goal is to get stronger, so I paired with certified trainer Steve Sabilla to craft an online workout program.

Trust me, doomscrolling through social media isn’t going to get you what you want. If you’re serious about getting better, get some advice from an expert to help you on your journey.

5. Stop flailing around with swing changes (stick with something)

To the point above, one thing an expert will do is focus you on the important stuff. So, if your goal is to improve your golf swing this year, flailing around from tip to tip isn’t going to help. Getting better at golf can be boring and repetitive. You’re focusing on the same thing, day after day. But as boring as that can be, it’s a sign you’re probably on the right track.

6. Write down stuff

Here’s something I started doing last season and firmly endorse:

Write stuff down! Whether it’s the things you want to fix in your swing, drills, the mistakes you notice repeating, or a swing thought that worked for you, something about writing things down just makes them stick.

You can use the notes app on your phone, a whiteboard, or a magical thing called pen and paper.

Nora Carol Photography

7. Quality practice, not quantity

You’re probably never going to be able to practice as much as you want to—but that’s not an excuse. Quality over quantity is a cliché, but it’s a cliché because it’s true. Thirty minutes of good practice, like this 20-20-20 method, will help you way more than 90 minutes of zombie practice.

Here’s a Golf IQ podcast on it that may help.

8. Take your fundamentals seriously

Scottie Scheffler sweats over his fundamentals, and there’s no excuse for you not to. It’s one of the few things you have total control over, because it’s all the stuff that happens before you’ve even begun your swing.

Fundamentals include:

• Setup
• Posture
• Ball position
• Alignment
• Stance width
• Grip

David Cannon

9. Weight loss for golfers starts with smarter eating

Lots of golfers make losing weight their New Year’s resolution, and that’s great. It’s difficult, but I speak from personal experience when I say it’s possible.

Just remember that when it comes to losing weight, at least in my experience, so much comes down to diet. It’s basically impossible to run enough to burn away a bunch of junk food you’re eating. You’ll lose weight if you eat in a calorie deficit, which means portion control, and avoiding empty calories.

Like lots of golfers, when I’m hungry or bored, I want to snack. Especially on the golf course. And when I do, I’m never reaching for the healthy snacks. Our brains are hardwired to reach for high-calorie, fatty foods when we’re hungry. And, interestingly, our senses are also heightened when we’re hungry, meaning food itself actually tastes better to us.

It’s an evolutionary response, but annoying if you’re trying to lose weight. The solution is not letting yourself get too hungry. Use fruit and other healthy snacks to avoid the boredom snacking urge, especially when you’re on the golf course.

10. Get strong with compound exercises

Strength training is good for your body, it’s good for your golf game, and because we lose muscle mass as we get older, it’s good for your longevity.

When it comes to strength training, there are few things that are better for your body than doing weighted reps with big, compound exercises. Squats, bench pressing, deadlift—all exercises that require using lots of different muscles at the same time.

Loading up the barbell with weight to bench press, squat, or deadlift may seem intimidating, but as Golf Digest top fitness trainer Mike Carroll says, it can pay huge dividends on and off the course. This is in large part, he says, because those exercises create a “loaded stretch.” It pushes your muscles into a deeper range of motion then works together to push out of them. It builds up strength across various muscles, which prevents weaknesses and imbalances in your body.

11. Learn the laws of ball flight to understand your misses

The technical details of the golf swing are complex and confusing. Leave that to the coaches. But understanding the laws of ball flight—AKA, why the golf ball does what it does—is pretty simple.

Oversimplified, it comes down to two things: The direction you swing (left or right) and the direction your clubface is pointing at impact (left or right).

It’s the different combination of all these things that makes the golf ball go in a certain direction, with a unique amount of curve. And the differences are important. A pull slice is when your clubface is pointing to the right of your swing, which is moving to the left. A block is when both your swing and clubface are pointing out to the right the same amount. The solutions to both are wildly different, and in order to fix what’s going wrong, you need to accurately describe what’s happening.

12. Get your camera angles right

Videoing your golf swing to check in on your technique is good. But videoing your golf swing incorrectly to check in on your technique can be very bad. A bad camera angle can make it seem like your golf swing is different than it actually is. It can mask flaws, leave you confused, or worse. It can trick you into fixing something that isn’t broken.

The good news is that filming your golf swing correctly is easy:

• When filming from down the line, position the camera on your phone so it is directly in line, and level, with the grip.
• When filming from face on, position the golfer so their entire body and club at the top of the backswing is in the shot. The camera should be in line with the golfer’s sternum, and tilted slightly down towards the grip.

13. Get educated on non-physical skills

One way to get better this season without having to change anything technical is to understand all the non-physical skills. These skills are often overlooked by amateur golfers, but they’re arguably the most important. We may not have the athleticism or coordination to swing the golf club 120 mph, but there’s nothing stopping us from judging the break of the green just as accurately.

Some non-physical skills to study up on this upcoming season:

• Green reading
• Knowing where to aim off the tee
• Understanding cover numbers, and why they help
• Managing your expectations around key stats

14. Combine big goals and process goals

Big goals (“I want to break 80!”) are great—as long as you complement them with smaller, process goals. These are goals that are entirely in your control which, if you do them, will lead to you accomplishing your big goals.

Examples of good process goals:

• Practice short putting for 10 minutes twice per week
• No sugary on-course snacks
• Use the line on the golf ball on every putt you hit
• Stretch before every round

15. Be honest about your yardages

Do me a favor: At some point before the season really gets going, get yourself onto a launch monitor and hit at least five golf balls with each club (apart from your putter). Take the average of all five shots, re-doing any obvious outliers, like shanks or tops, and write down your carry numbers. Write the results down.

We’re talking about 75 golf balls, total. Yes, your distances will be humblingly shorter than you thought, but getting specific with your yardages will make life easier on the golf course.

Anyway, I’m tired of writing, but I don’t like the number 15, so let’s round it to a nice 18 with a couple of quick ones…

16. Nail your golf swing sequence

It’s the single most important part of your golf swing, and it’s the same in every good golf swing. So learn to love it.

17. Work on your aim

You’re probably aiming wrong. Specifically, you’re probably aiming to the right of where you think you’re aiming. Practice with an alignment rod and pick an intermediate target. Here’s a helpful rundown.

18. Embrace an acceptance mindset

Last but not least, make acceptance a big word for you in 2025. Give every shot your best effort, but accept that the result is out of your control. Accept the things that have already happened—annoying as they may be—and accept that you can’t control the outcome of the shot you’re about to hit.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com