Those who have read my regular rants about the hopeless nature of the World Handicap System (WHS) will know that I no longer care very much about my handicap.
It used to be my objective every year – to end the season with a lower number beside my name than when I started. Now I don’t’ care. It’s irrelevant.
I’ve decided that’s a good thing. There’s more to golf than having a one-dimensional, handicap-focused approach. Of course, given the new handicap system isn’t suited to the competitive golfing culture we have in this country – my colleagues have argued the WHS has ruined golf for low-handicappers and it’s the only sport that rewards mediocrity – winning competitions is also off my objectives list.
To be fair, I would like to win a scratch comp but that’s increasingly difficult as I get older. Winning a handicap event is a lottery. I could shoot the round of my life and still lose by a handful.
No, what I want to achieve this year is more personal and wider reaching than just medal golf. Here’s my 10-point checklist for 2026.
Practice and thereby improve putting
I’ve lamented my poor putting for years… decades in fact. But what can I really expect? I never practice.
Nobody ever got magically better at anything without doing something about it. I need to dedicate some time to work on my putting.
I’m going to spend half an hour a week at least doing drills on the practice green.
I enjoy the odd trip to the driving range to smash balls. I’m going to ditch every other one of those outings and replace them with a stint on the putting green.
Play more team golf
Playing as a team is great fun
(Image credit: Tom Lewis)
I’ve been reluctant to put myself forward for team events in the past as I’ve felt I haven’t been playing well enough and could let the side down.
But I really enjoy the camaraderie and competitive nature of team golf. When you win as a team, it feels great! I’m going to put my name down for more matches in 2026.
In fact, I’ve already done it and have a couple of good ones booked up in the diary. I might win my games, I might…
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