Even though it’s fall, and many of us are preparing to put our clubs away for a number of months, we can still work on our game in the off season. And this training strategy doesn’t even involve golf. 

Do I have your attention?

It starts with wellness. And I’m talking about total wellness, not just an “I’m going to switch from eating my kid’s Poptarts to making a green smoothie every day.”

(But that would be a pretty good start.)

No, what I’m about to propose goes deeper, and involves looking at your entire life and doing a bit of work. But don’t worry, even though it’s work… it’s doable.

Let’s get started and take a look at these 10 tips for achieving overall wellness so that next golf season you’re at the top of your game before you even hit your first shot. 

  1. Raise your vibe. Now, I know this sounds a little woo-woo, but I mean it. Think about how you look at your life and all the things you say and do. Are you kind of a bummer to be around? Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. (Not even Nancy.) Because the thing is, When we’re only focused on bad stuff, we tend to attract bad stuff. Crazy how that works. So for this first step, your only job is to look at the events and people in your life and approach them with an “assume positive” attitude.  Try to be more cheerful, even when you’re by yourself.

  2. Show gratitude. When you wake up each morning,  start the day by thinking about what you’re grateful for. Whether it’s your kids, husband, dog, or just the fact that the sun is shining… look for something to appreciate. Maybe even keep a gratitude journal. Or perhaps you’re not a journaler… and would rather just say your internal thanks when you’re making your a.m. coffee. Whatever. You do you. Just do it and be grateful.

  3. Stay in touch with your people and make an effort to get together. It’s great to be busy and all, but don’t be so busy that you let important relationships fall by the wayside. Schedule walks, talks on the phone, wine nights, girls weekends, days at the spa. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, just find a way to do something with your people. People need people. It’s a fact.

  4. Keep your priorities straight… work life balance/ home life balance/ kid life balance. Whatever job you do (and who are we kidding, we all have many jobs), try not to let any area take center stage. It’s great to devote yourself to your job, but leave a bit for other things.  Great to be the force on the homefront and with kids… but again, leave some space for something else. Think about your daily life… you know where and how you’re treading on thin ice. And then work on creating some balance.

  5. Make your mental and emotional health a priority. Phone a friend. Go to counseling. Get your chakras balanced and talk it out with your spiritual advisor.  Hole yourself up in an ashram for a week. It doesn’t matter… just take care of what’s bothering you so that it doesn’t build up and come back to haunt you on the 7th hole. Or in the form of some disease or ailment. (I’m telling you, those are all possibilities.)

  6. Get physical. As in move your body… someway, somehow… every single day. Getting physically fit helps your health and will help your golf game as well. Lift weights too,this is good for our aging bodies (because spoiler, we’re all aging). Plus having some pipes doesn’t hurt at the tee. (And while we’re talking about getting physical, go ahead and schedule a physical. Keep up with annual checkups.)

  7. Think about what you’re putting into your body. I’m not asking you to do a sugar cleanse, go Keto, or do anything extreme.  I’m simply suggesting you consider the ratio of healthy food and crappy food… and make sure the healthy food is winning. Believe me, you’ll look and feel better by day, night, and on the golf course.

  8. Get your finances in order – because, if your personal financial situation is a mess, I’m guessing you think about it 24-7. This takes the joy out of life in general and will certainly take the joy out of your golf game. Plus it’s a really big bummer.

  9. Get your house and car in order too. Get Marie Kondo on the horn (or at least read her book) and get rid of extra stuff. Take some time to deep clean the areas you frequent most. Again, doing this not only makes your surroundings more appealing to others, but it also makes you feel more calm each and every day.  Plus, if you clear physical clutter, you clear the mental clutter. Win-win.

  10. Get out and golf, and make practices 1-9 regular habits. Keep up all the good work, and I promise you’ll feel it on the golf course. When you automatically follow those wellness practices, your life will be better in almost every single way because: you’re positive to be around, grateful for the chance to play golf (and be healthy), you’ve got a group of besties to play nine with any time you like, and you actually have time in your schedule to work (because you took care of that balance thing).  You’re also not a nutjob (I mean that in the nicest of ways) because you’ve been taking care of your mental and emotional health.  Your body is physically strong thanks to the training, and your diet is golden. Since your finances are in order, you can actually afford to play weekly and maybe go on some golf weekends or vacations.  And, since your house and car are in order your clubs and gear are  ready for you each and every time you want to play and when you return home after a round you’re going to a nice, organized joint.

How cool is all that? So, go out there and enjoy your life and your golf game and remember… we’re all a work in progress.