As we enter the 2026 season, golfers of all skill levels begin the familiar ritual of looking forward and setting their intentions for the year. For some, these goals may be as simple as improving their chipping or breaking 90. While other objectives may be much loftier, like winning the club championship, or, at the highest level, capturing a major championship.
Ambition alone isn’t enough to achieve the goals we set for the season ahead, but it is where the journey begins. Defining objectives and charting a path to accomplish them is a skill —one that tour pros refine over years of experience. With the right guidance, even amateurs can learn how to ignite their season early and turn broad aspirations into real results.
To better understand this process, I spoke with two-time LPGA winner Linn Grant, tapping into her expertise on what it takes to set — and achieve — goals, no matter how ambitious they may be. According to her, there are just four keys that you need to remember when setting your intention for this season.
1. Ask yourself: “How do I get there?”
Goal-setting requires balancing dreaming big and staying realistic. At first, the two might seem contradictory, but after talking with Grant, it’s clear they must work in tandem — and it starts with one important question: How do I get there?
“For me it’s really about taking the biggest goal and then stretching it to the smallest point of effort,” Grant says.
In other words, Grant — and other tour pros — work backwards from their final objective to map out the precise plan they’ll need to follow to reach it. For example, one of Grant’s goals this season is to win a major championship.
“Okay, I want to win a major, let’s say it’s the U.S. Women’s Open,” she says, “Historically, I need to win on even par.”
Reviewing past performances is essential when your goals center on winning a specific event, but it’s also helpful when pursuing broader goals. Looking back on previous rounds will help you take stock of your game and identify areas for improvement.
2. Use stats to analyze your game
Regardless of how big or small your goal may be, understanding your game and knowing where you currently stand is essential to playing better golf — and there are plenty of tools that can help.
The analytics platform Grant relies on throughout the season is called ShotsToHole, but there are many options available. The key is finding the one you’ll actually use consistently.
To gain real insight, you need to understand your game as a whole — not just to identify weaknesses, but also to recognize and leverage your strengths. The only way to do that is by recording stats every time you step on the course. Entering them sporadically, or only during “good” rounds, will give you a skewed perspective and limit the value of the data.
3. Regularly review the basics
Throughout the season, there will inevitably be weeks when your swing feels off or when something doesn’t click. Rather than assuming it’s a major swing fault or equipment issue, Grant encourages amateurs to start by checking the simple, controllable elements first.
“I might have a week where it’s super windy, and you start changing things because you want to score well, and it works for a week,” Grant says, “But then next week, you notice your ball position way back and now I’m aiming way right.
“Sometimes, you need to just go back to basics,” she continues, “Find an easy way to check yourself, rather than changing too much and getting lost.”
This is why we see tour pros using alignment rods every time they practice — not because they need them, but because these training aids prevent small habits from escalating into major problems. When your setup is solid, your grip is correct and your alignment is dialed in, you can pursue your goals without fear of setbacks caused by poor fundamentals.
4. Remember: experience builds confidence
As you work toward your goals this season, it can be easy to be hard on yourself. You might get frustrated after a double chip or a missed green — especially if you practiced that shot recently.
Golf, as we all know, is incredibly humbling. If you want the confidence to execute shots on the course without fear, you have to do it a lot — and not always perfectly.
“A lot of people think that confidence just appears, but it’s all based on action,” Grant says, “If you do it over time, then it becomes part of you, I guess.”
There will be moments when a shot is almost perfect, or when fear creeps in and nearly paralyzes you. That’s all part of the game. The more you practice, the better you get at it and the more confident you become in stepping up when the pressure is on.
