The Golf Reset: Why Your Failed Fitness Routine Doesn’t Define You
We’re three weeks into the new year, and I’d bet my handicap that some of you are already negotiating with yourselves about that gym membership. The Waste Management Phoenix Open just wrapped up, the Super Bowl happened, and somewhere between the nachos and the Coronas, that January fitness commitment got a little fuzzy around the edges. Here’s what I want you to know: that’s not failure. That’s just golf.
Yes, golf.
See, we don’t throw our clubs in the dumpster after a bad round. We don’t quit the game because we shot 92 instead of 82. We shake it off, reset our mindset, and come back to the course ready to try again. The exact same philosophy should apply to our fitness and lifestyle goals—especially the ones we’re pursuing specifically to play better golf.
The Perfection Trap
I’ve noticed something interesting about golfers: we’re weirdly comfortable with imperfection on the course, but absolutely brutal with ourselves off it. We’ll laugh about a triple bogey with our buddies, but mention that you fell off your diet for a weekend, and suddenly you’re treating it like a career-ending scandal.
“Nobody expects to play a perfect round of golf. When we don’t shoot -18, we don’t throw our clubs in the dumpster behind the clubhouse. We just reset. And try again the next time out. The exact same mindset applies to getting in shape.”
That mindset shift is everything. Your body isn’t keeping score like a scorecard. Your fitness journey isn’t a single tournament—it’s a season. A career, really. And in golf, we know that consistency beats perfection every single time.
The Strategy That Works for *You*
Here’s where things get really interesting. Over the years, I’ve talked to countless golfers who’ve tried every diet, every workout program, every wellness trend that promised to transform their game. And you know what the pattern is? The ones who succeed aren’t necessarily the most disciplined. They’re the ones who figured out what actually fits their lifestyle.
Maybe keto makes you miserable. Maybe that grueling 5 AM running routine leaves you exhausted and grumpy—and let’s be honest, nobody wants to play eighteen holes with someone who’s already cranky at breakfast. Maybe eating chicken and broccoli for every meal turned you into a person your family doesn’t recognize.
“This doesn’t make you weak-willed or a failure. It means that you tried a path that doesn’t work for your particular lifestyle. No big deal.”
That’s not weakness. That’s data. That’s you running an experiment, getting results, and making an informed decision. Professional golfers do this all the time. When a club or strategy isn’t working, they switch it up. Hideki Matsuyama’s driver let him down during a tournament, so he reached for his 3-wood on the tee. Same goal—different approach.
The lifestyle lesson here? Stop trying to force yourself into someone else’s fitness mold. Your buddy might thrive on intermittent fasting while you need three solid meals a day. Your coworker might be a CrossFit enthusiast while you prefer yoga and walking. Neither path is objectively “right.” The right path is the one you’ll actually stick with.
Building a Sustainable Game Plan
If you’re starting fresh with your fitness and wellness goals—and especially if you’re doing it specifically to improve your golf game—think in increments instead of overhauling everything at once.
Start with mobility work. Make it a daily habit before you add anything else. Seven days of consistent, simple movement. Get your body used to showing up for itself. Then, when that becomes automatic, add one more element. Maybe it’s improving your nutrition at one specific meal. Maybe it’s adding strength training twice a week. The goal is to build layered habits that feel manageable, not monumental.
“By the time spring hits, you’ll be doing a handful of really impactful things without even thinking.”
This is the real magic. By spring—when the course is in peak condition and your season is really ramping up—you won’t be white-knuckling through some extreme fitness regimen. You’ll simply be living your lifestyle. The habits will be automatic. The results will be real.
The Season Ahead
Golf season is ramping up. The weather’s warming, the courses are calling, and I can feel that collective energy building. But the best rounds of golf don’t come from quick fixes or weekend overhauls. They come from people who’ve built sustainable habits that serve their bodies and minds.
So if your last attempt at getting fit was a total disaster, I’m officially giving you permission to try again. Not the same way. Not with judgment or self-recrimination. But with curiosity. With the same grace you’d extend to a bad round on the back nine. With the understanding that this is a reset, not a restart.
Your fitness journey and your golf game aren’t separate things. They’re deeply connected. And both of them deserve the same patient, persistent, realistic approach that’s made golf the greatest game on earth.
Now get out there and try different.
