Create your Golf Training Plan (PDF)
for more consistency and distance

The Golf Training Plan – What should you focus on when creating your golf training plan?

A golf training plan helps you improve your game step by step. It gives you structure, focus, motivation and clarity, especially when you know what you want to improve and how to get there.

Golf has many different areas that need regular training to maintain or improve performance, such as swing technique, short game, fitness or mental game. That is why it often makes sense to include several areas in your plan. However, a plan does not have to cover everything at once. You can also focus on one specific goal, such as putting or improving ball turf contact, depending on your available time and biggest current need.

The following 13 points give you guidance on what to consider when designing your training plan. They help you practice more effectively, see progress and become a more consistent player over time.

1. Clear goal setting

– Define your long term objectives such as lowering your handicap, gaining consistency or increasing distance
– Set specific milestones that lead you there step by step
– Make your goals measurable, for example through fairways hit, three putt percentage or up and down rate
– Example: Increase fairways hit from 45 percent to 60 percent within eight weeks

2. Structure and periodization (optional)

– Divide your training year into meaningful phases
– Winter (preparation): technique, mobility, strength
– Spring (season start): timing, ball flight, course strategy, technique
– Summer (competition): scoring, mental routines, consistency
– Fall (transition): analysis, recovery, fine tuning
– Each phase should have a clear main focus

3. Key focus areas

– Technique: ball turf contact, direction control, rotation, sequencing
– Short game: putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play
– Fitness: mobility, core stability, strength, balance
– Mental game: focus, routines, visualization
– Course strategy: club selection, target planning, risk management
– If you have limited time, choose one area and stay consistent with it

4. Personalization

– Adapt the plan to your current skill level
– Start with a short current state analysis to understand where you stand
– Example: If you often hit fat shots, focus on drills that improve ball turf contact

5. Progression and variation

– Gradually increase difficulty from simple to complex
– Add variety to keep motivation and learning high
– Example: After three weeks of technique work, test it on the course under real conditions

6. Training methods

– Block the ball flight and focus on movement instead of result
– Practice in slow motion to perform movements with control
– Use exaggeration to feel the correct position more clearly
– Master of control game to train awareness and control of the club
– Use video analysis to compare feel versus real movement

7. Review and adjustment

– Review your progress every four to six weeks
– Use videos or notes to make changes visible
– Adjust the plan if one area becomes stable or a new focus becomes more relevant

8. Documentation

– Write down after each session what you practiced and how it felt
– Record progress in numbers or impressions
– Example: 20 chips, 8 within 2 meters, felt stable, what helped: X

9. Practice and play

– Regularly transfer what you practice to the course
– Play with a clear strategy to see if the changes hold up under pressure
– Example: 9 hole round focusing on safe shots rather than distance

10. Recovery and regeneration

– Plan rest periods, especially after technical training phases
– Stretching, mobility or light yoga maintain flexibility
– Progress happens not only through training but also through recovery

11. Nutrition and hydration

– Stay hydrated and eat lightly before practice
– Stable energy keeps your focus and precision high

12. Consistency and flexibility

– Train regularly, even in short sessions
– Adjust your plan when time, energy or focus change
– Example: 20 minutes of targeted technique training are better than none

13. Motivation and environment

– Set clear weekly structures such as Monday technique, Wednesday short game, Friday fitness, Sunday course play
– Visible small improvements keep motivation high