When top players assess their strengths and weaknesses, they tend to evaluate them relative to these key areas. For example, in the off season, a player might start with the technical aspects of their game. They are comparing the strengths and weaknesses of their putting skills vs. their overall short game finesse. They are looking at greens in regulation statistics and drive distance. As they break these areas down, they begin to not only develop a sense of what is going right and what is going wrong, but are able to develop an action plan going forward.

Then, they move to the other key components evaluating each area thoroughly and completely looking for relative strengths and weaknesses and looking for performance improvement opportunities. Other questions they are asking…

-How strong is my support system to help me achieve my goals in golf? What do I need to do to improve my support system?

-How strong and flexible am I? Do I have the range of motion I need to pull off all the shots I have in my repertoire?

-Do I have properly fitted and appropriate equipment for my body and current abilities?

-Am I getting the quality practice time I need and is my actual practice schedule varied and directed towards my need and desire to improve?

-Am I getting enough sleep, taking enough breaks from consistent playing and practicing to feel energized and inspired for the long term health of my game?

As you can see, there are lots of questions you can ask relative to each of these individual areas. This may seem overwhelming at first, but can have a dramatic impact on a player’s ability to accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses and then go on to make significant improvement gains with their golf games and playing performance. From a fitness perspective, stay focused on your strength, endurance, nutrition and flexibility as the key elements of success in junior golf.