What Things Should Be on Your Golf Bucket List

With the clocks having changed and winter now well and truly on the way this is a time of year when many of us effectively go into hibernation mode. Some of you will be hanging up the clubs until spring while the rest of us will become slaves to the weather.

But this is also the perfect time to start looking ahead, so why not draw up a golf bucket list?

We all have things that we want to do and achieve in golf, so perhaps you should get yourself a piece of paper or open up your laptop and get your thoughts down.

Where to start?

Destinations

If you have never played golf abroad, check out some of the great golf destinations around Europe. I have played in France, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Turkey and loved them all. There is a perception that playing golf abroad can be costly but if you check out Golfbreaks you may be pleasantly surprised. 

If you hire clubs at your destination then yes, of course the cost can quickly soar. And the same applies if you opt to play some of the championship courses in Spain and Portugal. But shop around and I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.

The best thing about playing in the likes of Portugal and Spain is that you are guaranteed great weather - and there are few things to beat playing this wonderful game under blue skies and with the sun shining high in the sky.

Why not check out some destinations that are a little further afield? I have no hesitation in recommending Florida, which boasts dozens of first-class courses, not to mention glorious beaches, theme parks and a great climate.

Golfbreaks is the ideal starting point for your search - you will find some great ideas and some incredible bargains.

Courses

Draw up a list of the courses in the UK that you have always wanted to play. 

It goes without saying that if you want to play our finest championship courses in the summer then you are going to have to dig deep - very deep. 

But check out what they can offer during the winter and early spring. And resort courses such as The Belfry and Celtic Manor, which have both hosted the Ryder Cup and countless DP World Tour events, regularly have great stay-and-play offers.

Or why not make the conscious decision to put some money away each week to enable you to afford to play that course of your dreams?

Resort Golf

I count my blessings on a daily basis. In 2024 I have visited some of the most incredible golf resorts in Britain. 

There is a perception that golf resorts treat visitors poorly, that they just want to take your money and that the courses they provide are generally pretty poor. Carden Park, near Chester, proved quite conclusively to me that this is not the case. The two courses were magnificent, the food was incredible and the accommodation was sumptuous. Cowdray Golf Club was not far behind. 

Take some time to do your research - there are some fabulous golf resorts on our doorsteps that deserve to be on anybody’s bucket list.

Custom Fit

I cannot recommend custom-fitted golf clubs highly enough. I have had every club in my bag fitted to my swing and my game - including my putter. 

I have had several sets of custom-fitted clubs during my life and when I returned to the game early in 2024 after a long injury layoff I knew that the clubs in my bag were no longer right for me. 

I knew that my clubhead speed had reduced. Having a full fitting was a game-changer. I initially struggled with the driver but that all changed when I went to see Golfshake’s very own Ryan Rastall. He fitted me for a TaylorMade Qi10 driver with a shorter-than-normal shaft - and I am hitting the ball as well as I have done for years, although I have had to accept that it no longer travels as far as it once did.

I know that custom-fitting is not cheap but I promise you that it is well worth the money - and it most definitely something that should be on your bucket list.

Pro Tournaments

If you have never attended a DP World Tour event, make 2025 the year when that changes. It is true that you get a more comprehensive view of the tournament if you sit at home and watch on television but there is nothing better than being there and watching it unfold live and sampling the atmosphere. And when you get up close you really do get a sense of just how well these professionals hit the ball. 

You might be concerned that if you go to, say, the British Masters or BMW PGA Championship then the vast crowds may prevent you from getting a good view. 

Why not go along to the practice days when the crowds are sparse and the players are far more relaxed about interacting with the fans?

Handicap

Set yourself some personal "bucket list" goals. Surely the goal for each and every one of us is to improve the way that we play the game?

Why not commit to booking yourself a series of lessons? And if you do so, get out there on the driving range and practice what you have been taught. If it does not click straight away stick with it until it feels natural. 

If you have steered clear of monthly medals commit yourself to playing in more of them and adopt a more strategic approach to your game.

Targets

A golf bucket list is not complete without setting yourself some targets to achieve before you hang up your clubs for good. It might be to break 90 or 80. It might even be breaking 70. It could be breaking par. It could be keeping a six or a seven off your card. 

And it should definitely include wanting to record a hole in one. I have managed four and I can still recall them all as clearly today as the moment when the ball disappeared from view. Sadly, I can also remember how much money they cost me. Don’t ask me about the hole-in-one I achieved at Waldringfield in Suffolk during an Ipswich Town FC Open Day. I said, don’t ask….

Accessories

I can only speak from personal experience but if you are somebody who is getting on in years, perhaps it is time to put the purchase of a top-of-the-range electric trolley on your bucket list. I took delivery of a Motocaddy trolley in 2024. I play a lot of golf, much of it on hilly courses, and this has been a game changer for me.

And if you are somebody who depends on 150-yard markers to work out your distances to the flag, could you be better served by putting a GPS device of some description on your bucket list? Since returning to the game, one of the things that has struck me is just how many of my fellow golfers now have some sort of device to tell them how far they have to go. 

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