Getting Better in 2026

Chapter 10 of Michael Bamberger’s “To the Linksland” is titled Stark, a nod to legendary Scottish golf professional John Stark, a man who had a lifelong impact on the author. The chapter is 10 pages long and takes just a few minutes to read, but as I traversed its pages on New Year's Eve, those few minutes fundamentally recentered the way I thought about golf heading into 2026.

I know I’m not the first person impacted by “To The Linksland.” Bamberger’s experiences and stories have entertained and informed many a golfer for more than 30 years. But as someone who was very late to the party and finally sat down to read it last week, I don’t think I could have chosen a better time. A new year always brings with it a series of resolutions and goals, things we want to accomplish both as golfers and humans. As a golfer, that sentiment almost always boils down to “I want to get better,” the exact sentence Bamberger relayed to Stark when they met for the first time. It’s something we all feel this time of year, when most of our clubs are collecting dust in the corner and we’re waiting for warmer weather. But as we prepare for another season of the sport we all love, it’s worth thinking about what “better” really means. As Stark puts it, “Tell me precisely what it is you seek to accomplish.” Maybe that is lower scores and a more aesthetically pleasing golf swing. But maybe it’s simpler than that.

Towards the end of Chapter 10, Stark tells his would-be pupil, “You come to me and say you want to get better, that you want to take lessons from me, but I wonder if you really need them.” By no means was he saying that you shouldn’t seek guidance from your local professional; just about all of us can benefit from that in one form or another. But there are many ways to improve as a golfer, be it through enjoyment, new experiences, or learning from those around us and being more observant. Whatever that may be, let’s hope we all find it in the new year. I hope we all get better.