My 8-Week Golf Training Plan

And it's realistic for a parent of young kids who also has a full-time job.

Last year, I trained for a marathon. For 14 weeks, I followed a running plan to the letter—gradually increasing mileage, mixing in long runs and speed runs, and staying consistent even when it wasn’t convenient. By the time race day rolled around, I couldn’t believe what my body could do. I didn’t just survive the marathon, I somehow beat my goal time.

It opened my eyes to how much the human body can achieve when we follow a plan, and it made me wonder: What if I treated my annual golf tournament the same way?

Every June for the last five years, I play in the same tournament. It’s become a tradition that marks the start of summer, a chance to test my game, reconnect with badass women, play an incredible course, and see how my skills hold up under pressure. It’s just one tournament a year, and always during the first weekend in June, but it always sneaks up on me, and I usually go into it undercooked—swing rusty, short game touch elusive, mindset wobbly. But not this year.

This year, I’ve…