What do baseball, football, basketball and golf all have in common? They all have a preseason, regular season, postseason and offseason.

Like many kids growing up, I had the dream of being a professional athlete, but there was only one problem with this: It was just a dream. I never made it into a goal because I never had a plan in place to make it a reality. This could be the reason I made a move into coaching — I wanted to help people design a plan to make their dreams into goals.

If you are like me, playing certain rigorous sports is just not possible anymore. I don’t think my legs can handle the back-and-forth movement like I could when I was a kid. I know that is a fact, because it hurts to bend down to read a putt now.

One thing I do know is that I still love to play sports and love to compete. Golf allows me to do that. Hockey, not as much.

But through all my years of playing competitive baseball, I learned some valuable lessons on how to prepare properly for the season. Preparation is just as inherent in golf as it is baseball or other sports.

And it doesn’t matter if you are striving to win your club championship or looking to break 100, if you follow this simple plan you will be on your way to being well-prepared for your golf season. By breaking down the year into four segments, you will prepare your game for peak performance at the right time.

1. Preseason

Baseball taught me preseason is a time to develop new skills and get your feet wet by playing exhibition games. Results were not as important as getting back into the flow of things. So, in golf your preseason is the time to make the necessary swing changes to become a better ball striker. Working on short-game technique is also important. You should also make a point to play some rounds of golf if possible, as this will provide you with feedback on what areas may still need improvement or just to give you some reference points.

2. Regular Season

Once the season has fully started your practice and training should shift to more game-like situations. Referring back to baseball, during our practice in the season we would focus on scrimmages and challenges. The same principles apply to golf. Turning your range session into a round of golf will provide you with game-like situations that can be translated onto the course.

For example, pick out a fairway on the driving range and see how many balls you can hit in a row out of 10. Then hit 10 shots to a target with an iron and see how many would land on the green. Each time you should be trying to improve your percentages. Practicing like you play will give you the best opportunity to succeed on the course. Having a purpose with objective goals will make you more confident in your game.

3. Postseason

This part of the year is where you want everything to come together. This would be the playoffs in baseball leading up to the World Series. Post-season golf will typically be the end of the year tournaments to determine the season-ending champion. It can also be the last few opportunities to play and still work toward achieving a career-best round. Practice time should be strictly focused on improving performance, not thinking about technique. Your mind should be clear of all swing thoughts and your only thought should be on the target. Pressure can start to kick in more, so practicing and challenging your friends will help prepare you for this part of the season.

4. Offseason

It’s very important to have an offseason. Start by putting the clubs away briefly for a chance to reflect and set goals for the next year.

Most professional athletes spend their offseasons strength training to be prepared for next year. This is just as true in golf. Under the direction of a qualified fitness professional, make your offseason a time to prepare your fitness levels for top performance.

It’s fun to dream and wish, but it’s more gratifying to reach goals. This year, make a change to how you approach your training and set it up like a baseball season. Have a goal of what you want to achieve during the preseason, regular season, postseason and then offseason.

Spend extra time during the preseason developing the skills needed to reach a higher level and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you can achieve.