What Are Your 2021 Golf Goals?

[uitar9]

I'm gonna stick with last years activities.

Reduce my handicap by 3, from 18 to 15 through:

-Better course management. I know, generally, my club distances. I have to remind myself of that fact every time I get to any 185+ obstacle. I won't clear it. (Driver 205 max, with roll).  GIR +1 is OK

-Stop hitting stupid shots after a bad shot. Have to remind myself, I'll lower my score faster through fewer double and triples, rather that a birdie once a month.

-continuing to work on strength and stretching-Been walking , doing pushups, planks, stretching and no ball club swinging for almost two years. Less tired when walking the back 9 and hitting the ball a little further.

Finished 2020 at 18. Finished 2019 at 19.8. Finished 2019 at 23.3

Slipped on the ice in November and fell on my shoulder. Right now, attacking physio like its a job. I want to golf in April. Its coming along pretty good. Nothing broken. Just extreme bruising.

[Esox]

I need to get more consistent with the driver. Short game is doing very well, I hit the greenjust under 75% from 165 yards in, even given my propensity to go after ill advised pins., But I hit less than 50% of the fairways off the tee, and a lot of those misses were beyond ugly.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Esox

[GolfLug]

Welp, am on to a galloping start:

1. Join EMCC again.

Done! Joined a completely redone EMCC after a 2-year break. It is in fantastic shape and the new owner is a committed developer. All my friends are members too now. Couldn't be happier.

I will be happy to average between 2 and 3 rounds per month as committed as life is to work and family, but I found a normalcy and consistency when I was tied to my club. So even though round to cost ratio is silly, it is worth it for me. I play through cold season as long as course is open (no official shut down period) so that should help.

2. Get back my swing width and speed. 

Got a good jump start back in September after a visit with @iacas but some personal stuff got me off track. Am back in last two weeks with a renewed sense of purpose and am practicing with a SS radar indoors 4-5 nights a week with wiffle balls and camera. My ankle injury does not seem to be much of a physical or mental factor anymore.

3. Golf trip/trips.

Thanks to @cipherand @iacas, looking forward to a smashing trip to SV up in Wisconsin this summer. I will bake in one here that is more local on the east coast that I do with my group here.

4. GHIN.

Some low hanging fruit here. I haven't been a 15+ in 7-8 years. With my ankle  injury behind me, I think 4-5 shots should drop off fairly quickly. A sub 10 would be great but am not terribly worried about it. Just a number 😉.

[Sandy Lie]

Actually gave this some thought after yesterday’s round.  I played 243 rounds this year, had Stats entered on 229.   My high round of the year was a 90. Lowest was a 72.  Average round was a 77.  I hit 67% of my fairways, my GIR’s was 44%.  I averaged 31 putts a round. Current HDCP is 5.5, low for the year was 4.4

Having said all that my goals for 2021 are few, so here they are:

1. Have more patience on the course. Rushing my approach shots as my GIR % suggests is that I hurry to much. I don’t take a practice swing very often, maybe 1 or 2 round. 
2. Club selection.  Again the GIR stat, most of my shots to the green are short.  Not by much, but missing short on my home courses makes for lots of chipping or outing from off the green. 
3. As I just mentioned, chipping around the green.  I absolutely have to bet better on this. I would say it costs me several shots a round. (4-5 shots I’m guessing). 
4. Bunker play, it’s ironic that I’m actually pretty good at that green side, but I need to get better at long bunker shots.  It’s funny how the bunkers at the Pinehurst courses are inconsistent in terms of the amount of sand they have.  Tight lie in a bunker is not uncommon. 
5.  Putting....I find this  to be a strength but there are times I get to nonchalant about short putts when I just walk up to tap in and carelessly miss.  Again patience and sticking to pre-shot routine.

Im sure I’ve missed a few but I think these goals will help me play better.

[iacas]

My SMART goals…

• 3x weekly SuperSpeed/Mach 3 through at least April, with sessions at least weekly after that through at least September. Topic here.
• Maintain sub-zero handicap throughout the year.
• Play 40 or more 18-hole rounds.

It's my last year with my daughter around, so though I'd love to think I'm going to play a lot more this year, I think that'll be next year for the most part.

[bweiss711]

My 2021 goals:

1) Maintain detailed stats for every round I play using Arccos, TheGrint, and a homemade spreadsheet.

2) Maintain an active streak for the entire calendar year in the "5 Minutes Daily" Practice Challenge.

• Focus of this year's practice will be ball striking.
• Improved tee-to-green will get my score below 90 more often. 
• Won't worry about short game or putting in an official capacity until tee-to-green improves.

3) Lower my index by hitting more greens and giving away fewer shots.

• Index lower than 17.2 (my current index).
• 25% GIR (22% in 2020) 
• 75% GIR+nGIR
• Average less than 3 penalty strokes per 18 holes.

4) Play at least 10 courses I've never played before.

[Sandy Divot]

Have fun. Improve putting and sand game. Find some comfortable shoes.

[JuliWooli]

Last season's Goals        This season's goals

1) Learn to keep cool when playing with golfers who get on my nerves.

1) Life's too short, don't play with these golfers if at all possible. I have a list of golfers who I submitted to the club who I refuse to play with.

2) Win the club championship.

2) Maybe a few other trophies as well but this is my no.1

3) Work on my reverse pivot.

3) Fix my extreme sway to the right during the backswing.

4) Improve my mental attitude... Nervousness, panic, temper and hostility towards my playing partners (especially the ones who annoy me).

4) Improve my mental attitude without drugs (cut down on my marijuana intake).

5) Refrain from love making the night before a tournament

5) Refrain from love making the night before a tournament

6) Find out why amateur golfers over index 5 use a Bushnell Rangefinder or the like.

6) Stop playing with golfers who use one of these devises and no, I don't want to know the distance to the hole from anywhere. F??? off!

7) Find people who want to play with me.

7) Hold onto the only person who plays with me. Thanks Dad.

Edited January 2, 2021 by JuliWooli

[WillieT]

I found that I tinker too much with clubs - I played 3 different sets and never got really consistent with any.  Therefore - equipment wise, the goal is to stay the course with the clubs I consistent scored best with. 

Drives - (per the Garmin S20) drives on "average" ended up 11 yards right.  Work to get them more towards center or even may a little left (baby draw).   

Approaches - too many too short.  Work on the range to "know" my clubs and their distances (goes back to the first comment on equipment - know the clubs by sticking to one set). 

Putts - too many 3putts+.  Drop putting average to less than 2/hole average (per the S20 stats running 2.2).  Too many par 3's this year that were 3 putt bogies!   Areas to work: accuracy from 6-8' in, too many misses just left or right; lag work - control speed to keep ball from stopping short and running way past.  Work on this with the practice mat in the house (many an hour with the grandson as he loves putt-putt in the house).   

Overall scoring - this will remain from last year.  Work on consistently breaking 90. 

 

[DeadMan]

3 short, simple goals for 2021:

1. Don't lose months of the golf season from an injury.
2. Reduce my handicap to the 5 range.
3. Have fun when I get the chance to play.

Number 1 should be achievable by keeping sharp objects away from me. Number 2 should be achievable with some decent practice. Need to keep working on my swing, but also still primarily short game and putting. Number 3 is something that I need to keep in mind when I do play. I'm mostly successful at it. However, I probably won't be playing that much this year because I have a 1-year old and a 5-year old, so I want to make sure that when I do play, I have fun.

[boogielicious]

My goals for 2021

1. Lower my handicap into the single digits. To accomplish this I will work on the following:
   1. Improve ball striking by reducing early extension with drills from Evolvr. I’ve been working on this for a few weeks. I made a lot of improvement in other areas and this is the new priority piece.
   2. Using MEVO, determine my carry distance yardage for all my clubs including partial wedges. Get ranges. Use lower end of range on the course.
   3. Map out my shot zones with all my clubs. This may be difficult as I will not go into an indoor trackman range until The ‘Rona calms down. But I can determine my direction at the range. My misses have been pulls and over draws. The aim of this is to improve GIR and nGIR.
   4. Using range time, work on pitching and chipping to various targets that require different carries. Use different clubs to try and reach the same target so I am prepared on course.
   5. Optimize driver launch and spin and set up position. I got a handle on this last fall but need to dial it in more.
   6. Practice sand shots more. Spent very little time on this last year.
   7. Use Blast Motion device for rhythm training with my putter and clubs. I tend to speed up on the course at times.
2. Increase my max driver speed to 105 and my playing speed to 100.
   1. SuperSpeed training and core fitness work.
   2. Add additional training as needed and stick with the program
3. Play more. The ‘Rona and injury slowed me down last year.
4. Play at least five new courses. 
5. Visit Erie and Golf Evolution. I hear it is nice when it stops snowing.
6. Meet more Sandtrappers in person.
7. Be less hard on myself in general.

[DennisMiller]

3 hours ago, DeadMan said:

3 short, simple goals for 2021:

1. Don't lose months of the golf season from an injury.

I can definitely relate to that. As hot, humid and uncomfortable as it is most of the year here in Miami, I really enjoy the 2-3 months of cooler weather we get.

For the past 4 years, I had knee issues, carpel tunnel surgery, shoulder bone spur issues and later surgery. I missed the best part of the golf weather and this year. I'm hoping to get through it without an injury.

I hope you can avoid any problems, but honestly, a screen name like DeadMan? Really???  It sounds like you have given up.  

[NCGolfer]

Thought about this a bit.  Some are similar to @iacas:

1. Stick with Swingspeed for the first few months of the year.  Goal is to gain 5-10 MPH.
2. Keep plus handicap for entire year
3. Win Club Championship
4. Keep my son playing throughout the year

Last one isn't for me specifically but I know I'll play more if he's playing.  He's starting to enjoy it and hope to keep him going.

[Slim_Pivot]

1. Get handicap down to at least 2, preferably 0

• Be able to hit driver all the time 
• keep working on swing 
• Must limit 3 putts 

2. Become a better putter

• Get a putting mat to be able to practice stroke
• Limit 3 putts to 1 per 18 holes (last year average had to be 3 per 18)
• take an aim point class and become a better green reader

Edited January 13, 2021 by Slim_Pivot

[SEMI_Duffer]

My goals for 2021:

• Hit the ground running when the season starts
• Get my handicap down to ±20  (it's currently north of 40)

I hope to achieve these goals by:

• Putting practice on a regular basis throughout the off season
• On-line instruction to improve my long game during the off season
• Hit a nearby heated outdoor range as often as possible
• Weight training at my gym, incl. some golf-specific routines
• Getting my flexibility back to where it should be
• When spring rolls 'round: Schedule some time with a local instructor for my bunker game

Ambitious goals, perhaps, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp :)

[StuM]

2021 Golf Goals:

1) Overall lower scoring (duh).  Overall scoring in 2020 ranged from a low of 93 to a high of 110 (only 1 score over 105) with an average of 102.  I want to break 90 (shoot 89 or lower) and limit my worst round to 104.  I want the average to be 99 or lower.  I'm not certain how that translate so my H.I.  In 2020 my H.I. ranged from 24.7 to 26.3 and ended the year at 24.8 and would expect those to be a little lower if my overall scoring drops (unless I play only the real easy courses).

2) Improve fairways hit with my driver. Per GameGolf in 2020 I hit the fairway @ 33% (@ 4-5 per round) of the time, was Left 32%, and Right 36%.  I figure 50% in the fairway is a reasonable goal.  That would mean miss left/right  @ 25% each.   This should lead to fewer OB and other drop penalties when missing to far in either directly.  Also, my 2nd shots should be better if I am not behind a tree.

3) Improve approach to green statistics.  Per GameGolf in 2020 I was 50% inside 100 years and @ 33% from 100-150 yards.  I am going to shoot for 65% inside 100 yards and 50% from 100-150 yards.  Once outside 150 my numbers drop hard and fast and I am not going to focus on those this year.

4) Reduce 3-Putts.  Per GameGolf in 2020 I had 3-Putts on 25% of the holes - that is 4-5 per round (Ouch).  I would love to say "No 3-Putts" but figure that would be unrealistic.  I want to post 2 rounds without any 3-putts and reduce overall 3-puts to 15%.  

OK, now here is my plan to accomplish the above.

A) Take an AimPoint class(s) in spring of 2021

B) Actually "Practice" putting other than just stroking a few before a round.  Go to a practice green (leave other clubs at home so no temptation to hit them) weekly.  Be sure to practice what I learn in AimPoint.

C) Take 4 in-person lessons with my pro.  One lesson would focus on the driver and one on approach shots.  I need to incorporate better shot/club selection on the inside 100 approaches, I'm too dependent on the high-loft clubs with, hopefully, accurate distance control.  I feel maybe if I use a longer iron with partial swing to roll some up to the hole instead of trying to always come in high & soft would be an added skill to my game.  Part of my approach problem is I hit my LW 70 yards (full swing) and for shorter distances I struggle to get the correct swing to match the distance & terrain of the green.   The other two would be more general lessons.

D) Weekly range sessions.  Segmented @ 50% driver, 25% long-irons and 25% picking a target less than 100 yards (use diff target distance each session) and hit 3 different clubs to the same target.  

 

[gerald463]

1. Lose weight (lost 20 lbs since 2021 started already)

2. Walk the course more

3. Consistently shoot below 100

4. Score in the low 90s or better at least once this year. 

5. Continue to bring my handicap down. (Hopefully into the teens this year). 

6. Spend less money on golf balls (Avoid water and the woods). 

[NotThatRobLowe]

Goals for 2021

1. Bring Index under 17 from current 21.9 (from 30.1 18 months ago)

2. Keep working on Impact Zone 5 Dynamics

3. Range 1-2 times per week.

4. Largely eliminate penalties.

5. Improve putting to largely eliminate three putts and increase one putts.

6. Smart choices and controlled tempo off the tee to improve FIR to >50%

7. Improve Iron play to improve GIR to > 40%

8. Improve up and in from < 30 yds to > 50%

9. Improve pars and bogeys from < 120 yds > 80%