Your 2008 Goals: How'd You Do?

[Gus Riley]

Toward the beginning of the 2008 season I got back into golf after 15 years away from it. Before I left the game I sported a solid 10 handicap. My goal this year was to move down the handicap board from 20 or so to at least 15...at the close of 2008 I'm shooting a 12!! So progress is really good!

[Scott_Tee]

2008, I was on a budeget due to the economy tanking, but the game is still there, and primed. I just need to play more.

[JaY_B]

I went backwards this year, back to the drawing board!.

[Clublink7]

Break 80 and get my handicap down into single digits.

I accomplished both breaking 80 approximately 10 - 20 times while keeping my handicap around a 8 -9

[artfulgolfer]

I started playing nearly 4 years ago. Got down from 16 to 8 my first year and broke 80, down to 4 my second year and shot par, and down to 3 my third.

My 2008 goals were to get down to 2 and break 70. I just shot 68 last weekend for my first sub-70 round ever, but haven't gotten below 2.4 yet. It took 2 years to get from 16 to 4, but after 2 more years, I still haven't gotten from 4 to 2! I can chalk that up to my shaky putting.

[slackhouse]

I started playing golf in the summer of 2007.

My goal for this past year was to break 90.

I shot 87 on Wednesday to meet my goal.

[iacas]

Practice more.

FAIL

Didn't happen. Heck, I probably practiced less than I did in 2007, which was less than I did in 2008. The range at Lake View was grown awfully tall this year (because it was new) and the range at Whispering Woods didn't open. I was basically without a range.

Reduce handicap index to 2.0 or lower.

SUCCESS

If only briefly, my handicap got down to 1.8 at one point.

Mentally commit to every shot prior to hitting it.

INDETERMINATE

Better than 2007, though. You can't ever "SUCCEED" at this one - you can only try to get better. So I guess that's success in its own way.

Work on the short game.

SUCCESS

I did work on my short game more. Still no short game area, but my putting and chipping improved dramatically this year, mostly due to the Z Factor and the Utley short game book.

Improve my lag.

INDETERMINATE

My lag (and distance) improves greatly when I swing properly. Properly for me is a more upright swing that really helps me delay the clubhead on the downswing.

One round in the 60s.

FAIL.

'Nuff said.

Some stats:

INDETERMINATE

Score (avg): 76.14 (FAIL), FWY: 51.08% (FAIL), GIR: 44.76% (FAIL), Total Putts: 28.81 (SUCCESS), PPGIR: 1.86 (FAIL), PPMGIR: 1.39 (CBNC) Not the best year for ball-striking. Not at all. Am planning to take lessons next year.

[Fourputt]

I only had one stated goal this year, and that was to shoot at least one round in the 70's. I hadn't done that for 8 years, due to injuries and concurrent lack of playing time. I'm pleased to say that I achieved my goal, played 7 sub 80 rounds, and at least 10-15 rounds of exactly 80. I'm happy with that result.

[JaY_B]

FAIL

Sounds pretty similar to my year... big fail for both of us

lol. I have found out though through research in to psychology and relating it to golf I am far to ego orientated, which through hindsight makes it obvious why I struggled so much this year.

[Pinseeker81]

My goals are to move the ball forward once on every swing with my irons. And to get triple digit yardages with everything with more loft than my putter.

I guess I met these.

[FortAsel]

A big miserable fail at most of them. I guess that, because I had to rebuilt my swing over the summer, I did not do what I should have done.

In other words, I guess that this year was a preparation year for the 2009 campaing lol

[niblick]

Acheived!

I shot 79 on a par 67 course on the last day of our handicap season. That cut me to 15.9 - my goal for the year and the lowest I've ever been. My putting has improved, and my iron game is much better. Still wild as hell off the tee, so that's my project for the coming year. Make driver less of a liability.

[Big_M]

1st and foremost... PLAY LOTS of GOLF - should be possible since moving south.

60 rounds so far... not bad, but not great 80-100 would be better.

break or shoot par for 18... low so far is 77.

broke par on one side... but not for 18 yet... 4 over is closest, but was playing mostly new courses.

single digits... 10.5 now, want to hit 8 by next year.

7.8 right now... up from 7.2 during late summer... good

resist urge to buy any new clubs... But, get an igolf (GPS)

bought some wedges, but was in need... not to bad

help my wife improve consistency and get closer to keeping score on EVERY hole. She has only played a year and a half and she's getting close to consistently having scoreable holes (4-8ish).

not so much... she's better, but eye surgery has kept her from playing much as of late.

nice straight left arm and good release.

better, but still work to be done... easier now with camera

[Fraser]

At the beginning of the year I wasn't playing and my clubs were unloved in a cupboard at one of my Mum's houses 3800 miles away! It wasn't until I was over on one of my trips during the summer and she threatened to throw them out (I found out after I'd flown home she was joking!) that I thought I'd better, finally, after 3yrs take them back to the US with me...the day after I got back I was hacking away at the driving range.

[Shindig]

I started 2007 at 128 lbs. I'm now 141.5, and I want to raise that to 155 by Dec 30 2008. Naturally, one way to do this is to drink a lot of beer. But I really want to do this by making it good weight. Since I exercise regularly, with weights, stretching, and yoga, I think I can make this. I also eat regularly, but good food. Lots of protein.

I'm not entirely sure how, but I didn't gain weight. I'm still at 140, give or take a pound. I know I lost 3 pounds during a 2 week stretch in late March / early April, when I was writing my Masters Thesis. Going from 0 to done in 2 weeks was a nice trick, but I went through a lot of coffee and didn't do much more than write, eat, drink, and sleep.

I'd like to get my handicap down to the teens by my birthday (June 28). Seeing as how I've already posted a differential in the teens (19.x), I think this is doable if I keep playing. This isn't so much a goal as a symptom of two other goals. Which brings me to:

July 1 handicap: 18.5, which I'm pretty sure was accomplished by June 28.

No downtime! I have Mondays off of school next quarter and my Fridays end at 10am; at least, this is for official obligations (classes, etc). I'm going to spend some of that on research, for sure, but with all that time, I should be able to play at least twice a month, preferably weekly. I'll use a game on Monday to reward myself for the past week's worth of making progress on my research, and it'll keep me alert and focused on both my goals (academic and athletic).

Winter: did some practice

Spring: played tons. Hcp from mid-20s to teens. Summer: played weekends + Wednesdays ; handicap from 18 to 16. Fall: barely played, not much practice. Made great progress at school.

I want to keep my focus on every hole, or at least every shot. I'm getting really annoyed after rounds when I realize that it was only 2-4 holes that destroyed my score. My "best ball" score at my home course is 70 (there are 4 holes I've birdied at some point, and only 2 where my best score is bogey). So, if I keep my focus, I should be able to play well.

Fewer blow-up holes now. Sure, there are still some double-bogeys, but the worse-than-double bogeys are endangered. Good riddance, I say!

Really, my goal is to continue having fun playing golf. Keeping my focus and playing regularly will help me with this goal. The fact that I'm playing means I'm having fun. I believe my handicap will enter the teens as a symptom of this.

Yes.

Oh, and I'd really like to have a round with fewer than 30 putts without artificially causing this. I realize I could deliberately miss each green and chip on and make a few saves and end up with fewer than 30 putts, but I'd like it to be natural.

I stopped tracking putts, as it was causing me to think of the number of putts as soon as I got the ball onto the green. I doubt I had a round with fewer than 30 putts, but I did have a round without a 3-putt.