Halfway through the year - How are you doing in meeting your 2007 goals?

[lamebums]

I just thought I'd throw this one out there, and see how we're all doing with meeting our golf goals this year.

Original Goals:

Eliminate worm burners/toppers with fairway woods - Done. I get the ball up in the air on a regular basis now, but they tend to be 50 yards off line, to the right. I think this is due to a baseball swing and an open clubface, causing pushed shots.

Hit 300 yard drives - I might actually have this one in my bag. I absolutely crushed a few balls off the tee today which probably notched up in the 280, 290 range. Didn't really matter, though: still couldn't putt for shit.

Eliminate three putts - This one has actually gotten worse. Up until this year, I almost never four putted, but I'm getting my share of those now.


New Goals:

Finish in the top 20 in my club championship. Considering there were only 28 people signed up for it as of yesterday, this is a real possibility.

Break 80 this year. I have the game in my bag. It's just one segment of it that goes to hell, ruining an otherwise perfect day.

Get more shots in my bag. I've learned the punch shot out of necessity more than anything else, but I need to hit more reliable explosion shots out of sand (I can pick the ball cleanly just fine), I need to reliably hit a flop shot, and also to draw and fade the ball at will.

Drawing and fading the ball is something I can do at will, but not with any consistency. That controlled fade is in actuality a vicious slice. I am getting better at flop shots, but I keep underestimating how much of a swing I need to get the ball there on a flop shot, and I keep leaving it well short. I'm also getting better at sand shots, but pot bunkers still cause me grief.

And, figure out how to make short putts on a consistent basis. I'm only about 50 percent from five feet, 30 percent from eight feet, and virtually zero from more than ten feet.

[Puttin4Bird]

Great post bum, its not too often that you actually sit back and mid season reflect on how you're doing toward those goals. At least I haven't before, I usually get into my season and don't really pay much attention to focusing on how each goal is working out.

My main goals for this year was to improve my overall ball striking, I hadn't been great at consistently hitting solid shots, regardless of whether or not they were on target I would just miss the flush shot. After an iron lesson a couple of weeks back I have really made progress on this one, most all of my shots are solid. I have worked on my game at the range quite a bit and soon I'll be flushing everyone of them.

My other goal was to cut my 3 putts and switching to a cross hand (left hand low) grip has helped. I still have a tendency to grip too tightly on the course but today I actually caught it mid round and corrected it and the results were good. I'm rolling the ball much better and hope to keep it up.

So overall I think I'd rate myself slightly behind in ball striking but improving and that is good for now, it'll come.

Good topic.

[Warik]

Goal: Break 100.

Came close once with a 105... everything since then has been 108 to 115. I know I have what it takes, just haven't had it all at the same time. One day I'm fine off the tee but can't hit an approach shot to save my life. Another day I'm putting and chipping like a pro, but it takes 4 shots to get to the green.

Soon.

[ILLZ]

I don't even remember what I posted for my goals.

EDIT - found it, I set my goals on May 12th

"At the beginning of the year my handicap was a 24 and I wanted to drop it to at least an 18 or so. Well in about a month I'm already a 19.5, so I think I need to amend that. I'd say as of right now, my goals for the season are to be mid 80's on good days at my home course (69.9, 120). I'd like to break 40 for 9 at least a few times, and overall improve my sand play. It's really the only aspect of my game that is TOTALLY horrible."

Well, I'm still a 19, no progress there. But I'm getting more consistent for sure, with 8 of my last 10 rounds between 87-94... no more 102's. Sand play is getting better after I practiced in the bunker on the second hole for about a half hour 2 weeks ago.

[Norm66]

good thread.

First I'm apalled that the golf season is half over already. I'm not looking forward to the bad weather at all.

My goals were simple: to have several (to prove it's not a fluke) rounds where I break 90. So far I've had two rounds at 92 on the harder of the two courses I play frequently so I think I can do it.

On the way, I've greatly reduced the number of purely wasted shots I take in a round. You know, the ones where you swing with all your might and the ball squirts off in an unexpected direction or just 50 yards or so when 150 yards was more the desired result. My short game is improving with my putting definitely making some good progress.

I'm taking a lesson this week to focus on tee-shots. It's a lot easier to make pars from the fairway than from the mounds/hills/sand/rough etc.

[J.Carr]

Started the year with goals to get down to 7 or lower and i was confident of achieving it as i was playing well in the winter and shooting around par, started the season well two with a net 59 in a medal and a win the next week. However now i am struggling and havent broke 80 in competition in over a month in compettion, driving and puttting gone downhill rapidly hitting 30% of fairways and averaging 36+ putts per round. Yesterday was good though through 9 holes didnt miss a green in regulation and shot -1. Only good point of the year so far is im unbeaten in matchplay for the club!

In the baG
Titleist 905R UST Proforce shaft 9.5
Mizuno T-Zoid 5 wood
Nike NDS Irons 3-PW
Titleist Vokey 56
Taylormade Rac TP Black 52, 60
Yes tracy 2 Putter

[illmadden]

Goals for 2007:

1. At the driving range, focus more on practicing rather than just hitting as many buckets as I can.

2. Play at least 12 rounds this year. I've already played 5 rounds, so I think I'm at a good pace.

3. Shoot a round between 80-85 and lower my handicap. Before I quit the first time, I used to shoot that consistently. I would like to get there again.

4. Enjoy the time I'm out there playing. I hate slow play. So what I do to reduce the chances of groups pushing behind us, I run to my ball and don't really think the shot through. I do this even if the group ahead is playing slower than us. I need to just take my time and relax.

5. Continue to love the game and improve from the year prior. Years past, I started to hate golf. I was naive enough to think that I didn't need to practice and that my "game" would just come to me. Then I would go out there and have the same results...lousy shots and high scores. I figure, if I just stick with it I'll be better than I was last year.


Those were the goals I posted on another thread. Here's how I'm doing so far:

1. On the range, I'm focusing more on the drills instead of just how many balls I can hit. I've cured my pull and now hit it where I'm aiming 80% of the time. I've also gotten rid of topping the ball.

2. My total is 8 and counting. This is the first year that I've consistently played one round a week. I found a course that has specials throughout the week. You pay $22.00 for 18 and a cart. It's not a nice course. www.bayhillsgolf.com if anyone lives close to the area.

3. 2 of the last 3 rounds, I shot 88 and 89. I'm getting close. I'm happy with my game, I just need to practice putting. Yesterday, I had 9 holes that I hit in regulation. 2 of them I was putting for birdie. I only got a par on 5 of them. What's even worse, on a hole where I was on the fringe for a birdie chance, I elected to go with a pitching wedge and ended up with a triple!!!

4. I'm making sure not to rush, unless there's a group behind us and no group in front. It took over 6 hours to play 18 yesterday, but I still made sure to remind myself that it wasn't our group that was causing the hold up. At one tee box, there was three groups waiting.

5. I'm starting to realize that golf is as addicting as any drug! Even my seven year old has taken notice. This week was the worst! If I wasn't playing, I was either watching the Open or playing Tiger Woods on xbox. But to my defense, I was given the Father's Day pass from chores this weekend and took it easy.

[niblick]

My original goals:

1. Play a round with no 3 putts. 2. Play 18 holes with the same ball. 3. Play a penalty stroke-free round. 4. Get my handicap in the teens.

1. I need to commit to spending more time on the practice green. My putting has improved, but still have the odd 3-putt green at least once per round. Yesterday I missed 6 birdie putts inside 12 feet. That sucked.

2. I've met this goal. I should have worded it "Play a round without losing a ball", but yeah, I've done it a couple times this year. 3. Haven't pulled this off yet. Had several rounds with only one, but still working on a penalty-free round. 4. Still hanging at 21. My scores have really come down in the last year, so I'm just gonna keep at it. Yesterday I shot 51 on the front and was pretty discouraged, but got my act together and shot 42 on the back to beat my course handicap by a shot. I walked away feeling pretty good about that.

[allin]

Thanks for the reminder. I had to go look. I am doing fairly well on my choices but my handicap hasn't gone down, in fact it has gone up about a stroke. I have been more consistent but I had some really hot chipping and putting rounds last year. I have shot between 85-90 all but once over the past two months. Rough has been very tough all over town. Lots of rain and warm weather at just the right times, almost no roll. Now that I am getting some extra carry and roll in the warm weather I think some low 80s rounds maybe a 78 or 79 is possible.

[Jeepthrills]

Great thread.

Here is what I posted and my updates:

League Goals:
Defend our title. We did fall out of first for the 1st time since 2005, but we are only two points back and pending the outcome of our opponents make up tomorrow we could have a two point lead.

Low men's average. I am currently 3.0 strokes better than my closest opponent.

Season average below 40. Sitting at 39.0 right now. I had a blow up 43 two weeks ago but followed it with a nice 38.

Overall Goals
Handicap Below 15.0. I am a 17.5 right now.

Break 40 on back 9 at White Lake Oaks 41 is the best I have managed, but I am starting to feel better over the ball with each passing week.

Practice Virtually none.

Play golf with my kids more I have gotten out for nine with each of them and been to the range twice with them as well.

Play in my first tournament Still trying to figure this one into my schedule.

[lamebums]

A bit of an update--I played 18 holes yesterday without losing a ball, for the first time in my life. I've never not lost a ball before.

[Dent]

Whaaaat? its already halfway through the year? i thought it was just getting started?

[lamebums]

Whaaaat? its already halfway through the year? i thought it was just getting started?

(Yep, for those of us down in the States, some of us are blessed with year-round golf. Most of us begin the year in March or April.

)

[Dent]

(Yep, for those of us down in the States, some of us are blessed with year-round golf. Most of us begin the year in March or April.

I start golfing may 20th. So im pretty much just starting my year. 3 1/2 more months to go!