What Are Your 2016 Golf Goals? Official Thread

[Lihu]

On 1/27/2016 at 3:36 AM, Marty2019 said:

My goal for 2016 is to break 80 at least once.   I don't care if it's from the senior tees.   I don't care if I have to include 2 mulligans.  Just. Break. 80.   With a minimal amount of cheating.   If I can do that, I promise I will work on eliminating the cheating.

Not wanting to nitpick your post, but isn't taking a mulligan going to void your score? Cheating is fine if you don't have a handicap that people depend upon while in a team situation or tournament, but breaking 80 by doing so doesn't really make a lot of sense? Why not just not just strategically ignore some of your strokes?

The other thing is how can you be a 20 handicap if you score mid-80s? That's what I score with an average score of 84.5 on an average 72.2/126 course and my handicap is about half of yours.

[ronin74]

I wish to introduce my 9 year old daughter to the game in an easygoing, relaxed manner that will in time allow me to share the joy I have on the course with a person I love.

[Marty2019]

12 hours ago, Lihu said:

Not wanting to nitpick your post, but isn't taking a mulligan going to void your score? Cheating is fine if you don't have a handicap that people depend upon while in a team situation or tournament, but breaking 80 by doing so doesn't really make a lot of sense? Why not just not just strategically ignore some of your strokes?

The other thing is how can you be a 20 handicap if you score mid-80s? That's what I score with an average score of 84.5 on an average 72.2/126 course and my handicap is about half of yours.

 

First of all, I'm not playing in tournaments or any competition that demands a handicap.   When I registered to post on this website a couple of months ago (?) it asked my handicap.  I don't have a handicap.   So, since I usually shoot about 14 over par, and my little group of golfing buddies allows one mulligan a side, and we concede a lot of gimmes, I put in the number 20 as my handicap.  I was just trying to be honest about the state of my game. 

Secondly, yes, to be honest, for the past couple of weeks, the rulebreaking we allow, the mulligans, the gimmes, has been bugging the crap out of me.  But we're just out there having fun, and breaking 80, even with 2 mulligans, would be a milestone for me.  

Frankly, I never really thought about these issues until I joined this website and started virtually associating with golfers who apparently play by the strict rules of the game. 

My question for you is, have you ever been playing a casual round of golf where everyone in the group hits their drive in the water and someone says, "Let's just pretend that didn't happen."  And everyone re-tees? 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Marty2019

[Natural Patrick]

2 hours ago, Marty2019 said:

 

First of all, I'm not playing in tournaments or any competition that demands a handicap.   When I registered to post on this website a couple of months ago (?) it asked my handicap.  I don't have a handicap.   So, since I usually shoot about 14 over par, and my little group of golfing buddies allows one mulligan a side, and we concede a lot of gimmes, I put in the number 20 as my handicap.  I was just trying to be honest about the state of my game. 

Secondly, yes, to be honest, for the past couple of weeks, the rulebreaking we allow, the mulligans, the gimmes, has been bugging the crap out of me.  But we're just out there having fun, and breaking 80, even with 2 mulligans, would be a milestone for me.  

Frankly, I never really thought about these issues until I joined this website and started virtually associating with golfers who apparently play by the strict rules of the game. 

My question for you is, have you ever been playing a casual round of golf where everyone in the group hits their drive in the water and someone says, "Let's just pretend that didn't happen."  And everyone re-tees? 

 

 

The only time I have used a mulligan is on the 1st tee. I don't do it anymore because. It never fails that when I do,I will shoot a 79 and it kills me to know that in reality, I did not break 80. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with what you are doing. The most important thing is to enjoy the game.

[Lihu]

5 hours ago, Marty2019 said:

My question for you is, have you ever been playing a casual round of golf where everyone in the group hits their drive in the water and someone says, "Let's just pretend that didn't happen."  And everyone re-tees? 

No, but I've played a bramble where our score was 74 but I was pretty sure it was 78.

My question was simply regarding scoring. If you don't count mulligans then what is the point of having a goal to break 80? It just doesn't make sense to me to set such a goal?

[Marty2019]

18 hours ago, Lihu said:

No, but I've played a bramble where our score was 74 but I was pretty sure it was 78.

My question was simply regarding scoring. If you don't count mulligans then what is the point of having a goal to break 80? It just doesn't make sense to me to set such a goal?

You're absolutely right.  

Okay, my new goal.   Get an official handicap, legally, by the rules, and get it down to 12 by the end of the year. 

 

[pumaAttack]

My 2016 Golf Goals:

Play more rounds and less time at the range.
Enjoy the bad rounds more.
Learn more about my tendencies and how to fix my biggest errors.
Play different courses and enjoy the experience.
 

[Tar Heel in CT]

I want to cut my handicap in half, from 12 to 6. I usually have 1 or 2 holes per round that kill my score. 

[Lihu]

Make an earnest attempt into the high single digits.

[GordonRamsay]

No topped driver shots.  I don't care if I slice the darn thing.  I'm through with topping the ball.

[Matt06]

My main goal this year is to make my practice sessions actually count.  I have decided in the past 6 months or so to get serious with trying to improve my game.  While I was in college I had time to play 3 or 4 times a week and was a low 80s player.  Now that I've been in the real world for about 5 years and taking a few years off from golf my game has slipped to averaging about 94 (on a par 72).  So I guess what I'm saying is i  want the game to get enjoyable again by playing consistent again.  Looking back I kick myself by turning down playing high school golf.  

[bluebaws82]

For my aim is to regain my handicap which on current form is going to be sky high. By the end of the season I'd like to be scoring regular in the mid 80s and bring that handicap down to the mid teens 

[Avalanche]

Two things:  I want to birdie each hole on my home course during the course of the year.  And I want to improve my short game—chipping and putting.  Not sure I can put exact number goals on the short game.  But I want to get somewhere north of 60% on both 8 foot putts and on up and downs from 20 yds and in.  

Edited February 8, 2016 by Volkey

[Unforgiven93]

This year, I want to get to a handicap of +3 using only tournament scores.  I want to track my stats this year.  I've never done that before and I think it will help me target improvement areas.   Thinking about getting GAME golf, but I don't want my shot routine to be messed up.  Also worried my Ogio Silencer bag will pull the tips off of my clubs.   I may just get Golfpad Premium for my phone and use that for stats. 

[Austin_Sachs]

My goals are rather complex, but overall I feel this is the year I can finally win some mid level amateur tournaments and bring my handicap down to scratch. I am practicing more, finally seeing a swing coach (first time in 10 years), and reading a lot about the mental game in order to achieve these goals.

[k-troop]

I haven't been able to even think about golf goals since 2012.  In 2012 my goal was to get back into tournament golf and score consistently in the low 70s under tournament conditions.  I met that goal briefly, but then the frustration of tournament golf--the same that drove me away from competitive golf in college--overcame.

In the three years since I was living in the middle of the desert with no golf courses in sight and working ridiculous hours for 19-20 consecutive days every month.  Throw in the birth of a new son, and my golf was sporadic and ad hoc at best.  I was just happy when I got to play.

So, this year things will be different (I hope).  My goals are:

1. Start playing four times per month and throwing in an additional practice session once or twice per month.

2. Get in enough reps that I can start to think about a plan to improve scoring (which usually means limiting my tee-ball misses to only the left side of the course).

3. Solve my persistent wedge problem:  inconsistent wedge contact, distances, gapping, and simply missing too many greens (and by much too far) from 135 and in.

[9wood]

Got some new clubs now and My goal is to consistently drive the ball 230 to 250 yds. and then be able to get at least 185 yds on my second shot off the fairway with my new hybrid. I would like to be able to get the ball out at least 420 yds or so with my first two strokes. That would give me 70 yds more on average than I currently get off my first 2 shots. If I can do that more often then I know I would be able to lose strokes.

[300drive]

Just to get out a lot more.  Hit up the driving range to perfect the driver again.  When you don't play for awhile, you kind of lose it.