Goals for 2008

[FIJIGolf23]

I've been waiting on this thread for a little while now so I figured I would go ahead and make it. Erik, think you can "sticky" this thread like previous years' threads?

Topic: Like the title suggests, what are your goals for the 2008 season? Be detailed and update them as the year progresses.

[FIJIGolf23]

Improve consistency: I did a pretty good job of this in 2007, but I want to improve. I would go a few weeks without that bad round, and then I would blow up one day and shoot an "80" which would infuriate me to no end.

Improve confidence: There are some shots that I stand over and just never feel confident. To venture into that plus handicap region I firmly believe this is something I need to get rid of. I want to feel confident over every shot I have.

Reduce my career low: My career low for 18 is -4. That was shot about 4 years ago. My goal is to shoot something in the 66 region. I shot a -4 round on 9 holes this past summer, but it got too dark so I couldn't finish the back nine.

Improve putting: Again, this is something that drastically improved this year, but it can be better. I need to drain a lot more putts within that 10-12' range. Anything inside of 6-8' needs to feel like a gimmie.

Reduce wayward tee shots: This is a big one that costs me numerous strokes when it happens. I tend to get super quick with my lower body on some drives and my upper body never has a chance to catch up. This usually results in an O.B. tee ball on the courses I play.

Improve fitness/endurance: This is something I have been getting pretty serious about the last couple months. I want to eliminate some of my belly pudge and put on a little muscle as well. I need to keep myself running a few miles a day, 4-5 days per week.

Qualify for 2 big tournaments: In my sig are the "big" tournaments I intend to attempt to qualify for. I think if I can keep improving like I have been over this year that I can easily qualify for 2 of them.

[JonnyGolf]

Goals:

Improve driving consistency. This is mainly tempo and confidence. I'm on the right road, but still need to improve.

Stay focused during putting. My putting is pretty good, but every once in a while I drop my preshot routine and it shows up with a bad putt.

Stay fit. Keep working on flexibility and strength.


Outcomes:

Qualify for the match play in my club championship.

Qualify for PubLinks Championship

[gogolfing]

Goals:

1. Play more golf. I got in quite a bit of practice this year, but did not get out on the course much.

2. I'm working with one of the pros at my club. I want to stick with this and hope to get my handicap down to single digits. Main areas to work on will be driver consistency and mental side of things. I also want to get better with my up and downs.

3. My son turned six last August. He has his own set of clubs. I want to get him out to the course more often, both to play a little and practice, to get him to enjoy the game. My club offers a 'Junior/Junior Membership' for kids 6-11. It's only $60 per year and then we can go out when it's not busy and he can play a little. It's a full length course so I'll walk with him, drop a ball 100 yards out and let him have at it.

4. Get more fit. I did a golf fitness class a couple of winters ago and it really helps with hitting more solid shots. I want to start this program again.

If I can do these things in '08, it will be a great year for me in terms of golf.

[ram22592]

This year I have made great progress. I am 15 years old and working on being competitive in several big tournaments in the coming year. I broke 90 for the first time the first day of summer vacation (June 1) by shooting 86. And on October 16 I broke 80 for the first time shooting 76. Both on the Old Hickory course from the blue tees, 70.2/133 (black tees course ratings are in my signature). Since then I have broken 80 3 other times, and am working on my consistency.

I am still a short hitter, only about 220 average, and have been working on strength to improve this, as the tournaments I will be playing in are from the tips and will play 6,600-6,800 yards. The tips (black tees) on my home courses play just over 6,700 and 6,600 so I will be moving back there soon.

My goals:

Work on greens in regulation! When I shot 76 I hit 9 greens, and that is the best I have done in this category to date. I would like to start averaging well over 50% in order to be competitive, as I am a great putt reader, and on bermuda greens I feel that I can make every putt I look at. Part of this will naturally improve with distance; with shorter irons in my hand I should be able to fire at flags more often.

My putting is good, and I would like to lower my average to less than 30 putts per round.

I would like to average over 250 yards with my driver, which should help me with my scoring significantly.

Getting my Handicap down to scratch or better! I know this sounds crazy, but I have brought it down 15 strokes since summer's beginning.

I am excited about 2008, and working towards these goals.

[Jack_2251]

My goals for 2008 are:
Reduce My Handicap to 8 I would just love to be single figures by 09.

Improve Consistency Get my swing more consistent and hit more good shots

Hit more fairways and greens

[neudi]

My goals for 2008: I started the thread to where I am going to begin getting in shape which I have.

1) I'm hoping to drop my weight from 173 to 165 with about 10 % body fat ( obviously not going to happen in 4 months, but I will continue during golf season)

2) Drop my handicap to where 2 out of every 3 rounds are under par at my home course of 73.2/136 7100 yard par 72...career low is 66 shot twice.

3) Qualify for at least the second round of the open qualifier and make it to the match play of pub links.

4) Just enjoy golf more, I think if i think more about what I did wrong instead of getting angry I will play a lot better.

[Steaksauce]

By March 1 I want to get down to a 3 handicap in time by my highschool golf team tryouts

I am looking to make the team and also become a starter as a freshman.

I'll work on improving my putting and getting under 31 putts a round

Hopefully I will get to play some nicer golf courses this year. I've only been able to play for free at a municipal course in Philly due to some recent econonical problems.

Then I am looking to be scratch or better by the time I turn 16 at the end of summer.

Also gonna try out for some national tournaments such as the Public Links and Junior Amateur.

Progress from last year; 35.2 to a 7.1 from last March to November.

[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'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:

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).

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.

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.


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.

[Stuart]

Goals:

Handicap down to 0.0 by the end of '08.

Improve my putting. Still averaging over 32 putts per round.

Improve my wedge game inside of 80 yards, especially from 50 yards in.

Generally be more consistent from round to round and not get down on myself when things aren't going well especially at the beginning of the round.

[jammer59]

Summer of '07 was my intro to golf and not being a young dog (48), I don't expect miracles. That said I would like to achieve the following in '08 to support an overall goal of reaching a 15 (or lower) handicap:

- average < 2.0 putts per round (I was just over 2 putts in '07)
- hit 60% of fairways (not even close in '07)
- hit 50% + GIR (again, I tended to miss left or short left on approach shots and usually took 3 shots or more) to get down.
- improve getting up and down in 2 from within 40 yards.

I'm now taking full swing lessons and will continue to do this 1-2 times per month. I plan on taking a focused 3-day short game course in the near future. I'd also like to get into a league for the '08 season so that I play more regularly.

[DGStinner]

My goals:

Play at least 3x a month so I can establish a handicap

Begin taking lessons, probably after I begin playing more regularly since it'll be easier to apply the teaching when I can actually play.

[FortAsel]

Well, my goals are:

- Improve putting (average less than 29 putts per round)
- Establish a new career record (I was thinking about something under 72, even thought my career best is at 75 (+4)
- Win at least 10 tournaments (I have about 30 tournaments that I know I can win if I do my best so...)
- Get my handicap near 5/6 (currently 10.0, it would be a perfect year if I could get it closer to 4.5)
- Make the cut on the 3 major tournaments I will compete (national u-18 championship, portuguese cup federation and national portuguese championship)
- Win my club match-play championship
- Be called up for the national squad (I will have to sweat a lot to make it... really)
- Improve my game at all levels
- Finish on the top-40 on all rankings
- Win the order of merit of my club (gross)

I think that there is not much more that I want to do next year (last year I've accomplished 80% of my goals so...)

[Jeepthrills]

As with the last two years, I will break mine into two catagories. Personal and League.

Personal
Handicap: I would love to say single figures, but seeing as I only went down about 1 stroke this year, I am shooting for 12. That would be a five shot drop. I have played rounds in recent years with an index of 12. Usually the difference for me is a couple blow up holes.

Single Round: I shot my best round, relative to par, this year at +1 for 9 holes. I want to break 80 this year and shoot 39 or less at White Lake Oaks.

Practice: Last year I got virtually none. I know that I will not hit my first goal without it. I am in the process of buying the company I work for. That will allow me the freedom to take a long lunch ac ouple times a week to hit balls.

Lessons: I am at the point where I need to go back to someone to have them help me take my game up a notch or two.

Play More: I played more this past year than each of the previous 2. However, I am still not to the point I was in the years prior to that.

League
Championship: Anything less, like this past year, is a dissapointment. My wife and I had our best individual scoring years, but it did not equate to wins. We finished 4th out of 8 teams.

Low Mens Average: I was low by 2.5 shots this year. I want to widen that margin.

Average below 39: Last year my goal was sub 40. I carried a 38.5 into the last night and shot a blow up round, worst in 5 years, to end at 39.2.



Overall I just want to have more fun playing: Sometimes that is tough for me because I am so competetive.

[lamebums]

Handicap : 5 or less, officially. My handicap this year has been unofficial, but I calculated it once every couple months or so. My last calculation came to 12.6. 5 may seem like a pretty long shot but considering the progress I've made this year, it's possible.
Last March, I was a complete hack who averaged 105 for 18 holes. With mulligans and preferred lies and all the stroke shaving techniques, so needless to say I was bad.

Scoring : Par or better for nine holes at least once, and to consistently break 80. Currently I haven't even broken 80 once - my best was an 81 (on a course that sloped 137).

Practice : I'm not a ball beater. And I probably never will be. I guess this would be better called preparation for a round. Spend at least half an hour before a round practicing - 10 minutes putting, 10 minutes chipping, and 10 minutes with a full shot. I lose a ton of strokes on the first few holes because I hadn't warmed up properly, usually starting with a double or triple, and the day's done before I head to #2 tee.

Lessons : I need to figure out how to work the ball better, especially with my irons. Right now, I only hit a draw with the irons, and I only hit a cut when I least need it.

Course Management : This ties directly in with scoring and handicap. With the swing and grip changes I should be long enough to have all options in the bag - that means hitting more irons off more tees and stop making unnecessarily risky shots.

Commit 100% to Every Shot : This, along with the mental game, is difficult for me. After hitting a duck-hook into the trees, a punch out, a dribbler, draping a divot over the ball, and a skulled shot across the green, it's hard for me to concentrate - I'm too busy being mad at the series of bad shots I'd just made.

Have more Fun : Again, considering how much pressure I end up putting on myself, it's hard, but I've found out I have much more fun in a foursome, so that's a start.


(Course management) I did that just today - 270 yard par 4, dog leg right at 200. You can go for the green if you hit a cut over the trees. Usually I'd cut the corner with a driver or sometimes a 3 wood. I'd end up in the trees or over the other side, losing a ball and making big numbers. Today I striped a 5 iron down the middle and then stuck a gap wedge to three feet, kick in birdie.

[JaY_B]

Goals for 2008

Win the 2008 Club championship (36 holes, 1 under won in 2007)
Win 2008 Royal Worcester Bowl (36 holes, half way cut level par won in 2007)
Get to the finals of scratch matchplay 2008
Achieve top 20 Kent junior order of merit (came 43 out of 200 + in 2007)
Reduce handicap to 3.0 or less.

I will achieve this by focusing on improving the following key issues that will help my game

Swing - Focus on solid fundamentals (I began to stray away from the fundamentals this year as i was focused on improving my swing, which had a detrimental effect on the consistency of my scores this year)

Focus on improving flexibility in order to gain distance through proper mechanics and not brute force.

Carry on improving the short game, i will be getting professional advice on my short game from my pro and will continue to work on increased feel before the competition season starts.

During the competition season i will not go more than 3 weeks without having a lesson, this is so I will not develop any bad habits.

My main focus this year will be mental toughness, and not letting a double bogey on 16 after being level par for the first 15 holes, be the main reason i finish the round at +5, I will be focusing on putting a bad hole behind me, focusing on the shot at hand, concentrate on the process rather than the outcome (because some times I get scared of messing up the shot) and most important for me will be staying in a consistent mood for the whole round, never getting excited, and never getting angry.

This is my last junior year (18 in august) and I feel that having played for 3 years, and only competively 1 and a half years i have made good progress, and hopefully this year can be my last big push before i start competing nationally.

[g-funk13]

GENERAL GOALS:

Play 30 Rounds
Get down to 210 pounds
Elevate Golf Dress Comfort and Appearance
Install Backyard Green in Louisville

Putting:

10 rounds Less than 2.0 PPGIR Average for year.
NEVER 3 PUTT EVER

GIR: 50% avg.

FWY: 50% avg.

[Dr.Golf]

For me in 2008 it has to be tempo on the full swing, spend more time practicing the short game, and improving my putting. Managing a golf course helps me in the practice area, having parts of the course to myself after last tee times. Love that for practice shots from 100 yards and in.

doc