Goals for 2008

[GOLFSALOT00]

my goal is to break 80

[Chas]

my goal is to break 80

Me too ..... just like last year

. Well, if I managed to get in more rounds than last year (and I refuse to divulge just what a pathetic number that was), maybe it would be a more realistic goal. Still, my game seems to be improving and hope springs eternal in the golfer's breast .....

[JJR8588]

play at least a round a week and start keeping score more, to see how my game is coming along

[ThePhantom]

Get handicap down to 15.

Break 80.

Have 1 round with less than 30 putts.

Get my first eagle.

[Franco!]

Well, time for new goals.
Made two of three last time.
Let's break 70, get down to a 2 by the end of the summer, and get down to 30 putts a round.

[bunkerputt]

Here are my goals (*) and what I'm doing to meet them (-)

* Improve putting distance control and putt past the hole more often than leaving it 2in short on 10-30 ft range.
-spot putt to a point 15in past hole on every putt
-work daily on putting grip pressure (palm pressure + finger pressure)
-work on letting my wrists break on more putts
-work on keeping right hand trigger finger more wrapped around shaft than in line with it

* Increase hip flexibility to improve my backswing posture and angle retention
-nightly stretches in addition to normal workout routine

* Improve my tempo on short wedge shots
-more solid contact: I've got a 1/4" spread instead of 1/8" and less. I've found this affects my wedge distance +- 5 yards and confuses my tempo on the next wedge shot. The swing fault I've identified is: ever-so slightly above plane on backswing on short shots for some reason.

* Get my left hip higher at impact
-more hip flexibility training

* Commit to the type of shot I want to hit and the type of swing that will produce that shot on every shot

[$2 Nassau]

I am taking a different approach to my goals this year. Usually my goals involve trying to shoot a certain number or get my handicap down to a certain level (which is the type of goals I've always had in the past, but no real plan around how to achieve them).

After reading Rotella's book "Golf is not a Game of Perfect" my outlook and approach to gaosl have become very different.

My goals for 2008:

1) To become a better mental golfer. Do not let one or two bad shots get to me. I'm a 13 handicap for crissake, I'm going to hit bad shots. Scratch golfers hit bad shots, pros hit bad shots sometimes...so why should I get angry with myself? Better off spending that energy planning my next shot. It makes for a more enjoyable round of golf which ultimately leads to better scores, and vice versa.

2) Become target oriented with every single shot. Instead of just picking a general area on the fairway I want to hit, or just saying to myself "get the ball on the green" - pick a small target for EVERY SINGLE SHOT and focus on simply making the ball fly or roll to the target.

3) Become less technical and mechanical when actually playing a round of golf. There's time and place for that and it's not on the golf course.

4) Spend more time practicing short game.

I've been putting these ideas into motion with good results so far, borderline GREAT results in my mind. Concentrating less on the technical parts of my swing while playing golf has actually made my swing better.(who wouldda thunk it!) It's more free and fluid, and I'm longer and more accurate as a result.

I am shooting better scores and my handicap has dropped from 14.0 to 13.3 so far this season. I feel if I keep up with this approach, my goals of lower scores and lowering my handicap will take care of itself.

Good luck everyone.

[Joe92385]

My goal is to play more than I can actually afford to, haha.

[Ceej]

I'll keep it simple. I'd just like to win won of any junior tournament I play in.

[rgoudy1975]

My goals have been to:

1 Improve my mental game and focus on course management
2 Polish my putting
3 Gain accuracy and consistency with my shorter irons

So, I have been playing with more wisdom. I'll go through my preshot routine and then step away if I don't feel good about the shot. When I hit it bad, I'll say "Wisdom told me not to do that, but I did it anyway."

I have been working on my putting profusely. I have three putted only once this year and one-putted many more times than ever before. I am making 5 footers with much more confidence.

My short irons are crazy.

[BigAl5150]

Better practice habits : My practice habits are pretty poor and the percentage breakdown of short game, putting and ball striking & driving is skewed way too much towards ball striking and driving. I'm resolving to spending 40% of my time towards short game, 40% towards putting and 20% on ball striking/driving. Of course, if I can practice less putting by using my Z Factor, I'll put more time on short game time.

Better course management : I play too aggressive at times. I need to play a bit more conservative but still make a confident, aggressive swing.

Pre-shot routine : Need to commit to doing this every time. I've gotten a lot better the later part of 2007 but can still get better.

Mental : I put way too much pressure on myself. I need to trust I can make the shot, commit to it and just accept whatever the outcome is. More importantly, just have fun.

I would like to get to a single digit handicap by the end of the year. It's a pretty big goal buy I feel by getting better in the short game and putting department as well as" lessening the "blow-up holes I can get there.

[RPMPIRE]

Practice my short game more: Lately, I've been going to the range to practice my irons and my woods. I usually don't stop by the practice green so I haven't been getting it close to the hole each round...hence a lot of 3 putts, which I have to try to eliminate.

Relax and not think too much: On the course, I've always let my body get the best of me. I have to remember to relax my muscles for each swing and not get too tense.

Get more control of the ball : After getting my new irons and wedges recently, I want to start giving myself more shot options (draws, fades, flops, spin, etc.) to both get myself out of tight lies and hit optimal shots on approaches.

To help me do this, I started taking lessons to help me more with my short game and iron play. By the end of the year, I'm hoping to drop my scoring average to around the mid-80s.

[Gummi Bear]

Attitude - I've finally gotten to a point in my life, where I can really enjoy the game. I want to be able to forget a bad shot a few seconds after striking the ball; now it takes me several minutes, sometimes until I line up for my next shot.

Consistency - Short game. Who doesn't need to practice this? I just need more time on the practice green. It's now a lot more fun for me to practice chipping and putting I plan to commit more time to this.

Family - I want to help my wife, and daughter develop their love of the game as well. They both enjoy playing, and I hope to keep it fun for them, and get them out on the course more this year. My folks have taken on a new enthusiasm for the game, and my brother has as well (he lives on a golf course) so it's a good excuse to get the whole clan together for a fun day on the links and some laughs afterward. I want to keep this up, even through the hot Texas summer.


In summary: I want to break 90. Less than 2 years ago, I was shooting 125+, and now I'm in the high 90's to low 100's. I've really commited myself to improving, I bought new irons ( G10's, which are a HUGE improvement over the no-namer's I had)

[Ogg]

Practice - Every year I say I am going to do it and so far this year I have failed to do it. I live 6 minutes from my club and I have been down 2 times to practice. My putting goes hot and cold and my driver goes hot and cold as well. Those are the 2 things I really need to work on to become more consistent. I have also been working on driving through the ball with my left side/hip more and that has made a huge difference in committing to the shot, distance and control.

Playing - The past few years I have only been able to play once a week (2 kids, 3 years and 18 months). I have it so that I can play on Thursday afternoons and Sunday mornings now and I have only taken advantage of that twice.

Overcoming bad habits - I could have titled this "thinking positive". There always seems to be the same holes that I screw up on and it is in my head. Instead of thinking, don't hit it left here, concentrate on the positives and hit it where I want it to.

Score low - Joined a new club last year and have yet to break 80 there as it is much more difficult that the previous course. I would love to go low there and I have squandered a bunch of opportunities to do so.

Handicap - See all of the above and if successful with those - I could achieve the 7 handicap I would like.

[trageserk]

Wow, with everyone talking about breaking 90, 80, even 70 I feel kind of intimidated. My goal is to this year break 100. I picked up the game last year and this year I've been really practicing. I plan on working on my short game a lot (where I tend to lose the majority of strokes) multiple times (hopefully 5-6) a week. I also want to continue to work on my strong point, my irons. If I can improve my ball striking and consistency, I believe that I could have a very strong game (at least for me ). I also am going to get at least two new wedges, most likely a GW and a SW, to replace my old SW (which is I never hit) and to bridge the gap between my PW and my 64 Deg. I plan on practicing and playing a lot this summer, so I'll keep everyone posted.

[Thrash13]

I'm a little late to this party, but it's better late than never right?

Play More "Handicap" Rounds : Over the past few years, half of my rounds have probably been "scramble" type rounds with buddies. I always ended up giving in and playing the format they wanted. This year, I bought a membership for the first time ever, and I'm going to be more selfish with my golf game in 2008. I'm going to be playing a lot more rounds on my own, so I can have more to count towards my handicap index.

No Carts Allowed : This is one of my goals to start every year, but I always end up riding every round. As I stated above, I spent all my golf money on a membership this year, so I'll be walking every round. It's already started to pay off physically and mentally.

Single-Digit Handicap : When I meet this goal, it will be possibly the biggest golf achievement of my life. I am close right now, but there is still a lot of work to do to get there. I have been playing very steady with the exception of a hole or two here and there. Those blow-up holes seem to keep me from shooting in the 70s every time out. If I can cut the doubles and triples down to pars or bogeys, I'll be a happy man.

Enjoy the Game : In the past, I've had the tendency to think negatively towards the game of golf because of the price to play. This year, things are already taken care of for the next calendar year, so it's all about the enjoyment now! Hopefully by the end of the year, I'll have a new respect for the game of golf. I'm not a professional golfer, and the fun part really shouldn't be overlooked. I'm enjoying the game more than ever right now, and hopefully that continues.

Keep Stats : In the past, I've kept track of my scores and nothing more. So far this year, thanks to Erik mostly, I've maintained the desire to keep track of my GIR, FW, putts, etc. This actually keeps the rounds going, and it helps me strive to reach my goals that much more. I'd like to see how things look at the end of the year. Also, it's a lot easier to look back and see where things went right or wrong.

I have gotten a slight head-start on these goals, but it's still important for me to maintain some of them and work hard to achieve the others.

[soloredd]

Well, the year is half over (wow!) but better late than never I say! My goals for this year were/are pretty lofty. I used to play casually when I was 12-13 years old but gave up on it due to other commitments and interests. Now that I am 28, I am finding more time, money, and deep level of commitment to playing the game. I don't have kids, I work nights, and have a fantastic fiance who supports my addiction! So, here it is (I left out practice from my goals because I think I practice a fair amount):

Play The Game - I haven't played for about 15 years so I needed to start from scratch. I bought a new cheap set of Wilson Deep Reds in February and forced myself to the driving range 2-3 times per week. I am now going to the range on my own accord twice a week and playing 2 rounds per week. In a matter of months I have lowered my average score of 110 to 94. I am fortunate to be able to spend that amount of time on a "hobby" but if I am going to do it, I'm going to do it full out.

Develop My Irons - Always has been a menace, up until my Deep Reds I was using a hand-me-down set of Wilson blades. Duh! I am not saying the gear is the culprit but it played a big part (that and reinventing my grip). My last round I scored a 91 and it was mostly due to my approach shots. I now pull my 9 iron out and have no doubt I'll put it on the green. I'd like to increase my distance as I am hitting my 9 about 110, but that will come once I cement my new found swing. At this point, I am playing a nice, easy swing that can be opened up once it becomes second nature.

Find My Handicap - Because I am playing so much now, I think it is necessary to start keeping track of my handicap. I currently am keeping a database of my scores, putts, fairways.

Find Goals for 2009 - Easy to do!

[TigerCurtis333]

1. Play more Golf.
2. Beat my father.
3. Beat all my friends into oblivion.
4. Improve my putting - that's my strength.
5. Be more consistant.
6. Hole in one - that moment beens a dream for a long time.