Last year I got my handicap below 0 for the first time. My main goal for 2021, as squishy as it is, is to keep it below 0 for as much of the year as I can.
In 2019 I played (mediocrely) in the CT public links - I’d like to play that again (no qualification so a pretty easy goal), and qualify for the CT mid-am. Last year qualification required about a +5, so that’s definitely do-able.
The Connecticut State Golf Association also offers a one-day event series. The winner is usually a few under par. My stretch goal is to win one.
Win both my golf leagues (2nd on Monday, 1st on Tuesday in 2020)
Get the handicap to 4.0 or less (currently 5.2)
Have a better attitude on the golf course. I need to stop being so down on myself when I hit a bad shot and going into no talking shutdown mode. I want to spend 2021 enjoying the game whether I play good or bad.
Average 80. I got down to a low of 4.4 this year but too many rounds north of 85 and not enough under 80. I need to do a better job of being in the moment and focusing. Too many hit and giggles and not bearing down and grinding.
Play more of the courses I have not played in Richmond, VA. Play golf with the great folks here in the refuge. Reconfigure my Adonis-like Dad bod in to a more formidable bomb delivery system.
Had the best golf year of my life. Went from 14.5 to 8.6 at one point, ended around 9.
2021 golf goal is to get to a 7 that feels confident playing to that anywhere.
I’m not a long hitter so fairways are even more important, and leaving myself in position to go up and down is paramount. Need to drop more of those par saves this year to make up for the inevitable three putt.
I also need to make more effing birdies.
KPI:
60% fairways (8 or 9 per round)
33.5 putts per round
50% GIR
1 birdie a round (average, the rounds I broke 80 I had several. Just need to hunt them constantly while still playing smart)
Process:
60 minutes a week dedicated practice chipping and pitching. This raises my floor.
60 minutes a week dedicated practice putting. This raises the floor and ceiling.
(Side note: whenever I tell my wife what I need to work on she always says “so, everything?” She’s not wrong.)
For 2021, I’m trying to break things out into mostly process goals:
Workout 5 times a week including 3 times per week with speed sticks. Get back in shape and get more speed.
My chipping and putting is by far the worst part of my game. I’m naturally left handed and a friend gifted me a lefty lob wedge and putter. I have no plans to ever use either on the course but I want to work with them this winter and maybe relearning the fundamentals left handed will help fix my issues right handed.
Compact my swing. For years, my swing has been probably a touch too long. I bought a net, mat and Skytrak for my house this winter and I’ve mostly been using it to experiment with my swing. Mostly taking swings of varying length and speed and seeing what the outcome is in terms of launch/spin/carry. One of the biggest holes in my game has been what feels like a 3/4 swing to me ends up going just as far as a full swing. The full swing goes way higher and spins while the other goes lower and rolls out a little. I really want to fix that.
I still have some outcome goals though:
Qualify for my club championship match play. I’ve done it the last 4 years but with new membership it has progressively gotten harder,
Get to scratch or better. Last year I got down to a 0.3 which was my best ever including when I was playing high school golf.
Break 80 every round for multiple months. I came close to that this summer but I think it requires having a pretty complete game. Being a 12 handicap chipping an putting definitely held me back from doing that.
That is a huge handicap drop. Took me about 2.5 years (although, that is Canadian where we only have 6 months). Can’t wait to track your progress. You got this.
It is a huge drop and its going to be made even harder if I play as many new courses as I’d like. I can keep grinding away at the home course and work my way down but that’s not going to be as much fun.
I went from a 30 to a 20 in 2020 but I realize it only gets steeper from here.
Don’t think I did one of these last year, so here goes:
Play more. Only got about 20 rounds in and most were after September. Aiming for 40. Played over the weekend, so off to a good start.
Get handicap to low teens. Currently a 19 playing like a 25 due to long layoffs between rounds. Hoping with more consistent play will come more consistent scores.
Get fit. Bought a driver off a friend of a friend and I can not keep it on the planet, so hoping a shaft fitting will help. Also, haven’t bought irons in 10 years and feel like I am a different player than when I bought them, so want to see what a professional recommends.
Attend more Refuge meetups. Fingers crossed Maxamania gets rescheduled and I can help to organize a Northeast NIT qualifier with (hopefully) eased Covid protocols by the summer.
Didn’t think I was going to play golf much in 2020, but was pleasantly surprised. Diving into my golf game with reckless abandon this year. It would be great to accomplish some or all of the below goals, but in all honesty, my primary goal is to have more fun and be a better human being on the golf course (i.e. enjoying and living in the moment, improved internal/external awareness).
Break 80 on a par 72 course
Lower handicap index to < 10.0 (currently 12.5)
Shoot under par over a nine hole round or front/back nine of 18 hole round
Complete an 18 hole round with no score worse than bogey
Achieve a 20% improvement in overall Shots Gained over a 10 round period
Would love to hear another Trap Draw covering golf and general goals for the new year. Really helped me set individual life goals for the last couple years! Cheers