2023 Golfing Goals

Kiith · 01-01-2023 12:46pm #1

So its that time of year again folks, when we set out our golfing goals for the coming year. Are you planning to hit a single digit handicap? Regularly shoot under 90? Make it on the tour?

I had some pretty lofty goals last year, and were probably a bit unrealistic given i didn't get to play as often as i'd like. New baby kind of limits your time to play, never mind practice. So i plan to pretty much just copy my goals from last year, as i have more time to actually work on my game now. Going through a game improvement package with a local pro, and its been great so far. Haven't had much time to actually practice what he's telling me, given the weather and holidays, but can definitely see my improving in the Spring. So, with that being said...

Get down to single digits this year. Currently 12.5, but i can definitely see the path to single digits.
Win at least once in my club competitions this year, and play some matchplay rounds.
Win a boards event, and make it onto the Jug team.
Compete for the trophy in our annual Enniscrone trip. Missed it the last two years (baby and then Covid), so can't wait to go this year.
Play Tralee, Ballybunion and at least one other top tier course.
Stop constantly losing balls on my home course. Think i've only ever gone 1 round without losing a ball.
Not so much a goal, but something i'd like to do if i can afford it is to fix the gaps in my bag (Driver, 3w and then 4i currently), replace my putter, regrip my driver and 3w, and if i can afford it, replace my irons. Will see how 2023 goes though.

Main ones are Enniscrone and being competitive in the boards soc this year. Hope to hit the group running in Corbalis in February 👍️

callaway92 · 01-01-2023 7:34pm

Main Goal

Get Handicap Index below 6.5: Currently 6.9 which included a Nett 64 (-7) in my last competition of the year which skewed my index a bit. So I think anything below 6.5 is a realistic and fair target

Other Goals:

Take part properly in Boards society (Clare can be awkward but should be able to commit the time this year)

Genuinely practice more (have X amount of hours per month in my head): I've been playing a lot but making adjustments on the course mostly. Need to apply practice in the designated areas first I think

plumber77 · 01-01-2023 7:52pm

Main Goal

Decrease my handicap from 6.7 towards 5 hopefully. Last year was the 1st year I made any significant move with my handicap after years of being in the 8 to 9 range.

Put a lot of that down to speed training and a significant gain in distance and also not being too cagey with my course management. In terms of consistency if was not my best year but in terms of scoring I had 2 75s with are my best ever scores.

Next year I'd like to shoot in the 70s more often and let that become more the norm than the exception. Possibly will be a few equipment upgrades in there too.

Looking forward to get cracking in 2023. Adding a bit of golf specific strength work to the mix this year too so interested to see what that brings to the course.

higster · 01-01-2023 9:00pm

Love this…opposite end of scale compared to above posters…

Break 90 for let’s say 20%+ of rounds (this will need lessons and practice, only managed it once in 2022 but damn close so often)
Get HCI to <18 (currently 20)
Win a society and a club comp
Win the annual end of year round with 3 buddies and bring the cup back home
Play at least one of Tralee/Ballb/Old Head

TrueDub · 02-01-2023 3:58pm

I'm starting back into golf after 12+ years away - life, including children, got in the way. So for 2023 I want to

Actually play more golf. I do a lot of thinking about it, reading about it, watching videos etc. I want to actually get onto the course and play. The blocker for me has been playing on my own (I don't really enjoy it).
To solve that blocker, I've joined a club, so that I get a proper handicap (tool to measure improvement) and can have some company when playing competition rounds at least. I want to get into club life and make proper use of my membership.
Get lessons. This is on my plan for early spring.
Practice what I learn from the lessons.
Try not to be such an equipment junkie. The clubs I have aren't great (20+ years old) but they'll do fine while I'm re-learning the game, and updating them can be a goal for the future.
Play some of the Boards society events, and enjoy it.

spacecoyote · 02-01-2023 5:02pm

Last year was a positive one in terms of golf goals, so hoping to kick on again this year.

Get fitter and stronger and look to increase average driver distance by 20 yards (have done some sessions with a golf specific personal trainer. Combine it with superspeed and should come good I hope)

Get a lesson or 2 in to keep the technique tidy.

Target an index of 5.4 or better (the old class 1 range)

Win a boards outing and qualify for the jug.

Tick off some more courses from the list (boards should help with that)

Maybe get some golf in the Med in, never played over there.

Enjoy outings with family and friends over the year.

almostover · 02-01-2023 8:40pm

Bought my first home in Dec 2021 and my golf in 2022 suffered at the expense of DIY projects. Handicap went from 9.1 to 10.4 as a result. My lowest ever index was 7.9 in 2020 and my target is to get back to an index of less than 8.5. With that in mind my goals are as follows:

1. Take at least 5hrs of lessons over the season to work on the weaknesses identified by my use of Arccos in 2022. Namely driving accuracy and short game.

2. Play at least 30 counting rounds. Last year's total was 26.

3. Do a proper equipment check / gapping / fitting with a pro. Bought irons with a 'custom fit' by McGuirks last year and I was underwhelmed by it. Ended up selling the irons at the end of the season and buying a 2nd hand set.

4. Spend 2 hours per week minimum on practice. Split 50/50 between long and short game. I live 10 mins from a good driving range that allows hitting off the grass in dry conditions but I live 35 mins from my club with has a decent short game area. That will be the challenge.

5. Accept that I've zero control over my score in any given round. At my desired handicap I could shoot anywhere from 72 to 92 on any given day. The key is to shift the average down.

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot · 03-01-2023 10:46am

Only goal for this year is to find a regular 4 ball or just some mates to play with. Joined a club last year and played with whoever was on the timesheet for the Sunday comps. Going to make a proper effort to turn some of that into a regular playing group.

RoadRunner · 03-01-2023 10:58am

Help deliver another successful year for the society.
Make the jug team through good consistent play.
Win back the jug for the boards side.
Side quest - shoot level par round.

token56 · 03-01-2023 12:22pm

I'm relatively new to this forum but hoping to join the boards society this year.

Last year was my first year of playing consistent golf which saw my HCI go from a high of 16.1 to 13.2 at the moment. I'm setting myself some very adventurous goals but why not aim high.

Get my HCI below 10
Win a medal in my local club
Win one of our matchplay competitions (last year I got to one final and one semi final)
Strong performance in our Captains Prize (Joint 3rd after day one last year and blew up on day two)
Maybe represent our club in an interclub comp, depending on time requirements, and being selected of course.

Motivator · 03-01-2023 12:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120058809#Comment_120058809

I had a similar problem when I joined my club down in Cork. When I qualified for it, I regularly played the long handicap and played with the same 3 guys regularly enough. Then that progressed to playing with one of them in the 4ball with mates of theirs and then it progressed to joining in a WhatsApp group with 30 guys. Now what happens is a few guys book a line at the weekend and then puts it in the WhatsApp group and it’s first come first served. A great way to get 16 or 20 guys out playing every weekend and everyone mixes there’s no cliques. If you can, try and go down this route if possible.

my own goals this year

Practice 2 nights per week for minimum one hour and short game only
win the scratch cup
get to 3 handicap (currently 6)

coillcam · 03-01-2023 2:17pm

Weekly practice
Drop to single figures from 11.6.
Break 80.
Shoot consistently low 80s at home.
Make 4 birdies in a round.
Make an eagle putt (I've holed out from 60 yards but rarely threatened any of my eagle putts)
Birdie every hole at home.
Two consecutive rounds with nothing worse than bogey.
Use the stand bag more often, especially 9 holes.
Get clubhead speed over 110+mph (low 100s atm).
Play links golf multiple times (I actually played for the first time yesterday and have the bug now).
Play abroad (will be tricky but I'll leave it in)
Win a Sunday comp.
Place in a club major.
Play on an inter-club team.
Have fun, socialize and enjoy the game.
Continue with swing lessons and learning. Try another coach.
Short game clinic (Rafleski or Peltz).
Reduce my overswing tendency (My shoulders/torso easily rotate beyond 90 degrees rather than my arms folding over).

I finished 2022 with all of my recent counting rounds in the 80s, clustered mostly at 84-86. Even playing a new course recently I had an 86 with quad and triple bogeys on the back 9 (Opened that round with a 9-hole PB too). I'm getting more GIRs and better off the tee. It feels like my shot selection and misses are better while ball striking is on the uptick. A new 3i which I'm still getting used to looks to be a great tee option - poor/mediocre strikes are very playable and a decent one is brilliant for positioning.

Ultimately it'll come down to consistently playing and practicing with a few lessons/tweaks in between. My lifestyle allows for that now and I'm happy to commit the time as I really enjoy the grind. Not adding anything related to gear or fitting as I'm a bit of a gear pervert so it's hard to resist shiny things!

I really enjoy reading these and coming back to them after a few months. Looking forward to the year ahead and how it turns out.

willabur · 03-01-2023 2:39pm

Always a good exercise

2023 goals

HC to 6
Birdie every hole at Corballis
Play more interclubs
Win club matchplay tournament

benny79 · 03-01-2023 5:16pm

I've a few weird ones this year

Go a year without a lesson (I get way to many)
Win a medal
Win GOTY with boards
Break 90 regularly
Get back in my fitness (haven't trained in 6 months! longest Ive ever gone!)

I complete it all and it be a great year 😂

Frisbee · 04-01-2023 4:07pm

Keeping it simple this year.

Get HCI down to 11.5. Currently at 13.7.

Get away for a weekend with a few mates either to Sligo (Enniscrone/Carne) or Rosapenna.

dan_ep82 · 04-01-2023 4:47pm

New baby in October along with the weather means I've only played a handful of times since and won't likely improve a whole lot for a while so no lofty goals.

Currently drifted out to 9.8 from a low of 8.8, if I can keep it below 12 I'll consider it a win.

Would love to have my week of opens in the middle of the year aswell but I imagine this might be spread out and cut down from the usual.

The Guru 123 · 05-01-2023 12:13am

I see a lot of comments here about practicing more which is great but I’d advise anyone to invest some time in learning how to practice. There’s a lot of information out there on this topic but Adam Young is great. Either his books or his podcast (the sweet spot). Think he has a website too.

Few little practice tips I’ve learned over the years:

if you’re making a technical change really focus as much as possible on the new movement and after every 5 balls step away and take a break for a minute or so to refocus. Very hard to focus correctly enough to make a change when hitting anymore.

Other than that you want to mix up or use “random practice” as much as you can. So don’t hit 10 driver and then 10 7 irons all at the same target. Hit every 2nd one and mix up the targets.

Use feedback from your sessions, if you’re not striking it well it’s either ground contact, face contact or poor face/swing path match up. Determine which one it is and incorporate some drills next time to fix this. Adam Young is great for drills on this.

try turn your practice into a game as much as you can. Makes it more interesting and adds pressure.

Examples of games:

Driving take 10 balls and your 2 main driving clubs. Mark out narrow fairway and see how many drives you can put in this fairway switching clubs each shot. Can add more complexity to this by punishing yourself more for missing with the shorter club etc.

Par 18 is a great short game practice game. 9 different chips and see how many you get up and down. 18 being par.

I think it’s very important with chipping to vary the shots you’re hitting as much as possible.

Finally a game/drill I love for putting is give yourself maybe a 6 foot putt and set up a gate about halfway between ball and hole. Gate should be just wide enough for ball to go through. See how many balls out of 10 you can get through the gate and in the hole. If you can it shows you’re starting the putt on line which is huge for making putts. This can be a very frustrating one!

Rikand · 05-01-2023 8:30pm

Play at least 20 counting rounds of golf and trim a little bit off my handicap (current 6.2)

If I got to 5.x and stayed there, that would be amazing :)

billy3sheets · 06-01-2023 12:08am

Starting 2023 with new fitted irons, so coupled with a fairly recent lesson I just want to play a few rounds to see what's working and get lessons to fix what isn't.

Currently driving and putting well so main focus area for improvement is pitching from 30-80 yards.

I want to shoot mid 80s as my regular score so that should get my HI down to about 10 from current 13.5. I'd be happy with that by end of 2023.

No idea what wins will pop out so I never set them as goals. Just plan to be playing well going into the big comps and hope a few putts drop.

Plan to play loads, including inter club and society and casual with family and friends.

Hopefully a golf holiday in Portugal in October.

Bring it on! 😀

coillcam · 06-01-2023 10:41am

@The Guru 123 - spot on about practicing smartly or with as close to competition conditions as possible. We can all hit 100 balls on autopilot or hit the same chip from a perfect lie to the same pin. One tip I saw from Schauffele on challenging the short game was to use one ball and one shot to mimic a real hole. He throws the ball all around the short game area and tries to get to leave himself a gimme or makeable put each time. Sketchy lies, bunker downslope etc. Another variable was to use a tee as the target/pin and place it in as $h!tty of a place as possible on the green. Or at least varying positions with the same goal.

If I'm not working on something specific at the range I'll often try to mimic my home course's 18 holes. I'll hit all of my tee shots and full approaches as I've a fair idea of the distances. The other one I'll do is think of my 14 drives and try to put the ball in the proper location (perfect or best miss). Then score with 1 point for a good ball, 0 for a safe miss and -1 for trouble/bad. I might hit 12x Driver and 2x wood/iron but the principle is the same.

cunnerz21 · 11-01-2023 1:29pm

I've started the year by getting custom fit for the first time so upgraded my driver and irons so excited for the year ahead. Setting a few goals for the year ahead:

1. Get HI down to single figures. Started 2022 at 17.5, starting 2023 at 12.9 so would love to get that to single figures

2. Play an interclub match for the first time

3. Win a club comp.l, have placed in loads of them and won my category quite a few times but never actually won outright.

Short and sweet but if I can accomplish those 3 things in 2023 I'd be delighted!

FixdePitchmark · 11-01-2023 7:12pm

Last year I had a lot of golf things on - very enjoyable year, playing some of the best courses in Ireland and further afield. It was a year of great social golf and much fun with great friends. But, with that, my competitive side definitely suffered. In saying that - it was a lesson for me, that there is more to golf than chasing a handicap. Perhaps - in Ireland, we go a bit too far with how serious we take every competition and round.

Now - I haven't completely gone mad - and I do intend to step back into my normal self this season. A few mates have said to me - your playing way too much casual golf and you need to get your competitive edge back. I've taken the feedback on.

so my goals for this year.

1) As always, have a par round - got a 4 over round last year (with a poor finish) - a long way from par - but if the stars align , it is a sort of 1 in 100 chance for the year ahead - but still my target.

2) Get my handicap stabilized and falling - currently 6 - and rising.

3) Have 25 competitive rounds in the year - only had a total of 15 last year

4) Have at least 3 eagles - Had 4 last year - but one was a hole in 1 and 2 were hole outs.

5) Take full responsibility for my short game - and engage with issues.

6) Improve flexibility and fitness

7) complete my lessons and try find something from it, to bed into swing (is hard, as a bit of, old dog new trick issue)

8) Improve routine in all aspects of my game and pre-game - I literally have no routine.

9) Finish my Links project (to play them all) - very close to the end now

10) Play in the mainland England / Wales.

So lots of goals there - I like goals and when I set them - i tend to try very hard to make them happen. The Par round is the ultimate and is a very very challenging target.

Infoseeker1975 · 11-01-2023 8:10pm

Try to play in some scratch cups outside of my course and in general to play other courses as much as is possible.

Work on taking a club more and trying to swing in a more control fashion.

Unlikely but try to get handicap low enough to get into one of the championships though to be honest, I don't know what the cut off point is:) Changes today on this re casual golf scores and the number that can count.

CSWS101 · 13-01-2023 1:38pm

Usually about +1/+2 to get into those

Infoseeker1975 · 13-01-2023 8:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120102778#Comment_120102778

Thanks, I have a bit of work to do so, currently just shy of +1 though want to see if I can play something like 25% of competitions/counting scores on away courses to see if I can stay to that level, if not I am wasting my time:)

faffingaround · 30-01-2023 8:14pm

Right!

The goals this year…

1) Get lessons for the driver

2) Have no round over 99 strokes!

3) Practice regularly

4) Maintain or improve current handicap of 16

5) Play 5 new courses

6) Shoot as good or better than 12 over par

7) Break 90 on five occasions

bobster453 · 31-01-2023 12:20am

Be consistent and focus more on each shot.

End year max 12 index

willabur · 23-08-2023 3:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059692#Comment_120059692

Down to 5.9 as off today. Shot +1 yesterday at powerscourt West course. Could have gone a few under par. Didn't sink anything over 4 feet all day.

Had a good run in the interclubs and made the final of the matchplay. So year worked out well. Need to catch up on the birdie challenge tho

dan_ep82 · 23-08-2023 4:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065173#Comment_120065173

Back up to 7.0 from 6.8 but can’t imagine I’ll move more than a shot either side before the season ends ,playing a lot less with both of us back working but still trying to make it work.

El Guapo! · 23-08-2023 6:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121017472#Comment_121017472

Bandit

dan_ep82 · 23-08-2023 6:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121017967#Comment_121017967

If anyone would know it would be someone who dropped 8 shots in less than 12 months 😉

2023 Golfing Goals

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