Goals in 2008

[JasonMacIsaac]

Everyone must have a certain set of goals in 2008, both tournament wise and game improvement wise. Here are a list of my goals this year including how to get there:

Average under 30 putts per round
This could be the most difficult of all my challenges since I am such a bad putter as it is. I would say at the moment that I average somewhere around 33 or 34 putts per round in tournament golf, that is simply not good enough but I have finally found one of the reasons why I am such a bad putter. I don't have any focus with my eyes, you must train yourself to keep your eye sight absolutely still. I have been practicing looking at the number on the ball for 30 seconds taking practice strokes before I putt and this is making a huge difference.
Another thing that will also make a huge difference in my opinion is my new super jumbo putter grip. For whatever reason It makes it 100% easier.

Get Driving accuracy at 65% or better
At the level of golf that I play this won't be difficult at all, especially with the changes that I have made in my swing. Since limiting movement of my head through impact I have lost the snap hooks and can finally play a power fade. This will make the fairways that much easier to hit on tight courses. I figure I will be around 280-290 off the tee so I am not looking for Funk type accuracy.

GIR should be 75% or better
This may seem arrogant but you have to realize that the courses I play will be 6800 or less with the exception of Bell Bay so to hit that many greens I will need to have a solid 8 iron to wedge game. I have always had an excellent iron game, I just hope the changes don't hurt my iron game.

Finish Top 10 at Nova Scotia Amateur
Playing with a wild driver and poor putting I finished 43rd place last year at Seaview at the amateur. I will be playing on my former home course which I have shot quite a few put 70 rounds at I am fairly confident going into the year.

[IrishGolfer]

These are good goals. One question on the putting though:

Originally Posted by JasonMacIsaac

I don't have any focus with my eyes, you must train yourself to keep your eye sight absolutely still. I have been practicing looking at the number on the ball for 30 seconds taking practice strokes before I putt and this is making a huge difference.

Do you take practice strokes while looking at a specific spot on the ball? Hmmm, might give this a go. Good luck in 2008.

My only goal is to enjoy my golf this year. My wife is expecting in July so my competitive season will be all but over then.

[mddubya]

My goals are pretty simple for 08.

1) Enjoy the game more this year. Stop getting so upset when I make a bone head or bad shot.

2) Develop a handicap, this one I'm already working on. Just a few more rounds on rated courses and I'll have it.

3) Play in at least 3 amateur tournaments this year and not totally embaress myself. I've only played in one tournament, and it was a 4 man scamble so these will be a new experiance for me.

[papperlapub]

think a like - i just wanted to start the exact same thread


Great minds think a like he...




But for your question, I have also a few goals:

I want to start playing on an amateur tour, but have not figured out which one yet. For this I have to improve almost all aspects of my game. But I will focuse on especially four main areas. 1)putting 2)drive accuracy and 3) pw play and 4)fitness/stretching. For me the most important part is the 4th point, otherwise my back is going to start to hurt again and i can forget the season.

Otherwise on hpc terms my goal is a hcp 1.5 I know this is ambitious, but you have to be dont you...

Best Regards

Papp

[ezra76]

I'm not going to concentrate much on stats. I want to improve my swing and make it more consistant. Drop my handicap to an 8 minimum. Play at least one round off the tips at a tough course with no doubles. Make 3 birdies in one round. Eagle a par 5. Shoot under par at the par 3 course I sometimes practice on. Get my hole in one.

[aceillini]

my goals for "08" I am hoping to visit the eighties consistantly...play more often...and keep my bag consistant for the whole season

[warbirdlover]

My goals are simple also:

Get more used to the swing change I made over the winter (in a dome) on the course

Continue putting good like I was at end of last year

Continue chipping good like I was at the end of last year

Forget the bad shots and move on

Hopefully gain my fall of 2006 distance back (or more) with the swing change

Get back in the 80's more consistently from doing the above

Stay with the clubs I've got

[DaGris]

stop getting so upset when I make a bad shot
shoot in the 80's more consistent
if I dont get so pissed after a bad shot or two, I'll be able to shoot in the eighties more.....
cut down on stupid shots....last week I shot 92, 91, 90.......and I had several stupid, dumb, mistakes that I could have shaved a few strokes easy.

[Sandpiper3]

Win at least 2 tournaments
Break 70, both in practise and tournament
Win a competitive match 10 & 8
Qualify for BC and Canadian Amateur

I already made this thread at the very beginning of the year!.

Oh well. These are my goals, and am working on my consistency and my putting hard to accomplish these.

[JasonMacIsaac]

Originally Posted by IrishGolfer

These are good goals. One question on the putting though:



Do you take practice strokes while looking at a specific spot on the ball? Hmmm, might give this a go. Good luck in 2008.

My only goal is to enjoy my golf this year. My wife is expecting in July so my competitive season will be all but over then.

In my practice stroke...once I'm lined up I continue to stare at the number just like I did in the practice stroke. I hit the line pretty much all of the time. This is only the first week doing this. My eyes used to wonder all over the place following the golf club and everything in the area.

Michael Campbell practiced this before the US Open staring at a point on the wall...practicing the concentraton factor of putting.

[VtDivot]

Same goal I have every year...

Birdie all 18 holes at my home course.

I have never tried to qualify for the state amateur, because it always is played in July when I am back in NS on vaca... this year our vaca plans are potentially going to be a little later, so that might be a goal also.

[JasonMacIsaac]

Do any of you have a list of things to work on in the new year Every year I have writen down key thought for when I practice at the indoor or on the range (not yet). My list seems but is geared for more power and better putting.

-Practice staring a the number in both the putting stroke and in the swing.
-Putt left handed only to develop proper takeaway and create dominant hand
-Keep head steady throughout the entire swing. (turning is allowed)
-Take a slightly wider stance, keeps hips from "sliding" forward in the downswing.
-Level hips on the backswing with steady head creates loads of torque while keeping spine angle.
-Fire hips around and up rather then sliding.

[figjam]

I read an article where Loren Roberts (I think or maybe Jim Furyk) said that just before he hits the stroke he lets his ees go out of focus so the ball is a blur. He said it helps keep his eyes still and not focussing on the ball. Not sure if this helps or not, I can't do it.

My main goal this year is to get my handicap down to 6 or better so I can start playing in the amatuer tournaments in my home state. They are seeded events and usually have a cut off of 4, or less for the big ones, but most of the time they don't have full fields so 5 and 6 markers can sneak in. I hope to start by shooting low tomorrow in a stroke round. I've had a one and a two over on front nines in the last three weeks but blew out on the back to shoot 8 over both times.

[Skiddlydiddly]

My goals are simple:

-Make time for golf.
-Don't spend too much money on golf.
-Learn how to golf.

[gwlee7]

I am going to do the following:

Work on my long game by practicing the Fundamentals for the type of swing that I have been working on for the past couple of years.

Continue to hone my already good short game into a great one so that I can get to low a single digits if not scratch handicap (Last year gp all the way down to 5.0 as the lowest).

Go back onto the "Amateur Golf Tour" and play in as many of those tournaments as I can.

Take Sandpiper3 to some fun courses if he is here this summer and teach him how to eat Southern.