Golf Tips: Setting obtainable and realistic goals for 2021's golf season

In this edition of golf tips, we look at improving your game by setting realistic and obtainable golf goals.

Nearly every golfer wants to get better. The measure of getting better may be different, but if you said you were not interested at all in getting better, you would be one of a scant few. In today’s golf tips, we look at everyone who is trying to improve, and we do so by setting obtainable and realistic goals.

There are a few parts of this that are important. The goals you set shouldn’t be impossible to reach. If you are a 22 handicap, you shouldn’t set a goal to be a golfer who consistently shoots in the 70s by the end of 2021.

They shouldn’t be super easy either. Hitting six fairways instead of five. Averaging 94 instead of 95. Only blading four shots each round instead of five. You might do that just by random chance.

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What I just said may seem obvious. In fact, they are, but a lot of people still need to hear and adhere to that.

When it comes to me, I am a 7-8 handicap. I’m not going to be a pro, or even a scratch most likely, but I could be a low single. Would it be unreasonable for me to expect to get to a 5 handicap this year? I don’t think so.

Finding a goal, or even multiple ones, that are reasonable and within range of your abilities is the way to do it, and slowly whittle down your handicap. It can be different if you are brand new to the game. If like so many, you’ve been playing for a while already, you need to take a slow and steady approach.

You could set a goal of just tracking your shots throughout the year. Fairways hit, greens hit, putts hit. Throw in the clubs each time, and the direction that you miss. It’s not terribly difficult to do either. Use your scorecard all to yourself (or keep a separate one). List all of those down the card, and you have a nice clean way to see how you are playing.

You might find out that you cannot hit your 7-iron at all. Maybe, you are long and left on every par 3. You’ve known you aren’t a great putter, but seeing a number of 42 putts will emphasize that you need to practice on it. Without technically changing anything in your game, you’ve already found the areas that you need to work on. Now you can see your issues, and set goals to fix them.

Another option is a specific goal. Getting up and down more often could be one. Spend your time at the range not on hitting bombs like Phil, but on your wedges. Most ranges have flags or posts for a reason. Try to dial in on those.

Better yet, just go to the practice green, or wherever chipping is allowed. Hit five balls, and count how many total shots you take. 12 or better means you are up and down over half the time. Anything over, and you can see you two-putt from close off the green more often than not.

If you are looking to become a better putter, don’t set an unreasonable mark of how many putts you want to hit. Think about the type of player you are first. If you are constantly close to the green without being actually on, you should set a low number of putts. It wouldn’t make sense to want to average 36 putts if you were chipping from 25 yards on most holes.

The same can be said the other way. If you are hitting greens from much further out, you shouldn’t expect to only have 27 putts if you are consistently seeing 30-footers on your first putt. Remember, professionals only make 80% from five-feet, 41% from ten, and 12.5% from 20-25 feet. You shouldn’t expect to drain every long putt.

Instead of focusing on score goals (shooting 84 instead of 89), focus on the ways to get there. I mention wanting to be nearer to a five handicap. I’m not going to have that be my opening goal, that’s just the endpoint. I’ll set goals of more up-and-downs, scrambling better out of the bunker, and getting better at hitting lag putts. Improving there will in turn improve my score, without letting a number dominate my psyche.

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Hopefully, this edition of golf tips will help you. Take 10-15 minutes to set reasonable goals and the methods of getting there. If you can implement that into your game, the results will come easier than you could imagine.

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