Following on from reflecting on what you enjoyed and what you learned in 2016, now would be a perfect time to set your goals for 2017.
High-level goals are easy to say but harder to achieve. For example, “lower my handicap from 12 to 9.” This is a great place to start, but it is not more than that.
The next step would be to review your strengths and weaknesses against your current handicap;
On an A-F scale with “A” being “outstanding” and “F” being “I need a lot of help” quickly assess your golf game under these categories:
Driving
Include ave number of fairways hit out of 14.
Fairway shots
Shots from 150 yds to the green (and note if you typically miss left, right, short or long)
Pitch shots
From 100 yds (and note if you typically miss left, right, short or long)
Chipping – 20 yds
- Chip and run – no obstacles
- Lob shot over an obstacle like a bunker, ditch, etc
Note how often you get up and down in 2, 3 or perhaps more..
Putting
Do you come up short or go long, miss left or right and how many 3 putts per round
Bunkers
Do you usually get out first time? How often to you get up and down from sand?
Course Management
Do you ask yourself “what’s the right shot here” or always use the Driver come what may?
Mental strength
Are you a head or a heart player? What happens if you hit a poor shot? How long will it be before you “get over it?”
You may not have all this information to hand, so give yourself a grade anyway, and make a note to capture more information on all forthcoming rounds.
Having given yourself an honest assessment, it’s time to put a “cunning plan together”.
