Orikoru
Tour Winner
What are your 2026 golfing targets? These can be as specific or as broad as you like. And I'm sure we'll have the usual 'have fun and keep breathing just like last year' so feel free. 
For me - I have never previously believed single figures was a real possibility for me, but now - I'm not sure I want to make it an actual target but I do believe it's probably possible, for the first time. One thing holding me back is my home club's low course ratings, so if I'm ever going to do it, I'll need to be putting a lot of scores in at away courses. (This is something I've already been doing.)
The most important thing I need to do is improve my chipping. It has been poor for quite some time. In my last two rounds I changed a little bit in my set-up and it worked a treat, although it remains to be seen whether the firm (frozen) ground at the moment is simply masking the chunks. I need to find a way to fit chipping practice into my schedule. The chipping area at my club is poor, which doesn't really inspire me to go down to the club and use it, but I may have to just force myself to do it.
Secondly - I've considered myself to be a decent putter over the last two years, but I think if I'm being critical there is room for improvement there. Again, my practice has fallen down somewhat - I think my stroke is technically sound, but I let myself down in green reading and judgement. Some days I just don't get the speed right at all - some days I'm playing far too much break that isn't there - other days I think they're not going to break much and they do. I do find it hard to improve my judgement simply by practicing on the putting green. But I have to try. I'm currently a bit of a streaky putter where I'll have the odd day I'm holing everything, but I rarely have a round without a three-putt somewhere.
I managed to average 55.4% fairways hit last year, which I think is a pretty good average - I'm keen to push my distance up a little bit, but this is a gradual process of trying to add more speed. I also hit 31.8% greens in reg - not bad but I was aiming for a third, so this can be pushed up a little bit more. Up and downs was 26.2%, so as mentioned, the chipping wasn't there as I'd like this to be a third as well.
For those who are single figures, is it realistic to achieve this with 33.3% greens in reg and 33.3% up and downs? My shaky maths suggests it's viable as long as I have no more than 1 three-putt on a GIR, and no more than one double bogey (or two doubles and one birdie), leaving me around 8 over par... although at my home course 8 over is like 11 differential so will need to be slightly better there. Anyway, those are the starting blocks.
The short version:
For me - I have never previously believed single figures was a real possibility for me, but now - I'm not sure I want to make it an actual target but I do believe it's probably possible, for the first time. One thing holding me back is my home club's low course ratings, so if I'm ever going to do it, I'll need to be putting a lot of scores in at away courses. (This is something I've already been doing.)
The most important thing I need to do is improve my chipping. It has been poor for quite some time. In my last two rounds I changed a little bit in my set-up and it worked a treat, although it remains to be seen whether the firm (frozen) ground at the moment is simply masking the chunks. I need to find a way to fit chipping practice into my schedule. The chipping area at my club is poor, which doesn't really inspire me to go down to the club and use it, but I may have to just force myself to do it.
Secondly - I've considered myself to be a decent putter over the last two years, but I think if I'm being critical there is room for improvement there. Again, my practice has fallen down somewhat - I think my stroke is technically sound, but I let myself down in green reading and judgement. Some days I just don't get the speed right at all - some days I'm playing far too much break that isn't there - other days I think they're not going to break much and they do. I do find it hard to improve my judgement simply by practicing on the putting green. But I have to try. I'm currently a bit of a streaky putter where I'll have the odd day I'm holing everything, but I rarely have a round without a three-putt somewhere.
I managed to average 55.4% fairways hit last year, which I think is a pretty good average - I'm keen to push my distance up a little bit, but this is a gradual process of trying to add more speed. I also hit 31.8% greens in reg - not bad but I was aiming for a third, so this can be pushed up a little bit more. Up and downs was 26.2%, so as mentioned, the chipping wasn't there as I'd like this to be a third as well.
For those who are single figures, is it realistic to achieve this with 33.3% greens in reg and 33.3% up and downs? My shaky maths suggests it's viable as long as I have no more than 1 three-putt on a GIR, and no more than one double bogey (or two doubles and one birdie), leaving me around 8 over par... although at my home course 8 over is like 11 differential so will need to be slightly better there. Anyway, those are the starting blocks.
The short version:
- fit chipping & putting practice into my schedule
- aim for 35% greens in reg average
- aim for 35% up and down average
- limit doubles to one or two maximum!
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