Realistic goal setting for first year playing golf

[ToffeePie9]

I have been playing for about a month now and judging by handicap projections online, I am currently playing to about a handicap of 18.

I am competitive with myself as much as anything else and I am trying to come up with a challenge or goal to aim for in my first year playing.

in your experience, what would you say is realistic yet challenging for the average new starter? I realise everyone’s progression will be different.

cheers,

 

[TreeSeeker]

I've set myself goals which aren't related to my handicap, or score. I would have been able to improve my score quite easily down from the +20-25 i was shooting by just sticking to my old technique and getting more dialed in on where it was going.

By the end of the year I want to have a broadly standard swing that I can do without putting any part of my body at risk of injury (beyond the risks just playing golf have), and secondly I want to be able to deliver that swing consistently.

After 4 lessons i'm starting to see some of the light at the end of the tunnel, and fingers crossed it puts me on a good starting path.

Handicap / scoring / distance can all come after i've got those basics nailed down.

 

[User101]

I am trying to come up with a challenge or goal to aim for in my first year playing.

,

Score goals are always a great target. If you haven't broke 100 yet, be that your goal, or be it 90, that is good target setting I think.

ps, don't even think about stableford, just a licence to have bad holes.

 

[mteam]

Thats very good 18 handicap after a month

 

[HomerJSimpson]

That seems a very quick progression so congratulations on that. Are you having lessons? If so chat to the pro. If not and assuming you aren't a member and looking to get an official handicap yet I'd keep working on setting scoring goals (beat your best). I'd also try to set goals for number of putts, greens hit, sand saves, scrambles etc

 

[srixon 1]

It varies from person to person. My first handicap was 18, and it took me 7 years to get to single figures. I played in a medal last week and one of my FC’s was playing off 7 after just a year. Whether the technology has helped him I don’t know, he’s got modern stuff whereas I had persimmon woods and full on blade irons, and a putter that looked like it belonged down the crazy golf course.

 

[Dogma]

Playing to 18?

After a month?

You’re not an average golfer.

 

[r0wly86]

Do you keep stats?

What is your typical round like, you say you are playing to around 18 (great stuff by the way) but is that lots of pars then a couple of blow ups, or steady bogey golf.

I wouldn't get bogged down in your handicap as a target in itself if I were you. Concentrate on your scoring and the handicap will fall anyway.

As for breaking scores, 18 is a tricky handicap. Assuming a 70 par that means you should be breaking 90 regularly but breaking 80 will be quite an effort. Doable if you want a long term target. But I always find having short term targets a better way to progress.

Average under 36 putts for your round, if you do that consistently then scores will fall.
FIR and GIR are good indications of scoring potential. But without knowing your stats a bit difficult to give any advice.

Good luck to you though and remember to enjoy it

 

[duncan mackie]

Simple

Keep a 6 of your card.

Once you have that nailed move on to keeping a double bogey off your card.

When you have that sorted you will now be single figures and able to realistically assess appropriate goals moving forwards.

 

[Orikoru]

You're playing 18 after only one month? That's insane.

 

[jim8flog]

Playing to 18?

After a month?

You’re not an average golfer.

A comment I would agree on.

For me it was an initial 22 handicap, one year to get to 16 and another 10 to get to 6

 

[duncan mackie]

You're playing 18 after only one month? That's insane.

Lol - took me a week.

All depends on your sporting background and hand eye cordination in my experience.

The problem is that such 'progress' tends to come at the price of doing it my way, which can, and frequently does, create a plateau situation at some point on the scoring line going forwards and will require unwinding (which is a nightmare!).

 

[patricks148]

Lol - took me a week.

All depends on your sporting background and hand eye cordination in my experience.

The problem is that such 'progress' tends to come at the price of doing it my way, which can, and frequently does, create a plateau situation at some point on the scoring line going forwards and will require unwinding (which is a nightmare!).

Yes very true Duncan

I had a rapid drop when i started playing, wish i had got lessons and not picked up the faults that ultimately stalled my game for a couple of years.

 

[ToffeePie9]

Thanks for the input, I had played recreationally before a few times with friends but that was once every couple of years.

My average round sees me Par 5/6 of the holes, bogey about 11 and then maybe have one flare up where I hit one bad shot, dont clear my head and hit another etc.

The main thing I have been working on in the last couple of weeks is to make sure I hit the putt hard enough. When I initially started I felt like Happy Gilmore just tap after tap. I am aiming to get the distance right so that any second putt is basically a tap in. I suppose I am playing the same course so I know the greens now which is giving me a bit of an advantage.

 

[r0wly86]

Thanks for the input, I had played recreationally before a few times with friends but that was once every couple of years.

My average round sees me Par 5/6 of the holes, bogey about 11 and then maybe have one flare up where I hit one bad shot, dont clear my head and hit another etc.

The main thing I have been working on in the last couple of weeks is to make sure I hit the putt hard enough. When I initially started I felt like Happy Gilmore just tap after tap. I am aiming to get the distance right so that any second putt is basically a tap in. I suppose I am playing the same course so I know the greens now which is giving me a bit of an advantage.

So I would say easy goals for you then are to remove your flare ups. Either better course management, or better mentality. Getting into a habit of stepping back taking a breather before continuing putting the bad shot out of your head.

And putting which yourself have identified. Don't get upset if you miss a putt or three putt. But work on your strategy if a long putt, get it up to the hole, don't be too aggressive think of a two putt as a success if you are far away.

Practice 4-6 putts if you start holing them out regularly then you will score much better

 

[Orikoru]

Lol - took me a week.

All depends on your sporting background and hand eye cordination in my experience.

The problem is that such 'progress' tends to come at the price of doing it my way, which can, and frequently does, create a plateau situation at some point on the scoring line going forwards and will require unwinding (which is a nightmare!).

I would say you two are the exception rather than the rule. Some people at our club have been playing for years, having lessons, and still play off 28.

 

[NorwichBanana]

Average under 36 putts for your round, if you do that consistently then scores will fall.
FIR and GIR are good indications of scoring potential. But without knowing your stats a bit difficult to give any advice.

Don't get drawn into putting stats. They are totally irrelevant.

Id take 36 putts with 18 GIRs....Level par.

 

[r0wly86]

Don't get drawn into putting stats. They are totally irrelevant.

Id take 36 putts with 18 GIRs....Level par.

I know putting stats by themselves aren't the be all and end all but they are an indication. If you are averaging over 36 putts then you are 3 putting or worse on more than one occasion which is obviously an easy win.

Hitting you drive 300 yards down the middle is the same amount of strokes as missing a 3 footer.

And I know that you can miss the HIR chip close and 1 putt and reduce your average but that is my point too, if you can do that then you will score well

 

[ToffeePie9]

I havent had any lessons as of yet purely because I bought some new clubs and financial constraints limit the amount I can spend on Golf in any single month but I am planning on doing it before long to make sure I dont get any bad habits deeply engrained.

For me, there are two holes I play regularly which involve me hitting a shot with a bit of a right to left shape. I can be playing a great round and it always seems to be those two holes that trip me up with my shots leaking really far right to the extent it can regularly be a lost ball.

I dont know the science behind it but the last couple of times I have found by gripping the club tighter on those two holes, I prevent the ball leaking to the right. This might not be the perfect solution but seems to be working for me at the moment - whether this is a bad idea in the long run will be a matter for the pro to teach me out of perhaps?

 

[duncan mackie]

I would say you two are the exception rather than the rule. Some people at our club have been playing for years, having lessons, and still play off 28.

Maybe, but I'm definitely not alone and have met many who have transferred across from other sports to quickly establish a high degree of competence at golf because of it.
In order I would say hockey is no1, then cricket followed by more general racket sports. Just playing the odd bit of hockey may help but when played to a high level (national) you need skills that translate straight across, as with cricket.

Having played for 4 decades I know many, many, who struggle to break 100, let alone 90 - some of whom have a lot of lessons, some never have one. Most would also struggle to play tennis (not all!)
As ever it's a matter of degrees.