2011 Golf Goals

As January gets under way it is goal setting time. I usually lay out my personal, professional, financial and golf goals for the year each January. In 2010, like most years I achieved some of my goals and missed others. There are usually a few “left over” goals that seem to be on the list every year. One that seems to make the list each year is to improve my lag putting. I learned in a management class a long time ago that if you write down your goals you are more likely to achieve them. So, since then I have been doing so and it has become part of my New Year routine.

Here are a few of my golf related goals for 2011 and some other good ideas. If you have never set goals before, take some time, reflect on what you would like to achieve this year and write them down. At the end of the year it is fun to see what you achieve or accomplish versus what you still need to work on. The key to this exercise is to periodically look at your list to make sure your focusing on the goals. Use your own results to see if this is a good tool you can add into your life for improvement.

Some of the goals may be general

• Improve my lag putting

• Reduce three putts

• Focus on the shot at hand, stay in the present

• Turn pars into birdies, bogies into pars, double bogies into bogies, avoid the big number

• Focus on hitting the fairway off the tee

Some of your goals may be more specific but they may also require that you keep some stats

• Improve average score from 85 to 82

• Reduce your handicap from 15 to 12

• Get up and down out of the greenside bunkers 33% of the time

• Average less than 34 putts per round

Other Goals may include personal achievements

• Win your club championship flight

• Enter three competitive events in 2011

• Get some lessons from your PGA Professional

• Take a golf trip with some friends

• Read some instructional books or magazines

• Commit to practicing your short game for at least two hours each week


What are some of your golf goals for 2011?