Commit to your goals!

The Mental Side of Things
#1

I’m not sure if this is going to be a series of posts, but I’ve been thinking alot about golf, life, goal setting and the process of achieving those goals… at the end of the day, I think committing to what you are doing is the best way to get what you want done.

My first post on committing to your swing made me think about what else you need to commit to in golf… We won’t get into non golf goals (though, commit to those too!)… but I look at a lot of golfers and they talk about getting better, but don’t actually COMMIT to a goal.

For me, committing to my goal means:

Selecting something measurable. I want to get down to a scratch handicap (currently a six). This is a long term goal, and not something that will happen overnight… but I know what I want to do, and I can very easily log into the GHIN app and see where I stand.

Figure out how to get there… For me, I know I need to improve my short game. Being injured, this has been an easier task as it’s all I can do… I’ve been focusing on improving my putting and chipping… Next season, I’ll do more tracking and figure out what other action items should be on my list.

Measure, improve, analyze… I want to make sure I keep track of what I’m going, make sure I’m actually improving on the metrics I practice, and then analyze what I need to focus on (and make sure what I am doing is working and tweak as needed).

I’ve always said I want to get better at golf, but this season, I want to have a real goal, a process to follow and actually track my results (And hold myself accountable)

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#2

Goal setting is really important when trying to improve on anything! I would like to do something similar and make some serious goals that I can strive for. I honestly haven’t set many goals in golf and I wonder if setting a goal that isn’t especially measurable is just setting yourself up for failure? What if your goal is to make your first cut in a tournament or to win your club championship flight? Is that too broad and not unmeasurable to be realistic? I can see those as maybe being result oriented goals and those goals are not easy to achieve when your focus gets out of the process.

#3

The problem with both those goals in my mind is that they are both one off, and outside of your control… You could easily put up a good score and get beat… You could also just have a bad day on the course at the wrong time and lose…

I’d ask yourself “what kind of golfer do I need to be to make the cut at a tournament” and try to get there… then from there, maybe have the goal be to make the cut, if that makes sense?

#4

I started playing golf in 2017. Before that point I may have played a total of 50 rounds of golf which equated to about two rounds a year. Never took lessons never considered playing to get better, it was just a thing to do every now and again with friends in the Army. I had a back injury that prevented me from even doing that in 2006, so I played absolutely zero rounds of golf between 2006 and 2017. After successful back surgery in 2015 after about 18 months, I was finally pain free. I went out and played golf and it didn’t hurt. I think I shot a 130+ that day with many mulligans and friendly drops along the way that weren’t added into that score. I was actually kind of angry and told my friend, I am either never playing this game again or I will become a professional. He laughed at me and said I wouldn’t do either. I said oh, you don’t know me that well, since I’ve never quit at anything I guess I’m going to become a professional. So for the last 3 1/2 years I’ve been striving for this goal that I set. Lofty, yes?! Unattainable, no! I will be 50 at the end of 2025, so I have five more years to reach this goal of making the Champions tour. I’ve set milestone goals along the way to keep myself on track. My motto is 1% better each time I go out. By that math it would only take about 100 days, hahaha. But that could be something simple like making 50 out of 100 putts today but tomorrow I’ll make 51. That’s 1%. I write my list down each year and adjust. I don’t make some of my goals but that is ok. I have a vision board to keep track of the year goals as well as my notes in my phone. Anything is possible when you set your mind to it.

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#5

Definitely makes sense, like I said I haven’t really set any hard goals. (Not hard as in difficulty, but stature). I did want to lower my handicap into single digits and I was able to achieve that this year with coaching, practice, and mindset changes. But I do think it would be great to achieve some of the things that happen as you become better at golf. It is those types of visions that help keep me playing. Being the winner of something. Earning the pot money Saturday morning from an awesome round.

I understand that those are not goals that necessarily make you a better golfer or more consistent. The process of practicing, coaching, tracking your data and working towards improving your overall skill set is certainly what helps you get there. Basically I’m saying for me, I try to get better so I can have a chance at winning! I am going to follow this thread and talk about some goal setting with coach next session to get some of his insight too!

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#6

That is just awesome.
Good luck, bruthah … work hard … keep your mind positive! :+1:

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#7

Thanks man! It’s a grind. I’ve literally shed tears because I put so much pressure on myself and have thought I moved backwards. It’s all part of the process to continue to move forward!

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#8

My golf coach had me break down my golf goals into short term, medium term, and long term goals. Short term goals (1-3 months) would be things like “make consistent center contact on putts.” Medium term goal (6 months to 1 year) might be something like “average under 30 putts per round” and a long term goal (3-5 years) would be like “lower handicap to X” or “win club championship.” Each goal should be challenging yet achievable. And each goal should be reassessed every couple months. So if you’re making consistent center contact on putts, move on to a new short term goal. If you win your club championship after two years, change your long term goal to getting top 10 in a state tournament or qualifying for a USGA event, etc. I think this is a great way to set and achieve goals.

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#9

@Gisclairj - what a badass plan! I love it! Inspiring. Just been doodling the outline of my winter plan in my golf journal. Includes:

  • Decade
  • Calculus (UK thing looks similar to Decade)
  • Ultimate Golf State of Mind
  • @Adamyounggolf - Practice Manual
  • Tech practice (lockdown permitting)
  • Revisit & harden pre shot routine
  • S+C and mobility- maybe Fit for Golf
  • Mindfulness

I also have a version of your vision board but just in text in iPhone Notes - will tidy up and post on here to increase my accountability. Need to get it on the wall in my home office too :grin:

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#10

Yes sir! Get it! :facepunch:t4::+1:t4:

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#11

I need to revisit that myself; really study it and really try to learn it / get it – there’s a LOT of great stuff in there!

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#12

Finally signed up for Fit for Golf. Mike’s 20% Masters discount sealed the deal. Got some resistance bands on order from Amazon. Let’s see where this goes

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#13

@Gisclairj - Jim, its taken a while but my (more analytical, less creative) vision board is in progress now I’ve finished renovating my home office and cleared my pin board. Small start, hope to grow the content! Thanks for the inspiration :smiley:

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#14

Update on my 2021 goals, inspired by @Gisclairj; I followed my practice plan, found my process and committed to it. This weekend I was crowned Club Champion (nett) for my club with -5 across two weekend rounds. Also secured the Over 50s Club Champion.
Very happy with the outcome yet I know I can still do better, which feels like a good place to be mid-year.

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