Tom...  You mentioned earlier that you were thinking of taking some lessons. Perhaps one on the short game would be a great start as it would fit well with your plans and I am sure the instructor would be strong on helping you think about course management.

My focus will be to work on my short game as well. If I can get better on mastering the chips around the greens and out of bunkers (which is my true nemesis) I know I will be able to get to my goal of dropping to a 6 handicap this year.

I recall someone telling me they were talking to their local pro saying he needed putting tips as he was always three putting. The pro told him to grab his wedge and come with him. The concept was that it was not the putting which was the problem. He just had to learn to hit the ball closer to the hole to eliminate the three putts :)

I totally agree. If I can chip it closer to the hole, I will certainly eliminate a lot of putts and lower my scores for sure.

Darius

Hi guys.  What I will be focusing on this year is my short game.  For me this is the most important part of my game. Around the green, thats where it's played

Around the 

Really want to become more consistent.  Regretably I am an equal opportunity miss-er and really want to learn to take one side of the hole out of play.!!

I will be focusing on hitting more fairways. My goal is to be averaging 60% by the end of the year.  Its always been a weakness of mine but I started keeping track of the numbers last year and it was obvious as to how it was hurting my scores. The chances of bogey or worse increases a significant amount when I miss fairways.

I've done some work on my fitness over the winter and after a couple of range sessions this week I can say that I definitely feel like I am swinging the club better as a result of it. I'm hoping I can keep up a schedule of 3 days a week of practice, a significant amount of it on the long game.

As well, I revamped the equipment over the winter... new driver and 3 wood, Titleist 913 of course!

Good luck to everyone this year, hope you're able to shoot your best scores ever!

Absolutely course management my nemesis .Also finding a good way to

dial in my  yardages. Any ideas?

I am going to focus on 1) hitting the ball A bit higher on my driver face for launch and spin sweetness.

2) A great set up, and shot selection process that allows me to love the game. Just read "every shot must have a purpose" and realize jsut how much more I can love the game and brring more to the table for EVERY shot.

Have a great spring TT members!

My focus this year will be to improve my short game, bunker play and putting through practice.  Luckily I will have lots of time at the start of the season because I had some minor surgery a week ago and won't be able to make a full pass at the ball until later in May!   Hello chipping green!!!

Andrew: One of the best course management tips I've ever heard of and use is to find the average yardage of your home course's shortest par 3 (mine is 135 yards). Try playing to that yardage on every hole back from the green. Have fun with it. You can also play an entire 18 holes with your 135 club and a putter. I do it a couple of times a year. After work on a quiet night is great. It is amazing how much your game will get better playing a a familiar yardage. I actually broke 80 a couple of years ago with a 9 iron and putter (on a 6300 yard course).

C'mon spring!

Chris H.

Tom...

Great idea to bring up this post as we come to the end of the Ontario Golf Season.

So glad that the lessons helped you out. I do hope you are getting closer to your target handicap level.

I checked back and saw that my goal was to work on my short game to try and get down to a 6 handicap. It actually worked ! For a short while I was actually down to a 5, spent a fair bit of time as a 6, and now regularly bounce between a 6 and a 7. The chipping and bunkers are now something I can manage much better than before, so when I miss a green it is no longer a huge swing in my score. The good thing is that for handicap purposes only the best 10 of your last 20 rounds come into play. I am fortunate enough that my best 10 keep me where I want to be.

Now to do what I can to finish the year on a positive note !

I hope everyone else met their targets, or at least had a lot of fun trying !!!!

Darius

I found that a little practise here and there on my putting and those bump and runs and flop shots has helped me get up and down an lot more than before, and once where I was looking at bogey, I'm walking away with a par.  Above all I believe the key is solid practise sessions.  We had a great summer for golf this year and I'm hoping our fall season takes us into at least mid November! 

stephen

#1 for me during the off season is fitness , strong legs and a healthy body 

The biggest thing for me is consistency and improving my poor shots.    Too many possible 67s turn into 75s because of missing poorly or in the wrong spot.  

I also think everyone from a +.01 handicap to a new player can improve by focusing on playing within themselves and being patient over 18 holes,  keeping your cool and taking it one shot at a time 

One more tip that applies to most avid golfers is to try to play the same ball as much as you can, for me its the prov1x,  no matter what your ball may be,  playing one model will improve your confidence and consistency.  

I'm new to the game and just want to keep learning which club to use in each situation and hitting the ball consistently.