Golfing goals for 2012

2011 seems to have flown by and there are now about seven weeks of the year left, so my mind started to wander towards the golfing goals I want to set myself for 2012.


I have to be realistic about these goals. Whilst I have a 'bucket list' of courses to play and events in which I'd like to be involved, the impending arrival of Junior Wheeler #2 (not to mention my ongoing status as a P-TG) means the targets are on the timid side.


The first goal is one I have had for some time, and come very, very close to achieving on two occasions, and that is to break 70. Whilst I have written before about the perils of misplaced confidence, I do believe that I have the ability to go round 18 holes in less than 70 strokes.

Honestly, what are the chances of achieving this goal in 2012? Pretty thin, I must admit. To be frank, the arrival of our second child in January will certainly put paid to any hopes of golfing regularity. Add to the equation the increasingly harsh winter weather the UK seems to be suffering from in recent years, and there is a recipe for the clubs staying dry and under lock and key until the spring. That said, I would like to set myself a target of ten rounds of golf during the year. Over the course of 2011, I've probably averaged a round every four-six weeks, so it would be great to continue on that trajectory for at least another year.

The next goal is to try and get some sort of official handicap sorted out. Whilst I have no intention, nor the finances, to commit to joining a club, I will need to have something more official than an approximation of some of my previous rounds when it comes to declaring an appropriate number. It's worth pointing out, of course, that I am not a sombrero-wearer who rocks up, declares a handicap of 17 and then tears the course up scoring 40-odd points. When playing amongst friends and family, my handicap allowance has been somewhat fluid between 7 and 10 and I would like to get a firmer appreciation of where things sit.

Predominantly, this is due to my third goal for 2012, which is the participation in the first Tweet Golf Cup. This Stableford competition, set up by a couple of Scots whom I've got to know through Twitter, is to raise money for CHAS and will take place at the end of August at Dundonald Links, Ayrshire. To enter a team, one member needs to be active on Twitter, which I am, and all participants need handicap certificates, which I don't. This has the potential to be a great weekend of links golf and I am really looking forward to the challenge. I have put together a crack team of highly skilled golfers....ok, I couldn't find anyone suitable so I've got Ash and Geoff (who did the Macmillan Longest Day with me in May) and Noel, my shy & retiring father-in-law. Many thanks in advance to Rikki & Gordon for their hard work in getting this off the ground.


As I said, I wanted to keep my goals realistic (he says, having declared breaking 70 as #1) so the list is pretty short. How these shape up over the course of the year remains to be seen. 



I am the Part-Time Golfer