Issue One - The Plan

Aug 09, 2022

At the time of writing this my handicap is a scratchy 10.4. This gives me 11 shots off the yellow tees at my home course and 12 off the competition white tees. I have had 2 lessons so far and play at least once a week and pencil on one practice session, around work and life.

I’m a very analytical person and have been using the Shot Scope V3 (Link below) to collect some data on my game. It has provided me with some objective data on which to base my plan and gives me data on distances and strokes gained versus various handicaps. (For more information on Strokes Gained statistics, this podcast by Fit For Golf’s Mike Carroll, was very helpful -https://apple.co/3cZMXhnMy tee shot, approach, short game and putting stats, across my previous 20 rounds, is below:(Approach play…. yikes)

This basically means my game is 7.91 shots worse than a scratch!

The Plan

To improve across the various components of the game required to meet my target, my plan is split into 4 sections: Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological.

Technical (My golf swing, performance across Tee Shots, Approach, Short Game and Putting, distances, technical practice) - It is pretty clear from my data that approach play is a key area where my golf game is well short of a scratch golfer, with short game and putting, a close second and third.

My Technical commitments:

to have one lesson every 6-8 weeks with my club pro
to have one practice session on my approach play and short game per week (more information in the coming weeks)
to avoid the YouTube rabbit hole of trying to change my swing from my couch, from a video that isn’t meant for me (anyone else with me?)
track statistics and review in 4 weeks

Tactical (Decision making, club selection, course management, strategy) - my strategy is very weak, leading to some errant tee shots, over zealous approaches and short game shots that require precise technique (which I just don’t have)

My Tactical commitments:

to engage with the Decade system/foundations programme (more here from the Amateur Golfer UK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSo8xli1h4 )
to monitor my club selection using the notes app on my phone/a notepad
review progress in 4 weeks

Physical (strength, power, flexibility, weight management, nutrition) - My current weight is 91kg and I typically do some strength training each week, but nothing with a specific golf focus. This aspect of my performance can improve many of the other aspects of my performance and is one area I feel I can improve the most in the shortest time.

My Physical commitments:

to attend the gym a minimum of twice per week
to start a 4 week program including rotation and specific golf work (blog to follow)
to monitor my weight (at least weekly)
to monitor my food and drink intake to get a baseline

Psychological (commitment to process, concentration, enjoyment) - My enjoyment is always very high. I am a very positive person and generally do not let the quality of golf impact the quantity of enjoyment, this is only possible to a certain extent however and the fact I want to improve the quality of my golf, shows my enjoyment is still attached to it.

My Psychological commitments:

to monitor my mental game using the Golf State of Mind Mental Scorecard for 4 weeks, found here - https://golfstateofmind.com/mental-game-of-golf-scorecard/
to focus on embedding the target approach to concentration using the Decade system
to include some process goals in my technical practice

Summary

I intend to reflect on my plan and update it in 4 weeks. I will post my last 4 weeks of rounds, statistics and some videos of my progress on my YouTube channel here.

www.youtube.com