So it begins...

I've learnt a lot during my first four months and playing Waldringfield on Wednesday has really helped me develop my game plan for year one. My ambition is to be an 18 handicap by December 2010, which equates to a shot a hole. However, apart from par three holes I am generally hitting double or triple bogeys - so how do I plan on getting my scores down?



1. Lessons
The swing is still a work in progress so to continue to improve my consistency and technical ability I'll be having lessons every three weeks for the next four months and then taking stock of my progress. Aim of the lessons will be to improve the mechanics of my full and reduced swing so I am a more consistent ball striker.

2. Range
My time on the range is limited so I will not be using the wedges. Instead I will focus on engraining my swing technique with a particular focus on irons from 3-6 and my hybrid if I can afford one. I will be aiming to visit the range once a week hitting 60 balls, but with a full pre shot routine used on each ball.

3. Heath
I am lucky enough to live five minutes walk from a large open heath area and it is here I will be honing my short game. I'll visit the heath three times a week to work on my accuracy and distance control with my wedges with full, 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 swings.

4. Putting
Fortunate enough to get a rather nice putting mat for Xmas, which I wasn't expecting. I aim to spend at least 30 minutes putting practice 4 times per week. If time and weather are permitting I will also go through my two putting exercises when I visit the range and record my performance.

5. Tactics
Previously, I have been overcomplicating the game, my aim for 2010 is to keep it simple. If I find myself in trouble I will take the medicine rather than trying heroic rescue attempts. Though I will work on all my clubs at the range, especially the ones I strike poorly, I will not take any club onto the course that I don't have confidence in striking. On reflection after my first round I realised that if my ambition is to have a handicap of 18 in year one, three 6 irons will leave me a half wedge on even the longest par 5's. That's four shots onto the green and a solid two putt gives me my 6.

So there you have it, my game plan for 2010. Once I've got my head around Scoresaver 2 I'll let you know the stats I will share and how often and we'll see if my scores and practice performance start to improve.

So I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that 2010 brings you joy both on and off the course!