Most things worth achieving require a few steps before the big finish. Tiger Woods didn’t pick up a golf club for the first time in 1997 and win the Masters by 12 strokes. He was introduced to golf before the age of 2 and won the Drive, Pitch, and Putt contest before turning 7. In those 5 years, he played and practiced almost daily allowing him to develop the skills necessary to play better than anyone else likely ever will. At this point, he has won 82 PGA tournaments and 15 Majors. Along the way, there were countless small goals set, all of which centered around on one major goal: Become the greatest golfer that ever lived.
The best type of goals that you can set are SMART. Not just smart as in intelligent, but S.M.A.R.T. as an acronym. Setting SMART goals isn’t just a good idea; it is a checklist to ensure you focus your time and resources. The more focused you are, the sooner you’re able to reach your current goal and keep progressing.
Setting SMART Goals
For the sake of example, the goal we discuss will be: To become a scratch golfer
S Specific: Saying “I want to play well this week” can mean many different things to different people. Choosing a specific goal ensures that you will know what the goal is and when the goal is met. Tracking your handicap with GHIN (Golf Handicap Information Network) is an easy way to know whether or not you are considered a scratch golfer. Be as specific as possible for all of your goals; you can include who is involved in completing the goal or where the goal will be accomplished.
M Measurable: Measuring the goal is very simple in this case, once the GHIN update says 0.0 for handicap, the goal has been met. Each handicap update will show progression (or regression) toward the goal. Every data point can help you to stay focused and track how well you are doing. Think of measurable as the indicator to know that your goal has been met. If there isn’t one exact way to know that the goal has been completed, move back to S and make the goal more specific.
A Attainable: The best way to set a goal that you can achieve is to make that goal realistic. Factors including available resources, time, access, money, and previous experience will influence whether a goal is attainable or not. Starting as a 25 handicap and setting a goal to be a scratch golfer in 3 months during the off season may not be the most realistic goal; changing that goal to getting down to a 15 handicap in 5 months after devoting 10 hours to practice and 2 rounds of play per week is more attainable. Making sure goals are attainable can help to keep interest high and prevent you from being easily discouraged.
R Relevant: Each goal should have a “why” behind it. Being a scratch golfer can help a 14 year old get recruited for a college scholarship or help a 30 year old win his or her club championship. Without a “why”, interest may wane as that goal may have a lower perceived value than other interests. Keeping the main reason in mind helps with motivation. This is particularly important with setting small goals to drive toward the ultimate goal. Each one should be relevant to future progress. If your overarching goal is to become a scratch golfer, having a small goal of “no 3 putts in a round” or more than 15 Greens In Regulation would be appropriate.
T Timely / Time Based: Have a deadline for each goal you set. When goals don’t have a time for completion attached to them, it is possible they drift off and never get met. Saying you want to be a scratch golfer by a certain date will improve motivation and help to determine how specific the goal is.
With each of those steps in mind, your final goal could be written as: I will be a scratch golfer (0.0 GHIN Index) by September 30, 2020 to improve my chances of winning the individual gross score club championship. While winning the club championship may not happen because of circumstances out of your control, getting to scratch will improve your chances over being a 5 or 10 handicap.
These principles can be applied to any goal, whether it is a personal, professional, fitness, or recreational goal. Proper planning and using SMART goals is always the key to making sure goals are able to be met.
If you are having trouble setting or meeting your goals, schedule a strategy call for us to talk. We can figure out what changes you can make to become more successful with your goals!