The headline above asks a good question, doesn’t it? It’s straightforward. Yet complex. Easy. But difficult. For example:
I’d like to play better.
Sweet! Way to go!
Now go dig it out of the dirt. (Or continue to read this website, of course.)
I’d like to play Augusta National.
Oh my! Go for it!
Now befriend a member. Or win a PGA Tour tournament.
But if there were ever a time to dream, to even shoot for the moon, it is now, Jan. 1, the start of the year, with 365 more days (leap year!) and 12 months ahead of you. So we were curious and asked a question on Monday, across all of our social feeds: What is your 2024 golf resolution? And you responded, and we’ll share some below.
But it’d be wrong if the author here didn’t also share.
Hmm.
Dang, this is hard.
OK, got it. Ready?
I want to play more golf as a single.
Saudi deal, Tiger and the best rando golf partners ever: 23 Christmas wishes
Now, without a doubt, my favorite thing about the game is time spent with friends and loved ones. The talk. The celebration. The ribbing. The beer and brat afterward. And I’m still going to do all of that in 2024. Often. But golf brings out millions and millions of characters, and you can even meet a few, especially if you head out solo. Sometimes, the affair is nothing. You hit. They hit. Maybe a handshake at the end. But then you meet a one-handed chipper who knows every which way to curse. Or two teachers from Queens who want to fight the slow players in front of them. And on and on.
But yeah, I’d like to play better too.
And play Augusta.
With that, here are a few of our (slightly edited) readers’ resolutions, taken from our Instagram, X and Facebook accounts. Maybe they’ll inspire you.
– “Sub-80 — best round so far is an 86 but trending, as they say.”
– “Show up 20 minutes before tee time.”
– “Improve proximity to the hole on approaches.”
– “Avoid hero shots at all costs.”
– “Stick with one swing.”
– “Looking to get 40 rounds in!”
– “Win the U.S. Amateur.”
X
– “To build or purchase an existing course/club, overhaul it, then reopen for business with exceptional dining facilities, locker rooms and a golf shop, and without tennis courts. And bring back caddies. That’s a start.”
– “More bunkers actually. Once you get good out of them, they are great targets on par-5s. Easier to play from than deep rough. And they are fun!” (The text to our post also said: “Anybody else trying to hit fewer bunkers in 2024?”)
– “Play more than once every month, for openers.”
– “Play more. Knock another five off my handicap like last year.”
– “To keep my focus through the whole game.”
– “Learn how to chip consistently. I know this could knock off at least five strokes per round.”
– “Simply enjoy the game with friends. And no triple bogeys.”
– “To keep that lead arm straight.”
– “I’ve shot an 82 twice. This year, wanna get that 79!”
– “Walk nine more holes in the afternoon with my daughter.”
– “To finish my degree and get into the golf industry as an assistant pro or club builder.”
– “Just to be happy to play again after a tricep reattachment, and both rotator cuffs being reattached.”
– “Break 80 three times. Make my first ace. Play at three new courses. Stay undefeated against my friends.”
– “To keep everything as is. Came off my best season last year. Being from Canada, where I get to golf only X amount of times a year, holding form until next season is always a challenge. Here’s to keeping on keeping on!”
– One of my friends said she was going to try using the F-word less!”
