Our 7 golfing New Years resolutions for 2017

It's that time of year, a time to reflect and look back over the last year and plan (with unwavering dedication) to do things a little differently in the coming year.

Here at the Hole19 offices, we're no different.

We've been asking ourselves how we're going to level-up our games in 2017 - here's what we came up with:

1) "Spend less on golf balls"

This is actually kind of a summary for the numerous "spend more time inbounds" and "avoid water like the wicked witch of the west" type resolutions we all seemed to have. For the most part, this is about knowing the course and playing percentage golf; looking at the shot, weighing up the risks and avoiding this kind of agony:

**2) "Shake things up a bit"** We've got some great courses nearby. It's not that we're bored, far from it. But we're looking to 2017 as a year to broaden our horizons and play on pastures new. Thankfully, we've got our 40,000 strong, course database to help us pick from golf courses near and far.
**3) "Dial it in within 120 yards"** One from our CEO, Anthony. That's not the only reason it made the list. It's a darn good resolution.

It can be tempting (and fun!) to get to the practise range and just smash balls into the distance. Not all that productive though.
Spending a few hours a week honing that approach play on varying range targets will see you reap serious benefits on-course.

Here's one drill from Peter Finch we'll be trying out:

4) "Seek professional help"

A few of us have had a bit of a layoff from golf over the winter months, so we've decided to seek the help of a pro to kick off our 2017 season. We're hoping this will get us off on the right foot and rule out the appearance of any nasty new habits the winter hibernation might encourage.

5) "Improve our course management"

This ties into the 'spend less on golf balls' idea. It's about knowing your game, planning and playing the course accordingly. Course notes can be useful for this - Hole19 Premium's got you covered.
As an example; you've got a dog-leg left off the tee but you can't draw for love nor money - so don't try! Club down off the tee, play out to the right of the fairway and leave yourself a clear approach.

6) "Make time for putting drills"

We've all heard the old 'drive for show, putt for dough' mantra. Well, we're heeding those words of wisdom in 2017 and setting out some putting drills for ourselves to work on.

Here's one from Peter Finch to have you holeing them like Spieth:

7) "Simply, to play more golf"

This was a really popular one. There's a lot that can get in the way of golf. Often quite deservedly! But we've set ourselves the goal of getting out on a course, or to the range at least once a week - We hope this will keep our games (and scores) moving in the right direction!
You're more likely to keep a shared resolution - find a pal that's wanting more golf and stick to it together.

Have you got any others?
Or perhaps you've got some drills you can recommend to help us get through ours?

Planning a round for 2017? Why not arrange it all through the Hole19 app?