BOGEYLICIOUS
Golf Season
Starter Kit
The only pre-season guide honest enough to admit you're not breaking 80 this year — but committed enough to help you try anyway.
Gear Checklist
30-Day Plan
Strategy Guide
Goal Setting
"Now that's Bogeylicious."
01
Pre-Season Gear Checklist
Step 1: Accept that your driver is not the problem. You are. Step 2: Check this list anyway.
Before you blame your equipment for the 47 you shot on the front nine, let's make sure you actually have everything. This checklist covers the essentials plus a few upgrades for those of us with champagne taste and a beer-league handicap.
Clubs & Essentials
- Driver — preferably one you haven't thrown yet
- 3-Wood / Hybrid — the clubs that save your round
- Irons (5–PW) — re-grip if they're shiny and bald
- Wedges (SW, LW) — check those grooves
- Putter — your most important club, treat it that way
- Golf bag — zippers work? Legs extend? Dividers intact?
Get your clubs re-gripped. $6 per grip, feels like a new set. The ROI is absurd.
On-Course Tech
- Rangefinder / GPS watch — stop guessing 150 yards
- Scoring app — track stats, not just score
- Portable charger — dead phone = no excuses for slow play
Get a rangefinder with slope. Yes, it's "illegal" in competition. You're not in competition. You shot 105 last week.
Bag Essentials
- Golf balls — minimum 12. Be honest with yourself.
- Tees — wooden or plastic, just have enough
- Glove(s) — at least 2, one will get sweaty
- Ball markers — a quarter works but is not Bogeylicious
- Divot repair tool — be a decent human
- Towel — clip-on, damp side and dry side
- Sharpie — mark your ball like a professional
Custom ball marker with your initials. $12. Makes you feel like you have a sponsorship deal.
Comfort & Survival
- Sunscreen — SPF 50+, reapply at the turn
- Sunglasses — polarized, always
- Rain jacket — stuffable, packable
- Water bottle — hydration is a strategy
- Snacks — granola bars, not just cart girl cookies
- Extra socks — trust the process
A magnetic ball marker that clips to your hat. Loses zero balls per round. Gains infinite style points.
02
30-Day Practice Plan
Four weeks. Twenty minutes a day. Zero excuses. Okay, maybe a few excuses. But try.
You don't need to live at the range. You need focused, intentional practice — 20 to 30 minutes, 4–5 times per week. Each week targets a different part of your game. By Day 30, you'll have touched every shot that matters. Will you be good? Debatable. Will you be better? Almost certainly.
Week 1 Putting — Where Scores Actually Live
Goal: Eliminate 3-putts. Make everything inside 5 feet automatic.
- Gate Drill: Two tees, ball-width apart, 3 feet out. 10 in a row.
- Ladder Drill: Putt to 10, 20, 30ft. Get within 3ft circle.
- Clock Drill: 4 balls around the hole at 4ft. Make all four.
- Speed Control: Putt to a towel at 25ft. All balls within 3ft.
Week 2 Short Game — The Scoring Zone
Goal: Get up and down 40% of the time. That's actually elite for us.
- Chip & Chase: 10 chips from 15yds. Count how many finish inside 6ft.
- Flop Practice: Open face, soft hands. Over a towel to a pin 10yds away.
- Bunker Basics: Draw a line 2" behind the ball. Hit the line, not the ball.
- Up & Down Game: Drop 5 balls in random spots. Par is your target.
Week 3 Irons — The Bread & Butter
Goal: Consistent contact. We're not shaping shots — we're hitting greens.
- 9-to-3 Drill: Half swings with 7-iron. Solid contact, straight flight.
- Alignment Sticks: Aim at a target. Actually aim. Every single shot.
- Towel Drill: Towel 4" behind ball. Don't hit it = clean strike.
- Distance Ladder: Hit 8i, 7i, 6i, 5i. Know your real distances. Not ego distances.
Week 4 Driver & Course Sim — Bring It All Together
Goal: Hit 7 out of 10 fairways on the range. Play mental rounds.
- Fairway Finder: Pick two targets 30yds apart. 10 drives. Count fairways.
- Tee Shot Routine: Full pre-shot routine every drive. Build the habit.
- Simulated Holes: Driver → iron → wedge. Play 9 holes on the range.
- Tempo Drill: Swing at 75% effort. Watch the ball go just as far. Wild, right?
03
Handicap Goal Worksheet
Delusion is a hell of a drug. Let's channel it into something productive.
Write it down. Goals that live in your head die there. Goals on paper have a fighting chance. Be honest about where you are, ambitious about where you're going, and specific about how you'll get there.
Where Are You Losing Strokes?
Rate each area 1–10 (1 = disaster, 10 = Tour-ready). Be brutally honest. Your ego can't cash the checks your scorecard is writing.
Driving Accuracy
Improvement plan:
Iron Play / Approach
Improvement plan:
Short Game & Chipping
Improvement plan:
Putting
Improvement plan:
Course Management
Improvement plan:
Mental Game
Improvement plan:
The Bogeylicious Promise:
I will track every round this season. I will practice with intention. I will blame my clubs less. (Slightly less.)
04
Course Strategy Cheat Sheet
The smartest thing you can do is stop trying to be a hero. Here's how.
Club Selection by Distance
These are real distances, not "I hit my 7-iron 180 that one time with the wind and a cart path bounce" distances. Fill in your actual carry yardages.
| Club | Average Carry | Your Carry | Miss Tendency |
|---|
| Driver | 200–230 yds | | |
| 3-Wood | 180–210 yds | | |
| Hybrid | 170–195 yds | | |
| 5-Iron | 155–175 yds | | |
| 6-Iron | 145–165 yds | | |
| 7-Iron | 135–155 yds | | |
| 8-Iron | 125–145 yds | | |
| 9-Iron | 115–135 yds | | |
| PW | 105–125 yds | | |
| SW | 80–100 yds | | |
| LW | 60–80 yds | | |
When to Lay Up
Water in play and you need a career shot to clear it. Forced carry over 200 yds. Trouble short AND long. You've already made double — don't make triple. The hero shot has a 10% success rate. Play the 90%.
When to Go For It
Trouble is only on one side. Miss-long is fine. It's a reachable par 5 and you're in the fairway. You're having the round of your life and the golf gods are smiling. But honestly? Probably still lay up.
Pre-Shot Routine (Do This Every. Single. Time.)
A consistent pre-shot routine is the cheapest swing coach you'll ever have. Under 30 seconds. No exceptions.
- Stand behind the ball. Pick your target line. Visualize the shot shape. Commit.
- One practice swing. Feel the shot you want. Not five practice swings — one. Respect everyone's time.
- Address the ball. Clubface to target first, then align your feet. Breathe.
- Waggle and go. One look at the target, one look at the ball, swing. No more than 8 seconds over the ball.
- Accept the result. It's already done. Walk to the next shot like you meant to do that.
05
Season Bucket List
Golf is supposed to be fun. If you forgot that, this page is your reminder.
Scores matter, but experiences are what you'll actually remember. Check these off throughout the season. Screenshot your progress. Brag to your group chat. That's what it's all about.
Play a course you've never playedBranch out. Life's too short for the same muni every Saturday.
Break your personal best scoreWrite the number here: _______ Now go beat it.
Play in a tournament or leagueScramble, best ball, anything. Competitive golf hits different.
Make a birdie (or your first eagle)Circle it on the scorecard. Take a photo. Tell everyone.
Play a round in under 4 hoursReady golf. Walk with purpose. Be the change.
Bring a friend who's never golfedGrow the game. Be patient. Remember how bad you were.
Play a twilight roundSunset golf is a spiritual experience. No one can convince me otherwise.
Hit every fairway on the front or back nineJust nine. You can do nine. Probably. Maybe.
Go an entire round without losing a ballPlay a color you can actually find. Not white. Never white in October.
Play a "bucket list" courseDoesn't have to be Augusta. Even the nicest public course in your state counts.
Take a lesson from a proOne hour with a pro > 100 hours of YouTube fixes. Trust.
Win a bet on the courseNassau, skins, closest to the pin — just win something. Anything.
Zero 3-putts for an entire roundThis is harder than it sounds. This is the Everest of this list.
Play a walking-only roundThe way golf was meant to be played. Your Apple Watch will thank you.
🏆 The Bogeylicious Challenge
Complete 10 or more items on this list and you've officially had a Bogeylicious season.
Share your wins with us @bogeylicious — we'll celebrate you. Even if your handicap went up.
"Now that's Bogeylicious."
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