Did You Drop Your Handicap 70% in 2014?

I know this sounds like a set-up but one of our customers dropped his handicap index from a 3.2 to 1.0 this year, a 70% decrease.  What was his secret?  The short game.  For low handicappers, dropping even one stroke is a big achievement.  Usually the low handicapper has a solid tee game and iron play so it comes down to chipping it close(r) and sinking more putts.  For an 18 handicapper to drop 70%, or 12.6 strokes would take a lot of work on all aspects of the golf game.  So what are your plans for next year to improve your handicap?  First, make your goals realistic.  Can you realistically drop your scoring average 2, 4 or 8 strokes?  Second, where are you losing strokes?  Off the tee?  Fairway to green?  Wedge approach shots?  Chipping?  Putting?  If you do not know where you are losing strokes to average, you may be working on the wrong things.  Some of your loss of strokes could be from improperly fit equipment so don’t count out the inconsistency in your game from that perspective.  Whatever your scoring goals are for 2015, remember that the more realistic you make them, the more fun it will be when you make them.