How much is bogey avoidance an active part of your game and course mgmt?

[BigMac]

Sometimes I play for best shot of the round rather than for score.
In that case I'm going for every single birdie opportunity I get!

When I was playing in our Saturday men's club matches, they were often straight skins games and overall score didn't matter. In those rounds everything was full send and I took shots I would never take in a regular stroke play round. Bogeys and pars don't win skins, gotta go for the birdies or better. Predictably, my total scores in those rounds were almost always a lot worse than when I play within myself and don't try to be a hero on every shot.

 

[JW Smoove]

How much do you actively manage it?

I think as a shorter overall hitter, I play some holes for a bogey. I try more to avoid blow up holes (and not very successfully). If I could manage the blow up holes, I would drop my handicap quite a bit I think. Last few rounds were 12-14 pars/bogeys, and 4-6 'others' the others blow up my score. I need to manage others.

 

[collegefbfan]

Shoot, when I start to play more on a course, I will be fine with double bogeying every hole. As a matter of fact, I expect that in the least. The way that I feel about my swing and contact, I just want to make it to the green.

 

[BH 43]

My goal is bogey or less on each hole.

 

[hackitup]

Trying to use gross bogey avoidance was a contributing factor to taking bad golf to worse golf. A few years back I embraced bogey. I played for bogey. As an 18.7 that meant I was playing for net par. That strategy has been replaced with knowing how many strokes I have to work with and understanding I have pops to make up for bad shots and don’t need to force a shot.

It’s similar to bogey avoidance but the focus is on achieving a positive outcome rather than avoiding a negative. The difference is small and mostly semantics. Like having a fast downhill putt and thinking you don’t want to lose it too far long vs. you want the putt to just drip in from the high side. That might be (net) bogey avoidance and I just refuse to call it that.

 

[WLG1952]

In my old age game bogey 1s are not a bad thing. Sometimes I even play for a bogey 1.

Obviously a par score is better, and what I strive for, but bogey 1s are a reality.

My biggest course management, scoring thought is "No 6s" on any hole.

 

[Bosco...]

I’d love 18 bogeys in a row right now.

 

[CTRosarian]

My biggest course management, scoring thought is "No 6s" on any hole.

I had a good round starting off with three consecutive double bogeys. Then two Pars and a Birdie.
We all have start somewhere!

I was really pleased at being able to walk nine holes and hole out with a single golf ball.
A major accomplishment for a stroke survivor. I didn't care how many strokes it took.

 

[captaincaution]

Only on par 5s. Everywhere else, it is double bogey avoidance. A bogey is rarely going to lose more than one stroke to the field, and that is on par 5s. Bogeys can happen. Doubles are usually a product of a bad decision, or an extremely terrible swing.

If you're short sided in the rough, just dump the ball on the green somewhere and get out with a bogey at worst. Get too cute, and you're chipping again and staring double in the face.

 

[1860VS]

Conditions were tough yesterday. I took 2 holes with a bogey. 545 into a 45 mph wind anyone?

 

[Joshnoble01]

With my game it's more about double bogey avoidance. I'm not trying to avoid bogeys yet and may honestly never get there.

This. Don't take hero shots from under trees, over hazards that are forced carries and aim for the largest spot I can. My goal is bogey on every hole.

 

[BigMac]

Only on par 5s. Everywhere else, it is double bogey avoidance. A bogey is rarely going to lose more than one stroke to the field, and that is on par 5s. Bogeys can happen. Doubles are usually a product of a bad decision, or an extremely terrible swing.

If you're short sided in the rough, just dump the ball on the green somewhere and get out with a bogey at worst. Get too cute, and you're chipping again and staring double in the face.

Trying to be too cute with a shot is a high risk/low reward situation for me. It's cool and a lot of fun on the rare occasions it pans out, but more often it results in a double or worse.

 

[Daluteh]

I'm looking to play bogey golf, so my avoidance is only when something is reachable. If I'm in position to get GIR and the miss isn't bad I'll absolutely take it.

 

[TxAggie2018]

Course management splits along skill levels, IMO.

The plus and minus scores in golf are unevenly divided. It's easier to shoot really badly on a hole than it is to shoot really well. Triple bogeys have happened to everyone, but you can't score a triple birdie to even things out.

Low caps have the overall game to keep that long risk tail mostly contained... a 150 yard shot to a bunker-defended sucker pin might be a birdie vs bogey proposition. High caps don't get any extra reward for a great hole, but face a lot more blowup risk if they get it wrong... say they land in the bunker on that risk-reward hole and take 2 shots getting out. So they're better off avoiding those situations. For a low cap looking to score lower, those aggressive plays can't be ruled out.

 

[Jman]

As a whole, yeah, but situation matters. A bogey can be a great score if you put yourself in trouble and fight one out.

 

[WLG1952]

I had a good round starting off with three consecutive double bogeys. Then two Pars and a Birdie.
We all have start somewhere!

I was really pleased at being able to walk nine holes and hole out with a single golf ball.
A major accomplishment for a stroke survivor. I didn't care how many strokes it took.

Keep up the good play. Im a sepsis survivor myself. I know your struggles.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

In my case it's more like bogey acceptance. Some holes just demand a tee ball and an approach that I can rarely hit anymore, even playing from the Senior tees. So, in those cases, I look at bogey as an acceptable outcome. About the only time I get mad at myself is when I put the ball in trouble and then don't use my head and play "smart" golf. Just take my medicine and get the ball back in play rather than trying for some hero shot!

 

[PatsFan]

I am not a long hitter so when I have a bad tee shot it can bring bogey in real quick.
Right now I am trying to keep the doubles and triples off the card!

 

[leftybob]

In the past not making bogey was the way I worked around the course. Specifically there was a lot of laying up. Both off the tee with long irons and on par 5’s. Always trying to put myself in a spot that kept me out of trouble and gave me a specific yardage into the green.

Honestly though my proximity to the hole kinda sucked. I rarely had good looks at birdie. I was a good chipper and a very strong putter. Being on or around the green in regulation I would walk away with a par far more often than not.

Now I’m not laying up if I don’t have to. Blasting away with driver every opportunity that I can. I’m trying to reach every par 5 in 2. My last 2 rounds I’ve birdied 2 of 4 par 5’s because I’ve been near the green in 2.

At some point this season in time I’m going to have to blend the two strategies. There are holes where I absolutely should not hit driver and the smart thing to do is play the hole to make a par and walk away. Right now I’m rebuilding my game and my iron play is terrible not and blasting away with the big stick is a lot of fun. If I’m going to shoot an ugly score I might as well do it with a driver in hand.