Have a new theory for my golf game

[sean_miller]

Also,

Being reachable is important, but there are a holes I play as bogey holes even though they're easily reachable. The par-4 twelfth at River Bend golf course (near Red Deer), is a bogey hole for me. It's not too long (4 iron, 8 iron is typical) but it's an awkward green to get the ball close. More often than not the flag is in an unreachable section of the green. I play it just short and try to pitch close from below the hole - the chance at a 1-putt 4 is more relaxing than the prospect of a 4-putt 6.

[1par2win]

I still dont buy it. With this mentality if you play mistake free, you are still shooting 90. I feel like it doesnt really leave room for anything better than average. Go big or Go Home. Plus, hitting spectacular shots is fun, even if you only do what your trying 1 out of 10 tries. The other day I shot a 42 with 3 birdies on 9. Scoring wise it was nothing special but i was very happy with it because of the three birdies.

What's there to buy? Based on what I see most mid to higher cappers end up playing at least +1 shot to most greens anyway. May as well set up a situation where you can use that as an advantage and develop some momentum. I don't think playing the +1 par game permanently would be a good idea but I'll wager that most 18+ cappers could learn a lot about course managment if they played a few rounds playing with their heads and actually learning about hitting golf shots than "go big or go home" mentality that yourself admitted is a 1-10 opportunity. It's fun to do but not much is ever truly learned. But to each their own. It's your nickel!

[chilly]

I understand the thought there, but I don't think it's the proper way to really go about the game. How are you ever going to learn to hit a 175yd approach on a long par 4 if you're always laying up and chipping on to the green? And as others have said, if you screw up the approach or chip, you're in trouble.

That said, what I think you can take away is that as a bogey golfer, we can take the mindset of playing within our limits, and minimizing damage where necessary. For example, as a bogey golfer, if I'm 175yds out in a fairway bunker...I don't try to hit a perfect 7iron out of the hazard. I'll take a 5iron and try to pick the ball clean out of the bunker, then see what happens from there.

[Chief Broom]

Playing bogey golf doesn't take par (or better) out of the equation. What it does is allow you to recognize your limitations and play in such a way that leaves you in a place on the hole that takes trouble out of the equation. This means that off the tee if you don't have room for your usual miss with the driver you leave it in the bag. You look at each shorter club and consider if the shot you are presented with off the tee will allow for your usual miss. This might mean hitting a fairway wood, hybrid, or even iron off the tee. From the standard white tees 450yd par 5's are common. That's 3 150yd shots and you're on in regulation. A 350yd par 4 can be a 200yd tee shot and if it's a dogleg you'll probably be looking at ~125yds left to the green. What most high cappers do is pull driver right away in order to get as close as possible. If the hole allows for this (you miss it right and there is another fairway running down the entire right side) go for it, but if your usual miss putts you OB or in jail rethink the shot and play it safe. You'd be surprised how well a high capper can play focusing on his mid irons and just staying out of trouble when it easily comes into play. The fact is you see the pros do this all the time. The Open at Pebble had most of the pros using all kinds of clubs off the tee simply because they knew the risk of hitting the long ball wasn't worth it if they missed the shot even just a little bit. High cappers should follow this lead.

When I look at a shot off the tee or approaching a green I consider where on the green I should aim so that if I miss the green that miss would still afford me an easy chip. Not all misses are created equal and a bad miss can easily take not only par but even bogey out of the equation (missing the green in a water hazard on a par 4 means your are now hitting your fourth shot which may or may not hit the green), but a good miss can set up an easy chip and putt that saves par or at worst bogey. Do this enough and as you improve you'll be hitting more greens (putting for birdie) or missing the green in safer areas where you can still realistically walk away with your par.

[1par2win]

I understand the thought there, but I don't think it's the proper way to really go about the game. How are you ever going to learn to hit a 175yd approach on a long par 4 if you're always laying up and chipping on to the green? And as others have said, if you screw up the approach or chip, you're in trouble.

I get what your saying and I guess it comes down to playing the game according to ones own personality. The bogey style game should be played with a grain of salt. For example your not going to lay up on a 150 yard par 3 nor should one shy away from short par 4's. But I will say that taking the approach that your going to make a much more concerted effort to plan each shot within ones limits has a tremendous benefit of learning much more about course management and the difference between swinging a club and shot making. Again I wouldn't say someone should play this way forever but I'll bet that if an 18 'capper did this for a couple of rounds they would have a better understanding of how to play the game of golf.

[Hoovedawg]

Theres a difference between good course management and shooting for bogey. Im not going to try to hit a 250 yard 3 wood over a pond on my second shot on a par five but at the same time Im not going to be overly cautious to the point where I take birdie out of the equation. The other day I was 240 ish out in a fairway bunker on a par 5. I could have done the "smart play" and hit a wedge or short iron out then a wedge or short iron on. I played a 3 wood out of of the sand trap. It wasnt a perfect shot but I ended up in a green side bunker. Now this wasnt a great 3 wood but I still only had a sand shot to get my gir. Id definantly take a green side bunker shot over a full swing short iron any day of the week. Similarly id take a 15 yard chip from the rough over a 100 yard wedge shot.

If you take three shots to get to the green on a par 4 then you need to 1 putt to par and you need to forget about birdies ever. Now Im not likely to shoot even par anytime soon, but going into every round, thats what Im striving to get. As kanye west would say "shoot for the stars so if you fall you land on the clouds". Thats why I dont like the whole personal par/aiming for bogeys thing.

[dbuck]

I sort of agree with this in principle, but if you gotta lay up on every hole, you're playing from the wrong tees. Granted there may be some longer holes you can't reach from any set of tees, but for the most part, the green should be theoretically reachable in regulation on most holes. Why not play a shot off the tee that gives you a good chance to reach the green in regulation (even if it's with a long iron or hybrid)? If your tee shot was less than stellar you can still choose to lay up.

I think this is closest to my take on this. You should play within yourself, but be aggressive when you can.

If you have a par 4 for instance where 2 of your average shots would be on or near the green, then your goal should be to reach it in regulation. If your second shot is a forced carry over trouble that is reachable but would require your absolute best shot, then consider laying up. Play one shot at a time.

[ScottL]

Thanks for all the opinions guys. Despite alot of negative reactions, Im still going to give it a shot Sunday. Im playing 36 holes Sunday for a friends birthday outing.

Like some have said, I think more than anything its a mental approach. Im decent with my driver and pretty good 100 yards and in. But where I struggle the most is 150-220 yard fairway shots. I always seem to be going for the green. And for whatever reason, I always swing harder and get more aggressive on these shots. Which usually ends up being slice, top or fat shot. If instead of trying to be a hero and be on in 2, what if I just pulled out my 7 iron and went for a safe shot and a short chip away? Those short chips are probably one of the best parts of my game.

Basically, Id be happy if I shot an 89-90 round almost every time out. So by playing this way, im setting myself up for success. I still usually get 2-4 real pars a round and typically 1 real birdie. But by playing smarter and not trying to be a hero, I might get even more. But what Im really trying to do is reduce those double and occasional triple bogeys by swinging out of my shoes and feeling like I need to be on the green on my next shot.

[ScottL]

as a follow up....

I dont plan to purposely lay up on every single hole just because I have an extra stroke... Obviously, when possible Ill still be going for it when possible. I just think this will mentally allow me to not force shots when I dont feel confident I can pull it off. Most all my buddies are single digit handicaps and alot better than me.... So I see them pull off shots and try and do the same thing, even when I dont feel that I can pull it off......

But on a short par 4, after a drive and Im only 100 out, im not going to hit a half wedge shot 50 yards... lol

[Chief Broom]

I dont plan to purposely lay up on every single hole just because I have an extra stroke... Obviously, when possible Ill still be going for it when possible. I just think this will mentally allow me to not force shots when I dont feel confident I can pull it off. Most all my buddies are single digit handicaps and alot better than me.... So I see them pull off shots and try and do the same thing, even when I dont feel that I can pull it off......

Precisely! Playing bogey golf is about managing your misses by planning for them. That means when you are faced with a shot you have a low probabilty of pulling off that's when you throttle back and lay up with a shot you have a much higher chance of making. If the shot you are facing is one you can make you go for it, but adjust your target and aim so that your typical miss won't cost you any more strokes than necessary. Like you said what gets a lot of guys, especially when playing with better players, is going for a shot they really don't have and then paying a big price for their lack of planning for the inevitable miss. There is no shame in laying up. Most high cappers out there would immediately see lower scores if they would take their egos out of their game, quit trying to keep up with their playing partners, and just play their game. But the equipment industry is counting on average golfers pursuing the dream of lower scores through using muscle and technology rather than common sense and playing it smart. The thing that those opposing this mindset in this thread aren't getting is that when you play bogey golf you are in no way hurting your ability to improve. In fact what you are doing is training yourself to play better golf through course management. As you shot making improves you'll find yourself having to laying up less often, but you'll still be attacking the course in a way that suits your game and your limitations.

[NickDarius]

I didn't read all 4 pages...it's late and I am tired, but I'd like say that I've been playing bogey golf for quite some time now.

I play 90-99, so bogey golf is a great game for me, and something realistically attainable, versus a Par game is not at my skill level.

That helps build confidence and hopefully soon I'll move onto better then bogey golf..shot a 44 this morning for 9, so I'm on my way!

[The Recreational Golfer]

I think your idea is excellent. If you deliberately play for your gentleman's bogey, as I call them, you will start seeing how easy it is to get them, and on some holes how it wouldn't be that much harder to get your par. Since you shoot 90 anyway, play bogey golf intentionally for a few rounds, and you'll be able to see where you can attack and where you should give the course its due.

I played this way as part of my progress from a 20 down to where I am now, and I still haul out that that strategy for a few holes when I start falling into a bad patch. Takes the pressure off and lets me relax and start hitting easy shots instead of pressing.

Even now, there will be one or two holes on every course I play that are just to hard for me, so I play them for bogey, get it, and prevent myself from getting the "other" that I'd get if I tried for too much.

[c. lassiter]

On two of the courses I play often there is one hellacious, long, challenging par 4 with all sorts of trouble that I have decided to play like par 5s.

When I play them like 5's, I tend to make a 5. If I play them like 4's, I rarely make a 4, and often make a double (or worse).

So I like the OP's idea and think it has merit on some holes, but not others.

[ghalfaire]

I do this for the difficult holes. We have three par 3 holes that are 200 yards plus with not much room to miss. I alway play short and chip up. It surprises me how many times this leads to par but if I score 4 I'm happy and figure that is better than 6 out of the woods. The game is about playing within your capabilities and lowest score.

[ScottL]

thought I would give a little update. I played 36 holes yesterday and tried to put this theory into place.

Round 1.

I shot a 96, but I had 7 penalties. This is probably about as many penalties as I have ever had in one single round before. Ultimately, this is what killed my score (duh). But basically, I played like I said I would. I didnt get aggressive and try to go for the green when I felt I had a very small chance of getting there. However, I did find myself in a bit of a rock and hard spot when I was in my hybrid range. I have a Driver, then 3,4,5 hybrids and then my irons start at 6. I simply cannot hit my hybrids with any confidence. So the hybrids cost me AT LEAST 5 strokes this round...

Round 2.

I improved considerably. I shot an 88 (tied for lowest round ever). I actually took my hybrids out of my bag and put them in my truck. So I only had driver then irons starting at 6... Even though I had a huge gap, I just layed up with 6 iron when I needed too and helped alot. I was 11 over after 16. Easily best round ever (with a 30 yard chip in birdie), and 3 putted a par 5 (missed both eagle and birdie putt).....

Then holes 17,18 I fell apart... shot +5 on final 2 holes for an 88. Still had 3 penalties, but overall I played alot better. I like the strategy of laying up and not forcing myself...

[hoser]

Did you play the same course for both rounds?

If so, I'd be interested to hear you compare how your strategy changed on the holes you had the most difficulty on in Round 1 and improved upon ... no need to go through all 18. Also, did you have any holes that you really screwed up both times? I'd be interested to hear why that happened.

Nice to hear you had good results!

[ScottL]

Yes, I did play the same course both times. It was a buddies birthday and we played all day.

Well there are a few holes where you dont really want to hit driver. Because I dont hit my hybrids very well, Im really in a bad spot here. I feel that a 6 iron isnt really "enough" but a driver is a bad decision. Im just not THAT accurate with it. This one par 5 hurt me both times. Big water on the left, huge trees OB on the right. Both times my buddy basically yelled at me to use 6 iron and I didnt listen... first time in the trees, second time in the water... If I woulda just done that, hit a 6 iron in the fairway, I woulda been alot better off... this is a good example of me NOT following my plan...

but there were 1-2 holes where I did the exact opposite and it worked out for me. The #1 handicap hole is about 180-190 yards, dogleg left... From a birdseye, 90% of that is a huge OB hole. We are basically on the side of a cliff. So, first time, like I always do... I went for the green and failed.. second round, I pulled out 7 iron and went for the "fairway" of the par 3... ended up getting a good little roll and was about 20 yards off the green... easy chip on and pared it!!!! This is an example of when it worked for me

[ScottL]

However, with all this being said.... I do want to find 1 club between my 6 iron and Driver that I can confidently hit and know I can hit it good. I dont like my Adams A3 hybrids at all. They stand too upright and just hate the way they feel...

so im going to go look/hit some other hybrids like a 909H and some 5 woods....