Is a bogie free round a goal for you?

[Neverfadeaway86]

It is for me. Loosely. Given the time and frequency at which I can play that's probably still a few years down the road for me and I'm fine with that. Just being able to play "bogey golf" is a joy for me. I've been as low as a 12 hcp and right now I'm probably a 16-18 hcp. For a lot of people that would seem high, but I'm perfectly happy and satisfied scoring in the 80's. Obviously, I want to shoot in the 70's eventually, but I'll get there one day.

 

My main objective before every round now is avoiding penalty strokes and hazards. If I can do that, I feel like I've gotten around the course rather cleanly. Relatively speaking. The beautiful thing about golf is that there's always something more to chase when you've reached a personal goal.

 

I am right there with you on the goal of just avoiding penalty strokes, they usually cost me anywhere from 6-12 strokes a round

[HatsForBats]

Who comes up with this crap. Less than 2% of all golfers are less than 2 handicap. Probably less than half of them shoot sup par golf rounds. But here on the forum we have way to many golfers who shoot 67 and a very high percent of 300 yard drive golfers. And this guy sits around with 3 people who shoot 67 regularly. Give me a break

 

Do you only play with a regular group/groups or something? I play a lot of golf as a single paired up with others at many different courses and can tell you 300 yard drives are not as uncommon as they used to be. At the higher end courses I am definitely more likely to be paired up with someone that can shoot lower scores and/or hit it 300 yards at times. Sure there are guys that overestimate their drives but I have played with plenty that can get it there on occasion or even somewhat regularly. Unfortunately, I can't..... anymore.

[WDE86]

It is for me. Loosely. Given the time and frequency at which I can play that's probably still a few years down the road for me and I'm fine with that. Just being able to play "bogey golf" is a joy for me. I've been as low as a 12 hcp and right now I'm probably a 16-18 hcp. For a lot of people that would seem high, but I'm perfectly happy and satisfied scoring in the 80's. Obviously, I want to shoot in the 70's eventually, but I'll get there one day.

 

My main objective before every round now is avoiding penalty strokes and hazards. If I can do that, I feel like I've gotten around the course rather cleanly. Relatively speaking. The beautiful thing about golf is that there's always something more to chase when you've reached a personal goal.

 

I am right there with you on the goal of just avoiding penalty strokes, they usually cost me anywhere from 6-12 strokes a round

 

It's very frustrating. You could see me play a certain stretch of holes and think I was a single digit hcp. And there are stretches where I look like a complete hacker (nothing against hackers btw). Consistency is key. I'm slowly getting there, but improvement in golf is akin to a government funded/headed project. Deadlines are rarely met, the progress is usually much slower than desired.

[Argonne69]

18 straight pars is even weirder than no bogeys. The hole-in-one still tops the cool charts, even though it can be all about luck...

 

I had that happen one time, and yes, it was weird. 'Frustrating, too. I had 5 mid-length putts to save par, and made all of them. However, I also had a similar number of birdie putts, and fanned them all. Ugh. It could have been the round of my life! Lol.

 

I always set out to have a bogie free round, but as others have noted, avoiding the doubles is a more important goal. If I get into trouble, I'll look for a chance to scramble and save par, but not at the expense of a double or worse. I know I can make two to four birdies a round, so a bogey is not the end of the world. 'Needing two birdies to erase a single double is a deep hole.

[Dent]

Yes. Most definitely. I achieved this last year..

 

16 pars, 1 birdie, 1 double.

 

My first bogey free round.

[buckeyefl]

Goals are fine unless they create unneeded pressure and expectations. If you are capable of going bogie free it might be an ok thought to have in your head but I think for most people it would be a negative that creates too much pressure and hurts performance. It seems kind of silly to have it as a goal and then feel defeated if you shoot a great score but had a bogie.

[3ack]

Not a goal. Goal for me is only to shoot lowest score, doesn't matter how. My lowest is +2 (74) so my goal is to shoot +1 or better somehow someday. I don't care if it's with 8 birds, 9 boges and 1 par, or if it's 17 pars and 1 bogey. Not gonna lie though, it would be frustrating to see that lone bogey on the card, but it's not a goal.

[2bGood]

Who comes up with this crap. Less than 2% of all golfers are less than 2 handicap. Probably less than half of them shoot sup par golf rounds. But here on the forum we have way to many golfers who shoot 67 and a very high percent of 300 yard drive golfers. And this guy sits around with 3 people who shoot 67 regularly. Give me a break

 

Kevin,

 

Birds of a feather, flock together. Low handicapper golfers tend to play allot of golf with other low capper golfers. Every club I have been a member at has had the low cappers find each other and play a fair amount with each other. This conversation came up after playing in a scratch league event. By the very rules of the league you have to play off scratch, so most of the guys in the league have shot in the 60's. The conversation was like pretty much any conversation golfers have, telling stories about Hole in Ones, or great golf trips or your most memorable rounds. For one guy his proudest round was bogie free, even if it was not his lowest.

 

The top 2% in any endeavour does tend to spend time with one and other.

 

Also I did not say we shot 67 regularly - I said we have all done it (it was everyones low round). Also I would think that almost all 2 handicaps have broken par at some point. It would be really odd if they could maintain a 2 cap and not go sub par unless they play at course with a very high rating/slope.

[Springsteennut]

The impossible dream.

[RSinSG]

After playing this game for almost 50 years I don't have many items left on my bucket list, but a bogey free round is still there. It's actually moved to the top of the list, and like Golfmonster09, I have two golf buddies with the same goal and we commiserate with each other. Sometimes I play better after an early bogey as I stop thinking about it. I think the farthest I've gotten is 14 holes.

 

PS: Hey Kevin- I shot a 67 a couple of years ago. It was on a par 71 course though so it doesn't count.

 

Just curious. How does shooting under par on a par 71 not count? Or is that a joke that I somehow missed? Wouldn't be the first time lol

 

I keed. I found it amusing that the poster above me didn't think three guys shooting a 67 could be at the same table together. You don't have to be a plus handicap to break 70. Granted with me it only happens once a year or so, but every once in a while everything goes right.

[Greenie]

Goals are fine unless they create unneeded pressure and expectations. If you are capable of going bogie free it might be an ok thought to have in your head but I think for most people it would be a negative that creates too much pressure and hurts performance. It seems kind of silly to have it as a goal and then feel defeated if you shoot a great score but had a bogie.

 

I feel like this too.

 

I'm not a great golfer so I try for a bogey round. That will put me at 90. Throw in some pars and birds and I'm now in the 80's...My goal. I always allow my self that extra stroke per hole to relieve any pressure I put on my self. I find I end up playing better in the long run with this way of thinking.

[taporsnap17]

I've had one of those... What's wrong with 18 doubles and more?

[SilverBullets]

It is a goal of mine. Right now, it is kind of goal #2 or #3 depending on how you look at it. My first goal is to break par on 18. I have shot par a couple of times and have many rounds at +1 and even more at +2. The last couple of times I shot +1 it was because I was even going into 17 and/or 18 and really pressed to make that needed birdie and took risks I wouldn't normally take.

 

The next goal is to have a bogey free 18. I have gone stretches of 10-12 holes without a bogey. Recently I had a -1 back 9 which included 1 birdie and 8 pars... I think that stretch was the final 11 holes without a bogey. But I have never had a bogey free round.

 

Like another poster above, I don't typically make a ton of birdies. I generally only make 1, maybe 2 a round. I think I average about 1.33 a round. I have had those random days where I make 4-6 birdies... but it's rare for me to make more than 2 in a round. So for me to shoot under par, it's likely going to be a round where I have very few bogies on the card. I have a feeling my under par round will come by way of a bogey free card.

 

Ultimately, my main goal is breaking par though. If the bogey free comes, than that's awesome as well.

 

I believe the closest I have come is 3 bogies en route to an even par 71. 2 of those were 3 putts.

[MtlJeff]

Who comes up with this crap. Less than 2% of all golfers are less than 2 handicap. Probably less than half of them shoot sup par golf rounds. But here on the forum we have way to many golfers who shoot 67 and a very high percent of 300 yard drive golfers. And this guy sits around with 3 people who shoot 67 regularly. Give me a break

 

It's kind of amazing that so many good golfers would be drawn to arguably the most popular golf enthusiast's forum on the internet.

 

I often go on popular car tuning websites and post stuff like "No one at my work knows anything about cat-back exhaust systems, but suddenly everyone here is an expert....i call BS on all of you!"

[Medic]

Every single round.

 

In all of the years I have been playing I have never had one. I shot even (on my birthday two years ago) for the first and only time ever. One under on front and one over on the back. (And the bogey was on one of the easiest holes on the course.....)

 

I am playing this weekend. On the first tee I will be thinking about going bogey free. But if history has anything to say about things it won't be too far into the round that I will be thinking to myself "maybe next time". As a Bucs fan fortunately this sort of a train of thought comes naturally and comfortably.

[threefortheshow]

Done it multiple times in 30 years playing. Only made 18 pars once. Next to a hole in one or double eagle this may be one of the most uncommon. Was pretty nervous on the last hole and honestly didn't even think about it until about number 16 when one of my playing partners brought it up. Always a goal to make par or better on every hole though.

[Medic]

Done it multiple times in 30 years playing. Only made 18 pars once. Next to a hole in one or double eagle this may be one of the most uncommon. Was pretty nervous on the last hole and honestly didn't even think about it until about number 16 when one of my playing partners brought it up. Always a goal to make par or better on every hole though.

 

I hate when my pards say something like "Man, Jim. You're really lighting it up. You are even right now ya know."

 

Total jinx statement if ever there was one.

[Bunker2Bunker0no]

Like the OP, it wasnt something I gave a thought to until someone else brought it up. My game has gone from small college golf to PGA Apprentice to getting out of golf business and starting a career that only gave me time for customer golf a few rounds per year, to then back to playing all the time and getting back to a scratch. Former teammate mentioned his bogey free rounds on a trip we still do occasionally few yrs ago, when he said it, I had never thought about it much less accomplished it. So the seed was planted and although its not a "goal" I started to always pay attention to it and even after getting back down to 0-3, it has only happened once. But my game is more short game scrambling and putting great rather than stellar ball striking, so hard to avoid bogey when u miss a fair share of fairways and greens. For those of you working on breaking 90,80,70 keep working and enjoy the reward when you get there. Speed it up by working hard on your putting and chipping, fastest way to knock strokes off and get to that goal. As Gary Player said, u only hit 12-14 drives per round, and a great one may or may not help your score on the hole u hit it on, but a great holed putt will save you at least a stroke every time. "Perfect golf" is 36 shots and 36 putts, work on getting those putts down to mid to low 20s and watch scores drop and maybe even accomplish an occasional bogey free round as well.

[dpark]

I have done it a couple of times, but it is no longer a goal.

 

There was a thread a while about about what you would like better. A round of 18 pars or 9 birdies with 9 bogies. The majority of people who voted wanted the 9 birdies and bogies. The reason that most people (myself included) preferred the 9 birdies/bogies was because it meant that you could stick it close and/or make some great putts which is what you need to do to go low.

 

18 pars could show inconsistency with iron play (can't hit good approach shots, leaving unmakeable birdie putts) or just missing greens altogether (which means good up-and-downs but no chance for birdie). If you have 9 birdies, you have game, you just have to manage the mistakes (9 bogies)

 

My goal is to make 3-4+ birdies per round and make as few bogies as possible and hopefully end up under par. I don't try to avoid bogies, I try to make birdies. It probably depends on your handicap and mindset but avoiding bogies is a "defensive" mindset IMO, while going for birdies is an "aggressive" mindset.

 

I like having a more aggressive mindset on the course. Doesn't always work out, but I would always prefer to have a mix of birdies and bogies vs. all pars.

[isaacbm]

Bogey free is something I think about every time I play. By no means do you need to play perfectly to not make bogies but you certainly need to play very well and scramble even better. I used to do it pretty often but now it only happens a few times a year .

 

A buddy of mine who has been a golf pro for 15 years did it for the first time this last season and it was honestly what he considers his best achievement. Was really happy for him ! One of our side bets in our foursome is always who can go the longest in the round before they make their first bogey .

 

I once saw a guy shoot 68 on a par 72 with no bogeys, one double and no birdies! He made three Eagles ! That was one of the most memorable rounds I've ever seen .

[andrue]

Not really, no. I mean getting one would be awesome but it's not a goal for me. At the moment my goal is to be fairly sure of scoring in the 80s at any course I visit. Having written that though there was a time when keeping my score below 100 was a target (last year in fact). So maybe when I've achieved my 80s goal I'll start wanting to keep my score in the 70s. I have my doubts though. The 80s target feels like I could relax a bit more when playing. It gives me a buffer that would keep my scores in double digits even if I'm distracted or not playing well.

 

I've never had a goal of being a 'great golfer'. I like playing golf and I like to visit different courses. But for me its about playing, not about the score. So all I ever wanted was to be good enough to go round any course in any company without feeling embarrassed. I'm almost there now as a more-or-less bogey golfer. I get enough good shots to offset the occasional poor shots. No-one is going to think that I don't know how to use a golf club and some might even see the occasional glimpse of genuine skill. Perhaps :)

[andrue]

I'm not a great golfer so I try for a bogey round. That will put me at 90. Throw in some pars and birds and I'm now in the 80's.

If you play at my course a round of bogeys puts you in the 80s :)

 

I once went round in 82. Was over the moon. I was all set to go into the bar and celebrate a little when I got an email on my phone. The course record had just been broken and now stood at 62 ( under par).

 

So I went home and opened a bottle of wine instead :D

[kevin2]

One shot at a time baby! We don't even fill a card in on my regular game. Just out there to enjoy the game, my pals, and the outdoors.

[bsawhney]

I'll be happy with a double-bogey free round first

 

+1

 

me too, in last five years have only had 4 such rounds, and yes they did feel good

[bsawhney]

My best friend and I have two goals every time one of us plays:

1: Bogey Free

2: Hit every green in regulation

 

When one of us plays now we'll text each other "The dream is dead" when we make a bogey or miss a green.

 

The dream is rarely achieved...

 

As long as the dream doesn't turn into a nightmare ... things are still looking good :taunt:

[icecat88]

I'd be happy with an all bogey filled round

[dennis4190]

I've been playing for 40 years and have had only 2 bogey free rounds and they were back to back. Shot 70 both days.

[BogeyLJA]

I don't see why anyone wouldn't want this. However, sometimes playing it save and escaping a hole with a bogey can be a win. I try to avoid the "hero shot" and play it safe.

[FiveSixAce]

Is a bogey free round a deal? Is it fake?

[Mych]

Baby steps... I'm currently working for no-doubles. Same principle, if I have nothing worse than a bogey, I'll never shoot over 90 again. I think I've done it once, and that round was a 79. I'd love to be playing well enough that no bogeys is a realistic goal.