Golf Tips for Beginners
Playing For Bogeys
The following Golf Tips are adapted with permission from the "Golf Beginner Guide", a full 272 page resource for Golf Beginners. For only $29.50 you get an incredible amount of invaluable tips, lessons and advice - great value for money. Click the above link to find out more!
Most golfers are simply playing to just get the ball in the hole with the least number of strokes.
But how many people actually bother to worry about how? This ‘take it as it comes’ attitude is largely responsible for the inconsistent scores of higher handicap players.
Think about this:
Rather than aiming for par on every hole, what if you aimed for bogey?
If you got consistent bogeys, you would be 18 strokes over for the round, and I think a large proportion of golfers would be happy with that score.
Now consider: we assume that once you are on the green, it takes two putts to hole out. So if we start aiming for bogeys –
on a par 3 we have 2 shots to get the ball onto the green
on a par 4 we have 3 shots to get the ball onto the green
on a par 5 we have 4 shots to get the ball onto the green
4 shots just to get to the green!
I don’t care how short a distance you hit your shots, everyone is capable of getting to the green in 4 hits... providing they break it down into a further plan.
Sure, using the driver off the tee will get you closer to the green, but you have to take into account all those safety shots you will play after the ball always lands off the fairway. I know, not every drive will land off the fairway, but four short, straight shots will still get you to the green, with much less chance of wasted strokes.
While nobody really wants to admit it, we all know that accuracy is the only way to consistently lower scores. But the truth is that accuracy doesn’t just develop over time, you have to work at it.
It was a revelation to me when I first heard about this style of short play, but it really does make sense if you are serious about lowering your handicap.
So maybe next time you are out on the course, put your ego aside and shoot for bogeys, aiming just to get to the green safely and then to hole out...
