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I still get a handful of double-bogey's in a round that I'm determined to get rid of. I had an opening hole double today that was one of the most frustrating kinds.
Nice drive on a 380yd hole. I was inside 150 for my approach. Approach was hit solidly, nice trajectory- but the line was too far right and the wind pushed it further and the green sloped right, so it rolled pin high into the bunker. Then I hit the bunker shot cleanly and it rolled past the hole to maybe 15 feet. Not a great effort by expert bunker player standards, but not bad by my standards. The swing felt good, the ball lifted nicely out, and I just misjudged how hard to swing. It was not a hack out of the bunker that I see many people make. On the downhill 15 footer, I was on line, but I pushed it past by an amount that was JUST out of my 100% zone. boom. Three putt double bogey to lead off the round. Not a single terrible shot. In fact, I'd say all felt pretty decent, but the results said otherwise. Mentally, it was tough to think I could do much better. I'd have almost rather hit my tee ball OB, then gotten a double bogey by playing the hole in "par" after the throwing away two strokes. At least then, I'd have confidence that good swings would lead to good results. I guess double is double and you need to just move on, but it dawned on me that HOW you get double can have a mental impact to push through. |
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| # 1 7/17/2013 10:34:06 PM |
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It is a very fickle game!!!
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| # 2 7/17/2013 10:49:26 PM |
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The worst kind of double I've experienced is the 4 putt. To walk on the green thinking you might get birdie, hopefully par at worse, and walk off dropping 2 shots is demoralizing.
Last month in a tourney I parred my opening 2 holes, hit a good drive and approach on the 3rd hole and was 20 feet past the pin over the green when my ball came to rest in the rough on a downhill lie somewhat nestled in the grass. Used my putter, got it on the fringe 10 feet away, then whacked that 5 feet past the hole, missed that putt, and had a mental lapse and missed the tap in, and ended up taking a triple. That sucked. 2 really good shots put me in a crappy position, and to make a triple, much less double was horribly frustrating. Never recovered from it. |
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| # 3 7/17/2013 11:01:46 PM |
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I was playing with some guys last week after a really hard rain that had the entire course almost under water. I hit my drive on #11 perfectly down the middle and with a slight draw. The ball hit the cart path about 70 yds short of the green and took one huge hop then rolled just onto the green. I was about 45 feet from the hole and putted the ball with what felt like a full driver swing but the ball still finished 10 feet short and threw a huge rooster tail the entire way. I then went on to lip out the next putt and tap in for par. That has to be the only time in my golfing career that I have ever been so upset with a par.
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| # 4 7/18/2013 12:00:34 AM |
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Any double on a par 3 drives me to the brink of insanity.
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| # 5 7/18/2013 12:21:52 AM |
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Randall, your experience really points to the significance of the short game. Just think of the possibilities if your short game was such that you'd expect to be inside of 5 feet from a typical green side bunker, expected to play 20-40 holes between 3 putts, and made 10 footers about half the time. Now you could still have the same two shots you described today and would still come away with a par or bogey at worst.
With practice this kind of short game is within reach for most of us. |
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| # 6 7/18/2013 5:36:02 AM |
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Doubles will happen in this game and the harder the courses you play... the more you are going to have to manage against it. You can't go out before a round and say, "today I'm not going to double bogey" because, guess what? You'll have 5. Learn to manage your game AFTER the double bogey, and you are on the road to getting better scoring. You just may minimize the double too. I played some brutal courses this week and knew doubles would be a reality. My whole mindset was that I would not let them bother me and play my game.
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| # 7 7/18/2013 5:58:31 AM |
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The worst kind of double I've experienced is the 4 putt. To walk on the green thinking you might get birdie, hopefully par at worse, and walk off dropping 2 shots is demoralizing. agree..........this drives me nuts |
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| # 8 7/18/2013 6:50:54 AM |
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The double that really gets me going, is the one I make on next hole after a birdie! And I can't tell you how many times it has happened. I'll play a really good hole, make two solid shots and jar a 15 footer, then pfft... it's gone!
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| # 9 7/18/2013 7:12:44 AM |
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Ha, excellent points all. I'm heading back out to the same course in a few minutes. Day 2 of vacation golf in Hilton Head, SC. Playing Nicklaus' Golden Bear course. Is golf great or what (double bogeys not withstanding)?
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| # 10 7/18/2013 10:27:11 AM |
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Sometimes we need to putt defensively to putt for position. Dave Petlz instructs that sometimes you need to putt to a point and not the hole. Especially on downhillers. That helps me however I too have the same problem from time to time when I forget to putt for position.
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| # 11 7/19/2013 10:47:18 PM |
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Anytime I get aggressive after a bad tee shot.
On a par 4 1st into the woods 2nd try to advance the ball and into another tree and still in the woods 3rd chip into the fairway 4th approach onto the green than a 2 putt. I walk off thinking I should have just chipped out on the second shot, made a solid approach within 10 feet, and a 1 putt for par. |
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| # 12 7/20/2013 9:20:23 AM |
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I hear both Mickelson and Snedeker had 4-putts in round 2- two of the best short game players in the world. I three- putt frequently and it's frustrating. I can only imagine how they mentally deal with four-putts.
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| # 13 7/20/2013 9:55:43 AM |
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I hear both Mickelson and Snedeker had 4-putts in round 2- two of the best short game players in the world. I three- putt frequently and it's frustrating. I can only imagine how they mentally deal with four-putts. 4 putted on 18 yesterday for a double. Added up my score to find I shot a 90... On the one hand, the first putt was every inch of 90 feet. On the other hand, I barely hit it 50 feet on the first attempt. I was rolling the greens pretty well too, sunk a 50 footer for birdie on 7. Then carded the classic double on 8. (sigh) Didn't have 3 putt all day! |
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| # 14 7/20/2013 10:38:21 AM |
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On the one hand, the first putt was every inch of 90 feet. On the other hand, I barely hit it 50 feet on the first attempt. I was rolling the greens pretty well too, sunk a 50 footer for birdie on 7. http://golfweek.com/news/2013/../ Mickelson's 4-putt was from 50 feet, but Snedeker's 4-putt was only from 12-15 feet. Sounds like I would card quite a few three and four putts on greens like that! Would certainly be interesting to try. |
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| # 15 7/20/2013 10:56:21 AM |
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Ha, a classic line from Seve at the link above regarding how 4-putts happen:
"Even short-game magician Seve Ballesteros once four-putted; when asked how it happened, the showman Spaniard matter-of-factly replied, "I miss; I miss; I miss; I make." " |
