Playing Double Bogey Golf is the single fastest way for most amateur golfers to finally break 100. This isn’t a strategy for playing poorly, it’s a brilliant strategy for playing smarter, eliminating the dreaded blow-up holes, and taking all the pressure off your game. This guide will walk you through the simple, stress-free mindset and on-course decisions that make smashing your scoring goals a reality.
Let's get one thing straight right away: on your journey to breaking 100, par is not your target. Chasing par is what leads to frustration and high scores. Instead, I want you to adopt a new target: the double bogey. If you were to make a double bogey on every single hole, you would shoot a 108. That score is already better than what many weekend golfers post.
So, the moment you make a few bogeys - or even a lucky par - you are playing better than Double Bogey Golf and well on your way to a score in the 90s. Think about the profound shift in your mindset when a double bogey is no longer a failure but a success. It means you stayed on track. A bogey is a bonus. A par is a celebration.
Your "personal par" for the day becomes a 6 on a par 4, a 7 on a par 5, and a 5 on a par 3. Every hole, you have extra strokes to work with. This simple mental switch removes so much pressure. You no longer feel like you have to hit a perfect tee shot or a precise approach. You just have to play efficient, low-stress, smart golf. The objective is no longer to make a heroic 4, but to avoid making a disastrous 8.
The number-one score killer for the average golfer is the tee shot that goes out of bounds, lands in the water, or dives deep into the woods. The mighty driver, while seductive, is often the main culprit. The goal of playing Double Bogey Golf is to put your ball in play, giving you a chance to hit your second shot from the fairway or at least the friendly rough.
On most par 4s and par 5s, leave the driver in the bag. Seriously. Put the ego aside and grab a club you know you can control. For many, this is a 5-wood, 7-wood, or a trusted hybrid.
Here’s why this works:
Think "in play," not "how far." A 160-yard tee shot down the middle is infinitely better than a 220-yard drive in the junk.
Once your ball is in play off the tee, the next temptation is to try and hit a "pro-level" second shot onto the green from a long way out. This is another trap we want to avoid. Welcome to the "advancement shot" philosophy. The purpose of your second shot on a par 4 (or third on a par 5) is rarely to hit the green. Its purpose is to advance the ball to a position where you can hit your favorite club for your next shot.
Let’s say you’ve hit a nice hybrid 170 yards off the tee on that 380-yard par 4. You are now 210 yards from the green. The old you might stand over the ball, grip a 3-wood for dear life, and try to blast it onto the green.
The Double Bogey Golfer, however, is much smarter. You ask yourself, "What's my favorite club?" For many, it's a pitching wedge or a 9-iron. Let's say you hit your pitching wedge about 90-100 yards.
So, from 210 yards out, you take out a 7-iron. You aren’t trying to hit an amazing shot. You’re just trying to hit a standard, easy 7-iron about 120-130 yards straight down the fairway. Suddenly, you've taken just two shots, you’re in the middle of the fairway, and what’s left? A comfortable 80-90 yard shot into the green - your favorite distance!
This approach has turned a long, intimidating, high-risk second shot into two easy, low-pressure swings. You have completely removed the chance of a horrible slice, skull, or fat shot with a long club you don't hit well. You have three shots left to get down for a double bogey, and you are feeling confident.
Most golf bags are filled with multiple wedges - a pitching wedge, a gap wedge, a sand wedge, maybe a lob wedge. For the pros, this allows for precision. For the amateur trying to break 100, it creates confusion and indecision.
Instead of trying to be a master of four different wedges, become a master of one. I advise picking just one club - usually your pitching wedge or gap wedge - and learning to hit it three reliable distances.
By just learning these three "feel" shots with a single club, you have covered the majority of situations you will face inside 100 yards. The confidence you build from having a simple, go-to system for these crucial scoring shots is enormous. You aren't worried anymore, you just execute the shot you practiced.
You’ve navigated the tee shot and the approach shots beautifully. You’re now just off the green. This is where many scores completely fall apart, usually from trying to get too fancy.
The glorious, high-spinning flop shot you see on TV? Forget it exists. It's the highest-risk shot in golf, and you don’t need it. Your goal is simply to get the ball rolling on the putting surface. Period.
Your goal is not to chip it into the hole. Your goal is to get it anywhere on the green to give yourself a chance to putt.
Double Bogey Golf gives you permission to three-putt! Remember that beautiful cushion you built for yourself? A chip and three putts are still a double bogey on a par 4 if you took two shots to get greenside. That’s an on-track hole!
This means your number one priority for your first putt isn't to make it - it's to get it close. Erase the idea of holing long putts. Instead, visually draw a three-to-four-foot circle around the hole. Your only job is to get your ball to stop inside that circle. This focus on lag putting - prioritizing speed over line - is what transforms chronic three-putters into solid two-putters. You’ll be stunned at how walking away with two putts from 40 feet feels like a birdie when you've removed the pressure of making the first one.
Adopting the principles of Double Bogey Golf isn't about setting low expectations, it's a calculated, intelligent system for managing your game and your mind. By avoiding big risks, eliminating penalty strokes, and playing to your strengths, you transform a frustrating round into a strategic success, giving you a clear and achievable path to finally breaking 100.
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