A double bogey in golf means you took two more strokes to finish a hole than the designated par score for that hole. The simplest way to think about it is par plus two. This article will break down exactly how scoring a double bogey works, identify the common mistakes that lead to them, and provide you with a clear, coach-approved game plan to start turning those doubles into bogeys or, even better, pars.
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What Exactly Is a Double Bogey?
In golf, every hole on the course is assigned a "par," which is the expert-level target score, or the expected number of strokes a highly skilled golfer should take to complete it. The term "double bogey" is part of the language used to describe your score in relation to that par. Quite simply, a bogey is one stroke over par, and a double bogey is two strokes over par.
Since par can be different from hole to hole (most commonly par-3, par-4, and par-5), what constitutes a double bogey changes as well. Here’s a simple breakdown:
On a Par-3: The goal is to get the ball in the hole in 3 strokes. If you take 5 strokes, that’s a double bogey (3 + 2 = 5).
On a Par-4: The goal is to get the ball in the hole in 4 strokes. If you take 6 strokes, that’s a double bogey (4 + 2 = 6).
On a Par-5: The goal is to get the ball in the hole in 5 strokes. If you take 7 strokes, that’s a double bogey (5 + 2 = 7).
On a physical scorecard, you might see a player who made a double bogey mark their score in a specific way. It’s common for clubs to have a convention where they draw a double square around the number of strokes (e.g., a square around a '6' on a par-4). However, most people just write down the raw number of strokes they took, and the math to figure out if it was a birdie, par, bogey, or double bogey happens later when you total the score.
But a double bogey isn't just about the numbers. It represents a series of errors or one really big one. More importantly for improving golfers, it’s a bright, flashing signal that something went wrong in your process or decision-making on that hole. Understanding why they happen is the first step to making them a rare occurrence on your scorecard.
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The Anatomy of a Double Bogey: Where It All Goes Wrong
No golfer wants a double bogey on their card, but they happen to everyone - from beginners seeing them regularly to tour pros grinding to avoid them. While discouraging, double bogeys are incredible learning opportunities because they usually stem from one of a few common, high-impact mistakes. If you can understand them, you can start building a strategy to avoid them.
The Problem Off the Tee
The single fastest way to a double bogey is a mistake right out of the gate. A poor tee shot puts you in a disastrous position from which it’s nearly impossible to recover for a par or bogey.
Penalty Strokes: Hitting your ball out of bounds (OB) or into a water hazard is a direct route to a big number. Let's say you're on a par-4. You hit your tee shot out of bounds. You've just taken 1 stroke, you add a 1-stroke penalty, and now you have to re-tee the ball from the exact same position, but you're now hitting your 3rd shot. You're already two shots behind where you wanted to be, and you haven't even made it to the fairway yet.
Playing from an Impossible Spot: Even without a penalty, a tee shot that ends up deep in the woods, in a fairway bunker right under the lip, or in thick, gnarly rough can make it exceptionally difficult to advance the ball meaningfully. Your next shot becomes a recovery attempt to advance, which usually adds the extra stroke that turns a potential bogey into a double.
The Infamous "One Mistake Becomes Two"
This is probably the biggest cause of double bogeys for recreational golfers. This downward spiral starts with a single bad shot, followed by a risky decision born from frustration.
Picture this scenario on a par-4: You hit your drive into the trees on the right side. You walk up to your ball and see a small gap between two trees. The "hero" thought enters your mind: “I can totally thread this through to the green!”
What often happens next? You clip a tree, the ball shoots sideways deeper into trouble (or doesn't move more than a few feet forward), and now you’re in an even worse spot. You've turned a relatively simple situation - pitching the ball sideways back to the fairway - into a score-wrecking catastrophe. That hero shot attempting to save par almost certainly guarantees a double bogey or worse. Bogeys won't ruin your round, but doubles and triples certainly will.
Short Game Struggles
Let's say you did everything right on a par-4. You hit a good drive into the fairway and your approach shot finds the green. You’re in great position for a par. But your approach leaves you 50 feet from the hole.
Here’s how a good hole can quickly turn bad:
Your first putt (the “lag” putt) is hit way too hard or offline, leaving you 10 feet for your second putt.
The pressure is now on. You miss the 10-footer for par.
Now, even a short 3-foot putt for bogey feels tough, and if nerves are running high, you might miss that too.
What started as a par opportunity just became a three-putt, or even four-putt double bogey. In golf, the tee ball gets the glory, but a shaky short game is often quietly adding strokes and turning good holes into disappointing ones.
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Your Game Plan for Saying Goodbye to Double Bogeys
Okay, we know what a double is and why it happens. Now for the good part - let's create a practical game plan to help you start scratching them off your card for good. This isn't about perfectly overhauling your swing, it just requires smarter, more disciplined golf.
1. Respect "Boring Golf" (Take Your Medicine!)
The number one rule to avoiding doubles is letting go of the need to be a hero on every shot. When you find yourself in trouble, your only objective should be to get back into a good position to hit your next shot. Don't think about saving par, just focus on minimizing the damage.
This is your "get out of jail" shot. When you're in the trees or heavy rough:
Setup: Place the ball further back in your stance (closer to your back foot), and press your hands slightly forward, delofting the club a little bit. Grab an iron with a good amount of loft, like an 8-iron or 9-iron.
Swing: Take a shorter, more compact backswing (think halfway back), and focus on making a firm, descending strike on the ball. The idea isn't to hit a towering golf shot, it’s to hit a low trajectory missile that gets out of jail and romps its way back to the fairway.
Taking your medicine with a simple punch out sideways might feel like a defeat in the moment, but making a double bogey is far more unlikely. That bogey you just “settled for” will feel like a victory when you add up your scores at the end of the round.
2. Find A "Fairway Finder" at the Teebox. (No Driver Zone!!)
On tight holes with lots of trouble (trees, water, out of bounds), hitting driver is often a high-risk gamble. One of the smartest things a golfer can do is have another club - a "fairway finder" - that they trust to put them in play, even if it leaves them a longer shot into the green.
Action Step: Identify Your Go-To Club
Go to the driving range with a purpose. Grab your 3-wood, 5-wood, a hybrid, or even a 4 or 5-iron. Your goal is to find the club that you can hit straight most consistently. It's okay sacrificing 30 or 40 yards off the tee if it'll save you from hitting it out of bounds, so you can save 2 strokes, which would've led to a bogey (or worse). Playing your second shot safely from the fairway is always a better option than re-teeing or hitting from the deep woods. Knowing your fairway-finder and committing to it on difficult holes is a key course management skill that separates lower-scoring golfers from high-handicappers.
3. Two-Putts Are Your Best Friend
Very few amateur golfers are good enough to consistently make putts from outside of 20 feet. This means that your primary goal on a long putt isn't to get it in the hole - it’s getting the ball close enough to the hole to make your second putt stress-free. This concept is called "lag putting."
Action Step: Play the "3-Foot Circle" Game
On the putting green, pick a hole and place three or four tees in a circle around it, about 3 feet away from the cup. Now, take three balls and go to a spot 30-40 feet away from the hole. Your challenge isn't to make any of the putts. Your ONLY goal is for all three of your putts to stop somewhere inside that safe haven circle of tees. This drill completely reframes your goal, changing it from the high-pressure situation of "making it" to thinking about making it super simple to execute. The less you three-putt, the fewer and fewer double bogeys you'll have on your scorecard.
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Scoring two over par on a hole, or making a double bogey, is a rite of passage for every person who picks up a golf club. Understanding the what, why, and how of double bogeys is a huge step in your development as a golfer. If you shift your focus from attempting impossible hero shots, prioritize conservative plays, and learn how to reduce three-putts, those ugly double-squares on your scorecard will be gone and you'll find your personal-best-round right around the corner.
Making a smarter decision on the hole can also go a long way towards preventing a huge catastrophe from happening in your round, but we also know how hard it is trying to get A-level caddie advice when you're under pressure. For those high-stakes situations out there on the course when being decisive might be holding you back... When you're stuck between clubs or don't know the best shot to play.... we can help. With Caddie AI, you can tell us about your hole's location to get instant AI feedback analyzing the situation and making suggestions about how to play your current hole. It's a fantastic, low-stakes circuit-breaker for your game that'll help turn any double back into a bogey - or better! With Caddie's AI chat a round-saving 'second opinion' will be just one click away, helping you transform your game's toughest decisions into a cakewalk. By offering real-time course advice - even allowing you to take a pic for instant insight! We help turn a potential 'blow-up hole' into just an ordinary day.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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