A triple bogey on your scorecard is that unwelcome number, often circled with a bit of frustration, that represents a score of three-over par on a single hole. This article will not only define what that means in practical terms, but more important, it will walk you through exactly how these high scores happen and give you clear, actionable strategies you can use immediately to keep them off your card for good.
In golf, every hole is assigned a "par," which is the expected number of strokes an expert golfer should take to complete the hole. Understanding par is fundamental to understanding your score. Most golf courses feature a mix of three types of holes.
Your score on any given hole is described in relation to its par. A triple bogey simply means you took three more strokes than the par for that hole. Here’s how it breaks down:
While a few bogeys (one-over par) here and there won't ruin your round, a triple bogey is often called a "hole killer" because it can immediately derail a great score and negatively impact your momentum.
Rarely does a triple bogey result from one single, terrible swing. It's almost always a chain reaction - a snowball of small mistakes that build on each other, often mixing bad luck with poor decisions. Most golfers will recognize this all-too-common scenario on a Par-4:
Your Goal: Score a 4.
The Unfortunate Reality: You score a 7.
This sequence illustrates the core issue: one error led to another, fueled by a negative mindset and risky decisions. But the good news is you can break this chain at any link.
Most big scores are not due to a flawed golf swing, but rather flawed strategy and management. By addressing these root causes, you can stop triple bogeys before they even start.
Golf is a game of managing misses, and amateur players often make a bad situation worse by attempting to be the hero.
The Mistake: Playing "hero ball." When a tee shot lands behind a group of trees, the high-risk, high-reward play is to thread the needle through a tiny gap. This almost never works out, usually hitting a tree and leaving you in an even worse spot.
The Fix: Take your medicine. This is one of the most important concepts for saving strokes. Acknowledge that you're in trouble and make the smart, boring play. This means chipping out sideways into the fairway, giving you a clear shot to the green. Yes, it feels like giving up a stroke, but what you’re really doing is preventing a double or triple bogey. You're turning a potential 7 or 8 into a 5 or 6, which saves far more strokes in the long run.
Hitting a ball out of bounds or into a water hazard is the fastest path to a triple bogey. It immediately adds a stroke to your score and puts you under pressure.
The Mistake: Aiming "at" the fairway without considering where the trouble is. Many golfers step up to the tee and just aim for the middle, ignoring water on the left or OB stakes on the right.
The Fix: Aim away from trouble. Before every tee shot, identify the biggest danger on the hole. If there’s a lake all down the left side, don't aim for the middle of the fairway. Make your target the right-hand side of the fairway. This gives you a massive buffer. Even a slight pull will find the fairway, and a straight shot is perfect. By taking the worst-case scenario out of play, you allow yourself to swing more freely.
So many big numbers are finalized within 50 yards of the hole. Blading a chip across the green, taking multiple shots to get out of a bunker, or three-putting can turn a simple bogey into a triple bogey in a hurry.
The Mistake: Always reaching for the high-lofted sand wedge or lob wedge for every chip shot. While great for high, soft shots, they are the hardest to hit consistently and have very little margin for error.
The Fix (Chipping): Use the bump-and-run. If you don't need to fly the ball over a bunker or deep rough, choose a less lofted club like a pitching wedge, 9-iron, or even an 8-iron. Take a putting-style stroke. The ball will get on the ground sooner and roll out like a putt. It's a far more predictable and higher-percentage shot for most golfers.
The Fix (Putting): Prioritize lag putting. A three-putt feels like a penalty. The goal of your first putt from over 25 feet isn't to make it - it's to leave an easy tap-in. Change your objective away from the hole and focusing on simply getting your golf ball to come up within a three-foot 'hula hoop' A simple drill is taking a few feet of string and using tees to create a circle that is three or four feet around the real hole - then you're never disappointed if that first putt misses and almost never have to stand over a scary second putt again!
Getting angry or frustrated after a poor shot increases tension in your body, rushes your pre-shot routine, and leads to impaired decision-making. The a physical swing error becomes a mental one. A triple bogey is frequently the result of letting this happen three or four times in a row.
The Mistake: Carrying the bad feeling from one shot to the next. You duff a chip and, fuming, you walk up and quickly jab at the next one without a proper routine or a calming breath.
The Fix: The ten-yard Walk. One of the simplest and most effective mental strategies around is giving yourself about ten yards, or about three deep breathes, just after a disappointing shot to let that frustration out After you've had taken a moment you've given yourself a hard but necessary reset so that when you arrive at your ball ready to make your new routine, you will be much more prepared to execute it to your fullest leaving that previous bad shot behind you where it belongs
A triple bogey is more than just a score of three-over-par, it’s a story of how a hole unraveled. Typically, it’s not because of a single awful swing but a series of missteps: a penalty stroke, a risky "hero" shot, a short game error, or losing your cool. Learning to manage your game, make conservative decisions, and stay emotionally balanced is how you consistently avoid those round-killing holes.
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