Forget Bogey Golf, We Want Birdie Golf
Most golfers focus on making bogey’s when they first start playing. They are happy when they don’t make a triple bogey, or quad on a hole, and happy when they write down bogey.
That’s all fine and dandy, but what about setting your goals a little higher and aiming for birdies? The fall back score of par isn’t so bad and is one shot better than bogey golf.
To focus on birdie golf and making more birdies each 18 hole round you play, try this tip.
Treat Every Hole Like a Par 3
Treat every hole like a par 3. Imagine the 18 hole course you are playing as one giant par 3 golf course with long par 3’s and normal par 3’s. Give yourself par 54.
Since most golf courses are par 72, you will have the following break down of pars:
- 10 – par 4 holes
- 4 – par 5 holes
- 4 – par 3 holes
With par 4 being the dominant par on the course, giving yourself 3 shots per hole is the best way to make more birdies. Think of every hole as a par 3. Let me explain.
When you think about course strategy, you usually plan it around the par of the hole. But if you take away one stroke on par 4’s and stop viewing them as par 4’s your course strategy changes.
Viewing them as par 3’s will change your mindset and you’ll surprisingly make more birdies as a result along with making more pars that normally would have been bogies.
The latter is what will happen more frequently because making more than 4 birdies in a round of 18 is very hard to do for most golfers. But focusing on birdies will produce more pars and less bogey’s which is the ultimate goal of this mentality.
Why it works… is because you get more aggressive. You play more confidently and with more dominance as opposed to being reactive and playing with fear.
On par 3 holes, you focus in more on getting the tee shot on the green so you can attempt a birdie putt and at worst you’ll two putt for par.
Same goes on a par 4 hole now.
You hit your drive as well as you can to position you for your 2nd shot which now becomes like an approach shot on a par 3. You try to get it close for birdie, but at worst you two putt for par.
On par 5 holes, you try to get your ball down to the green in 2 so you can have a chance to chip in or putt for a 3 (eagle) and at worst you make birdie which now feels like a bogey or par which feels like a double bogey.
Having this mindset of turning a par 4 and par 5 into a par 3 will raise your level of play and you’ll find yourself coming away with par more than bogey.
You’ll also make those occasional birdies but treating the par 4’s like a par 3 will help train you to treat par as a bogey and birdie as par.
Before you go check out these practice plans to follow with proven drills and routines to improve your short game and golf swing.