Bogey golf: what it means and how to break 90

Bogey golf means playing every hole in one over par: a 4 on a par 3, a 5 on a par 4 and a 6 on a par 5. Over 18 holes on a par-72 course that adds up to 90. A golfer who scores around there is a bogey golfer, and despite the name it's a good, solid level of amateur golf. This guide explains what the term means, where it comes from, and a simple plan for playing bogey golf and breaking 90.

What is a bogey?

A bogey is a score of one over par on a hole. Two over is a double bogey, three over a triple bogey. On a scorecard, bogeys are often marked with a box. How par, birdies and bogeys are counted.

Bogey golf isn't only a score, though. It's also a way of playing: you give yourself one extra shot on every hole and stop trying to make par everywhere.

The bogey golfer in the handicap system

The bogey golfer is an official idea. Courses are rated with two reference players in mind: a scratch golfer (a handicap of zero) and a bogey golfer.

• The USGA describes the male bogey golfer as a player with a Course Handicap of about 20 who hits his tee shot about 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two. The female bogey golfer has a Course Handicap of about 24, hits her tee shot about 150 yards and can reach a 280-yard hole in two.
• Raters estimate what each of those players would score on the course. The scratch score is the Course Rating; the bogey score is the Bogey Rating.
• The gap between the two gives the Slope Rating: how much harder the course plays for the bogey golfer than for the scratch golfer. How handicaps work.

So when you hear "bogey golfer", it's not an insult: it's the player the whole system is measured against.

How good is bogey golf?

Better than it sounds. Many golfers who play regularly never break 90, and plenty never break 100. Shooting in the 80s means you rarely waste shots, even if you don't make many pars or birdies. It's a realistic goal for most club golfers, and the first big milestone for many.

How to play bogey golf

The key idea: par is the course's target, bogey is yours. If a par 4 is a 5 for you, you don't have to reach the green in two. You have three shots to get there and two putts.

1. Keep the tee shot in play. The biggest cause of high scores is lost balls, out of bounds and penalty areas, not short drives. If the driver is wild, a fairway wood or hybrid that finds the fairway is the better club.
2. Play for the fat part of the green. Aim at the middle, not the flag. A 30-foot putt is fine; a ball in the bunker beside the flag is not.
3. Lay up when the shot is risky. If carrying the water needs your best strike, play short and pitch on. Bogey from there is easy; a ball in the water makes double the likely score.
4. Get out of trouble in one. From trees or deep rough, the safe chip back to the fairway is almost always right. The "hero shot" through a gap is how one bad shot becomes three.
5. Escape bunkers first time. Out and on the green is the whole goal. Distance control comes later.
6. Two-putt. Lag your long putts close: think about pace more than line, and aim to leave the ball within a few feet. Avoiding three-putts saves more strokes than holing long ones.
7. Avoid the big number. One triple bogey can undo three good holes. When a hole goes wrong, take your medicine and settle for a double.

A bogey golfer's round will still have some doubles. The trick is that the occasional par makes up for them.

Breaking 90 and breaking 100

• To break 90 on a par-72 course, you need 89 or less: bogey golf with one par to spare. Every extra par buys you a double bogey somewhere else.
• To break 100, you can make a double bogey on nine holes and bogeys on the other nine and still shoot 99. Keeping the ball in play and avoiding triples is usually enough.

Keep a simple record of each round: fairways hit, greens reached, putts and penalty strokes. It shows you where your strokes really go, and it's usually the penalties and the three-putts.

Bogey golf in One Fairway

One Fairway is a good place to practise this way of thinking, because every shot counts and the course rewards smart choices.

• Stonepine is par 72, so bogey golf there is exactly 90. It has water in the valleys, bunkers guarding the greens and a two-tier green on the 17th, so laying up and aiming for the middle are real choices. Hole-by-hole guide.
• The scorecard marks scores the way golfers do on paper: bogeys boxed, double bogeys double-boxed, birdies circled.
• A hole ends at double par plus 2 (10 on a par 4), so one disaster can't go on forever. You can also choose Pick up and take that score.
• Your in-game handicap comes from your best recent nine- and 18-hole rounds, and holes you pick up count as net double bogey, as in real golf. It's not an official handicap, but it shows how your game is moving. The in-game handicap.
• The daily challenge gives you one try a day: the ideal place to play the percentages, because a safe bogey beats a bold triple.

Questions

What is bogey golf?
Playing every hole in one over par. On a par-72 course that's a score of 90.

What handicap is a bogey golfer?
The USGA's reference bogey golfer has a Course Handicap of about 20 for men and about 24 for women.

Is shooting 90 good in golf?
Yes. Many regular golfers never break 90. Scoring in the 80s means you keep the ball in play and avoid big numbers.

Play Stonepine and see if you can break 90: it's free, and you can start as a guest. More: golf club distances · how to play golf.