A Triple Bogey is a golf scoring term that is 3 strokes more of the par rating a particular hole has. If you have heard of the phrase “3-over par,” it is essentially the equivalent of the golf term triple bogey.
Note: If par is something unfamiliar to you, we recommend that you read our post that covers the meaning of par in golf.
Triple bogey by the numbers
Let us say for example your first hole has a par rating of 4 (a par-4 hole). This means that to score par, you need to complete it exactly utilizing 4 strokes. But no one is perfect, let alone considering the number of factors that can affect ball movement. So, a player could easily spend, in a challenging situation, more strokes than needed. In this case, if 3 more strokes are utilized before sinking the ball, making the total strokes 7 on a par-4 hole, then the score would be known as triple bogey. Below are some numbers to help you remember.
- A score of 6 is triple bogey in a par-3 hole
- A score of 7 is triple bogey in a par-4 hole
- A score of 8 is triple bogey in a par-5 hole
Is triple bogey an acceptable score?
It depends. If you are a professional golfer trying to win a championship, then triple bogey is something you want to discourage yourself of making all the time. Triple bogey in this case is a poor score. However, if it is just recreational golf you are playing, then it’s a fairly common score.
All players make triple bogey
Don’t hate yourself for scoring triple bogey. Even the finest golfers make them – Tiger Woods is one good example. But the key thing to maintaining a healthy scorecard is to commit this bad score only once in a while, if not at all.
Recovering from a triple bogey
Scoring a triple bogey is not the end of the world if you are professionally competing. But as mentioned, the key is to not commit it often. You can recover pretty well if you only commit this once. But the same can’t be said for having two or more triple bogeys in your scorecard which essentially means it’s not going to be your day unless everyone else in the game is committing them as well due to course difficulty.
Ways to avoid scoring triple bogey
There are things that you can do to make fewer or avoid making triple bogeys.
- Practice makes every shot as smooth and intentional as it can be, so more practice be part of your game plan
- Buddy with a pro golfer to help you with your game
- Learn from professionals by investing in some golf lessons
- Improve your physical and mental state towards the game