Opinion & Analysis
Don’t let the dreaded double-bogey ruin your round
Even pro golfers make double-bogeys.
In fact, I can say with great certainty that everyone reading this is among that wide fraternity, which includes pretty much all golfers everywhere, of double-bogeyers.
Why then should we be so upset about something that happens to everyone and happens with some degree of regularity?
Because it hurts, that’s why. It hurts our pride and our egos and even more importantly, it hurts our scorecard. There’s never a good time to make a double-bogey, but there are times that are worse than others.
A first-hole double, I think, is really a bad start to the day. I’ve recovered from them before to shoot good rounds, but maybe just as often — or maybe more often — I’ve let that initial failure and frustration become the theme for the day.
“Where’d you make your last double?” I asked Adam as his clubs were being cleaned after his round at Graethope GC.
“No. 5,” he answered and I figured that meant he played well.
“What happened?”
“Had about 160 in after a decent drive but I pushed it into the sand. Splashed out but the ball got caught in the heavy patch in front of the green, chipped five feet past the flag and missed the putt coming back.”
“Let’s see, how did I make that double on 12?” Carl said to himself when I asked. “Hit it in the water, took a drop, hit it on, three-putted.”
“A par-4?” I asked.
“No, three-par.”
“Then that was a 6, a triple,” I said.
“Ah,” was his only response.
I asked a 20-something golfer who was making the turn at Coyote Trails if he’d had any doubles on the front.
“Just one,” he said. “Fourth hole. My drive was just barely in the rough but it was in deep. Tried to muscle it up near the green but the grass was too thick and I only hit it 40 yards. Hit a 9-iron from there but missed the green, hole-high right, sitting down. Got it out to 12 feet and missed the putt.”
“Sounds like if your tee shot stayed in the fairway you probably wouldn’t have made double,” I consoled him.
“Yeah, it’s the heaviest rough I’ve seen on the front nine, and I was just lucky enough to find it.”
Finding double isn’t that hard if you look on the scorecards of most golfers. And if you’re playing in a tournament that isn’t at the top-handicap levels, you should expect that almost everyone in the field will make at least one. In fact, even Jordan Spieth made a double while winning the Masters this year.
“You can’t let it ruin your round,” Harry told me in the bar at Castlestone. “At least not the first one. But if you have more than one double, your score is in trouble.”
For some players, a double-bogey is a motivator.
“When I have a double early in the round I know I can recover,” Big Dave explained while eating a hot dog at the halfway house. “But the late double, that’s the round-wrecker.”
I asked him if there was such a thing as a good double-bogey and he gave me a real quizzical look like, what are you thinking? Or, it’s a good thing you don’t make your living asking people questions.
“Nah, well, sure,” he considered for a moment. “It’s better than a triple, right? I guess the only really good double would be if you hit your tee shot out-of-bounds. Then you’re at least making par off your second ball.”
What’s the worst double?
“On 18, for sure,” Carmen told me. “Man, if you have a decent round going, finishing with a double just ruins it. And then that might be the last hole you play for a week and you have that to remember.”
Carmen’s friend Tim had a different idea. “When you give yourself a chance for an up-and-down par and then three-putt. That’s the worst double.”
“Especially if it’s on 18,” I said.
“Or if you hit a great drive and then mess up and make a double with a wedge in your hand,” Carmen warmed to the topic. “Or when you take two shots to get out of the sand and still don’t get on the green. Then you have to get up and down just to save your double.”
If it happens early in the round, Big Dave said, that kind of a scrambling double can give a player some positive momentum to go with the two extra strokes.
“Averting a real disaster, a triple or worse, by making a good putt, sure, that fires me up,” he said. “Then you have to focus on the next couple of holes and make smart pars or if you can, a birdie.”
No matter how well you finish though, that double will always be a blemish on your scorecard.
“Not always,” Karen told me as she and three friends got ready to hit the newly painted pink tees at a Palm Springs course. “We don’t hit the ball a long ways, or always straight; some long holes, a double is like a par.” It made me remember when I first started keeping score and doubles to a beginner were neither rare nor unexpected.
“It’s part of the price of doing business,” Adrian told me at Granite Springs. “I’m a long hitter and they don’t always go straight. But if I can get a couple of putts for eagle in a round, then I make up for the double,” and I accepted that he was talking about a game I wasn’t personally familiar with.
I am familiar enough with doubles though. They can happen on par-3s, par-4s and par-5s. Sometimes they start instantly from a troubled drive, sometimes they creep up on you as you battle to save a bogey, and sometimes they surprise you, the unexpected three-putt.
A double is the occasional failure that unites us as golfers. As bad as it is though, it still beats a triple.
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How did you make your last double? Let us know in the comments section below. And check out the inspirational story of one golfer trying to shoot the round of his life at 7-ironpress.com. The book is called A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth and you can get free shipping on the paperback with the code GOLFWRX, or $4 off the e-book when you enter the code GOLFWRX1 at check-out. It’s a great Father’s Day gift.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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Golf's Perfect Imperfections
Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement
In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle
Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.
Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.
The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.
Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.
Past Winners at Harbour Town
- 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
- 2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
- 2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
- 2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
- 2019: CT Pan (-12)
- 2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
- 2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
- 2016: Branden Grace (-9)
- 2015: Jim Furyk (-18)
In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).
Key Stats For Harbour Town
Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
- Tom Hoge (+1.27)
- Corey Conners (+1.16)
- Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
- Cameron Young (+0.93)
Good Drive %
The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.
Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds
- Brice Garnett (88.8%)
- Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
- Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
- Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
- Sepp Straka (+85.1%)
Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs
Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.
SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:
- Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
- Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
- Brian Harman (+1.89)
- Sungjae Im (+1.58)
4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)
Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.
SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds
- Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
- Taylor Moore (+1.02)
- Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
- Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
- Andrew Putnam (+0.83)
5. Greens in Regulation %
The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.
Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:
- Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
- Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
- Corey Conners (+69.0%)
- Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
- Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)
6. Course History
Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.
Course History over past 24 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
- Cam Davis (+2.05)
- J.T. Poston (+1.69)
- Justin Rose (+1.68)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)
The RBC Heritage Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)
- Shane Lowry
- Russell Henley
- Scottie Scheffler
- Xander Schauffele
- Corey Conners
- Wyndham Clark
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cameron Young
- Ludvig Aberg
2024 RBC Heritage Picks
Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)
With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.
Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).
Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.
Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)
I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.
The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.
Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)
Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.
Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.
Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)
Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.
In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.
Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.
Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)
When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.
Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.
Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.
Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)
This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.
Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.
Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.
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erick
May 30, 2015 at 12:44 am
Was on the brink of shooting 67 for the round coming onto hole 17 223 yard par 3 over water (this hole always gets backed up… so we had to wait a good while before teeing offas you can imagine.. rhythm is now broken and thinking about things i shouldnt be.) grabbed my 4 iron to land about 7 paces on and release to the green… shank the first all day… right into the water hazard. took my drop 125 out hit it fat (chunk n run unintentionally) left 30 feet for bogey. missed the bogey put and in for double… sheesh.. THANKS PUBLIC COURSE BACKUP!
Jamie
May 28, 2015 at 10:10 am
Back the double up with at least a Par and it doesn’t hurt as much. Great feeling to play a round with no doubles though.
Happyday_J
May 28, 2015 at 2:07 am
I think there is such thing as a good double. When you double a difficult par 4 after a lost ball on your tee-shot (we dont have the luxury the pros have with marshals up ahead spotting balls). In actuality, a double after a lost ball is a par with one bad swing. Are you happy about the double, not really, but you can take something from playing the hole well, save for one bad swing the turned out unlucky. EVERYONE makes bad swings, you were just unfortunate to not be able to find it.
Bobtrumpet
May 27, 2015 at 6:34 pm
A double on a par 5 is the worst for me. I just can’t stand looking at a “7” on the card.
Billy Dirtbike
May 27, 2015 at 2:55 pm
Pointless article
Brian
May 28, 2015 at 9:19 am
Pointless comment.
aaron
May 27, 2015 at 2:50 pm
was 1 over going into the 15th hole. 15 at riverdale dunes is basically the 18th at tpc sawgrass (water up the holes left side all the way from tee to green. railties let the water get close). Pushed the drive right, found an awkward downhill/left leaning lie in the rough. got the ball to 20yards short of the green from there. had to go over a mound to the green but my flop shot just got too far under the ball and I hung up in the rough short of the green. chip came up 4 feet short, pulled the easy putt….managed to par in from there, so at least I didn’t let it totally ruin the round!
Double Mocha Man
May 27, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Sounds familiar. Couple weeks ago I was 2 under (rare territory) going into the 15th hole at my favorite course. Thinking I had a shot at a 69 (It’s been years) with one birdie in the last 4 holes. Short par 4. Managed a triple without even losing a ball! Parred in for a disappointing 73. Almost any other day I’d be smiling with that score.
Brian
May 28, 2015 at 1:07 am
Funny, I made par on 15 last weekend and just felt like I’d gotten away with murder. That’s a tough hole, ESPECIALLY if you’re playing from the back tees.
other paul
May 27, 2015 at 2:27 pm
My last round I played 9 holes. Two bogeys, two birdies, and one double bogey that hit the water in the middle of the fairway. Damn blind tee shot. Could have made par for the first time ever on 9 if it wasn’t for that.
brian d
May 27, 2015 at 12:40 pm
a pro double is like a triple for me haha
Leslie Chow
May 27, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Golf is a collection of 18 individual holes. I try and put together a scorecard much in the same way and forget labels while I’m playing like birdie, bogey, pars, and eagles. Just saying the different names associated with a score has a different feeling attached and I don’t want to take those feelings to the next hole even if it’s a positive feeling from a birdie because those can be just as dangerous as negative feelings. Typically for me a score like a double in a tournament will cause me to focus more on course management and I’ll usually play more conservative but birdies can cause me to feel better about my game than it really is and may be the cause of an bad decision off the tee leading to a double. Either way golf, even when playing a score should be approached like match play, write down a number and move on to the next hole and start the process over.
Cliff
May 27, 2015 at 11:46 am
i’m OK with a double as long as I have a birdie to cover it!