Opinion & Analysis
What’s your ideal 3-hole start to a round of golf?
I asked my friend and frequent golfing companion Sanders a few weeks ago if he would rather start bogey-birdie-par, or birdie-par-bogey. He gave me a very strange look like maybe I had sat in the sun for too long, or gone too long without making a birdie.
Then he answered, “Doesn’t matter, boss. I’m even par either way.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I tried to explain. “Don’t you think there’s a big difference between opening with a birdie and opening with a bogey? Even if you’re still at the same score after the first three holes.”
He again gave me a quizzical look – and suggested I take a drink of water or better yet, pour a little water over my head to cool down this fine desert morning.
“No, if you’re even par after three holes, that’s your score. It doesn’t matter how you get there,” he said.
“I started birdie, birdie once,” I told him.
“What’d you end up shooting?” Sanders asked.
“I honestly don’t remember,” I said, even though I did remember that I was way over nervous on the third tee and I think I pulled my driver into the trees and made a double there.
“Then you were even after three, so it’s still a good start.”
Tim and Jose were the others in our group that day and so I asked them how they’d like to start.
Tim said he’d like to open birdie, birdie, birdie.
“If you did,” Jose said, “you’d probably double, double, double from there and not even shoot 40 on the front nine.”
“You might be right, but I’d like to try it and find out.”
“I think I’d always rather start with a birdie than a bogey,” Jose said. “There’s never a guarantee if you open with a bogey that you’re ever going to make the birdie to get back to even.”
Finally Sanders seemed interested in the conversation.
“I think if you make about a six-foot bogey putt, maybe with a little break or something you really have to grind on, on No. 1, and then come right back and get a birdie, I think that’s the day you can have a really great round.”
“And if you miss that six-footer for bogey?” I let my voice trail off in the question.
“Don’t get the negative mojo going here,” he snapped, then gave me a look like maybe I needed a beer instead of the water I was chugging.
I thought Sanders maybe isn’t as obsessed about golf as I am, but then he told me:
“I remember my best round ever, a 71,” he said. “I missed a six-foot birdie putt on the first hole and almost three putted it into a bogey. Then I made a 20-footer on the second hole and played great all day. I think it was missing the first birdie putt and then almost missing the two-footer coming back on number one that helped me focus my concentration.”
On a different day at a different course I played with a 35-year-old flag-stick-thin guy who hit the elastomer off the ball. He opened all pars on the first five and I said to him, “You’re off to a good start.”
I guess he didn’t like my talent for understatement or he was just feeling ornery that day. Or maybe it was that he’d been on the first hole, a par-5, in two and three putted for par.
“It’s not how you start,“ he said, “it’s how you play the middle of the round. That’s the key for me, don’t hurt yourself too much in the beginning six holes, then settle into the round and play the next six holes solid. If I can do that, I’m in position, I’m in the mindset to finish strong the last six, and that’s where the round is won or lost.”
I asked him what his best start ever was.
“I eagled No. 1 and birdied No. 2 here a few weeks ago,” and now I realized why he wasn’t particularly happy about his even par open today. “I ended up giving a couple of strokes back but still played good. I wish it had been a skins game.”
While we waited on the No. 6 for the group ahead to putt out on the par-3, I asked if he always played his rounds in six-hole segments.
“No,” he said with a gleam in his eye and a sly smile. “I actually play the round in three-hole segments, six of them. When I play them all in even or one-over par, I’m in the mid-70s where I belong.”
“What happens if you’re two or three over for three holes?” I wondered.
“Then I play the next three holes like it’s its own group again. You have to forget about the bad things that happened and move on to the next opportunity.”
The group in front of us was walking off the green and back to their carts.
“It’s always about what you’re going to do next,” he said. And then he carved a little 6-iron in to about 15 feet.
Saturday I played with Sanders again, and his friends Jeremy and Brock. Brock birdied the first hole, parred the second and bogeyed the third.
I told him there’s nothing wrong with being even par after three.
“I’d rather par the first, bogey the second and then birdie the third,” he said.
What’s your best start ever? 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.
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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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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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole1 day ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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19th Hole1 day agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Chuck Zirkle
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:55 pm
12/23/15: Birdie tap in putt, birdie chip in, long birdie putt. Three under. Capped it off with an ace on the fourth hole for five under after four holes. Had to pinch myself. Was up five skins. Shot four under on front nine. A dream three holes and early Christmas present.
Matthew Bacon
Jan 1, 2016 at 11:54 am
Bogey Birdie Par
I’m more likely on the home course for birdie-bogey-par
Patrick
Dec 31, 2015 at 10:05 am
The course I belong to has an interesting 3 hole start. The first hole is a 14 handicap hole, the second a 5 handicap and the third is the number one stroke hole. So, the goal is to go even par and one over at the worst. This course has a slope rating of 128 from the white tees so it’s got some forced carries and the wind is a challenge being near an ocean. Until I read the article, I didn’t understand the theme but it’s relevant for certain courses.
In a tournament my goal is just fairways and greens. Par is a good score and birdies are a bonus. If your a tournament player you’ll know that doubles are killers and sometimes bogeys are acceptable.
Bob Jones
Dec 30, 2015 at 6:43 pm
I never worry about a start. Last summer I double-bogied the first hole and shot a 36 for the nine. My best-ever score is a 75, that began at two over after four holes. Play one hole, forget it, and go on to the next one. Add ’em up when the round is over.
Courtney
Dec 30, 2015 at 1:14 pm
The ultimate start has to be Karen Stupples’ 2004 Women’s British Open win at Sunningdale. Her first round started Eagle – Double Eagle. Her caddy/husband said, “we might as well shoot 59” after those first two holes.
Aaron
Dec 30, 2015 at 10:58 am
So apparently not liking the article and commenting in such a fashion gets your comment pulled?! Hey WRX management what’s wrong with not liking your content at times? Shouldn’t that help you to understand your demographic and prepare articles that are more in line with your reader’s interests? My comment contained no vulgarity, or any level of inappropriateness but rather a statement that reflected my opinion that the premise and substance of this article is dumb. I stand by the statement that this is the dumbest article I have ever read on here and I am disappointed that commenting my view was “censored” by removal. This site is supposed to be about dialogue and at times disagreement on things “golf”. Instead of removing someone’s point of view maybe you could offer a counter point that could be used to have a discussion???
devilsadvocate
Jan 1, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Lol u mad bro? Why wouldn’t they let you say you thought the article was “stupid”?? Obviously that contributes so much insight and depth to the conversation!! These simple-minded editors have not the stomach for true philosophical analysis or debate!!
Double Mocha Man
Dec 29, 2015 at 11:42 am
I like to start off eagle, eagle, hole-in-one. Then I can relax, skate in and finish around 80.
Jeff*
Dec 28, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Really doesn’t matter, because the next shot is all I can control. So on the first tee, I’m just thinking how lucky I am to be playing golf, the only thing I can do is to focus on my routine, tempo, set up, and that gives me the best chance at hitting the best possible next shot. That’s what it’s all about for me.
Stickburn
Dec 28, 2015 at 4:57 pm
3 holes increments? I look at the game completely different.
I shoot 67 everytime I play. Once I hit 67 I am finished. So instead of seeing how low I can go for 18 holes I try to see how far I can get. Kind of like a pitch count for a pitcher coming off a rehab assignment.
Double Mocha Man
Dec 29, 2015 at 11:46 am
So Stickburn, if you played Pebble Beach from the back tees and achieved your 67 after hole #10 you’d walk in the full mile and a half?
Rob
Dec 29, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I’m sure the courses you play at love that you end your “round” after hole #13
Wreiman
Dec 28, 2015 at 2:21 pm
On my normal course I’m good with par, par, bogey. If I’m on top of my game, it could easily be par, bird, par, But the later is my normal. I find if I and in that mode , the round will be pretty good. The other week I was even par on the first holes… then doubled my way into the clubhouse before a few beers stopped the bleeding…
Jamie
Dec 28, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Started off Par-Par-Par just a few weeks ago…and thought that maybe it would be a great cold weather round. I proceeded to fall apart on hole # 6 after 3 putting and wrecked #7. Mentally I think 3 hole segments are a great idea…you try to win each segment as opposed to focusing on the round as a whole.
Jam
Dec 28, 2015 at 11:28 am
It completely depends on the golf course, especially if you play competitively. Each hole has to be played as an individual and separate golf tournament. Difficult to do, but the best way to be successful.
Jack
Dec 28, 2015 at 2:07 am
Yeah I like the 3 hole segments. The 1 hole segments just becomes a 9 hole torture fest. Going to try this next time.
ooffa
Dec 27, 2015 at 10:03 pm
Well that’s it. Golfwrx has finally run out of things to write about. They had a nice run though. I hate to see it end like this.
Progolfer
Dec 28, 2015 at 12:25 am
Hahaha! Exactly what I was thinking!
Tom
Dec 29, 2015 at 12:32 am
you weekend hacker ….you.
Double Mocha Man
Dec 27, 2015 at 6:12 pm
I play 18 holes in 1 hole segments.
jakeanderson
Dec 27, 2015 at 6:12 pm
i usually start with three birdies and close in with 15 birdies. if you play worse than that, you really should not even bother.
Hack lefty
Dec 27, 2015 at 2:29 pm
Best three hole start ever was birdie, eagle, par. Thought I was high on drugs or someone spiked my Gatorade, went on to shoot 86 haha
DK
Dec 27, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Uh, that would be BIRDIE – BIRDIE – BIRDIE
Ronald Montesano
Dec 27, 2015 at 12:28 pm
I’m a personal and professional fan of the three-hole increments. Even if you play one shot at a time, you should still be aware of how you stand. When I coach high school golfers (female and male) I follow the same procedure with them.
We came by this honestly because our boys used to play a three-hole, match-play formula (for a point each set) plus a nine-hole point: four points per match. The fellows were forced to go three by three by three. Some grasped the notion, while others struggled. Next season, we’ll switch scoring systems to a nine-hole, medal score, eliminating the head-to-head aspect. I’m hoping that the fellows will still focus on the three-hole segments.
Alfredo Smith
Dec 30, 2015 at 11:29 am
Ronald that scoring format sounds delicious! You can loose the first 2 segments by being down by two, then win three holes (7,8 &9) and be one up, for the 9 holes, thus splitting the match. With 4 ways to score it gives you multiple ways to get the juices flowing!