Are you new to disc golf?
There are multiple ways to play the game.
There are even more ways to keep score, as well.
When I first got started with disc golf, stroke play was sometimes disheartening. It depended on the course, but there were a few tracks I frequented where my final tally did more harm to my enthusiasm for the sport than help it. It was on those layouts I held pars in the highest regard.
So, instead of adding together my strokes for each hole to see how well I’d shot, I’d count how many of the 18 holes I’d parred, blind of the mega-ugliness that’d occurred on all the others.
And the next time I came back to try my hand at another round of 18, I’d do my best to beat that total. Yes, birdies were infrequent, but when they happened, they counted as two pars …
See how that works?
Not bad.
Fifteen-plus years later, I’m happy to report my game has drastically improved. It’s plateaued, but improved – I’ll take what I can get. Regardless, I no longer use par-or-bust scoring to motivate myself at tricky courses. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about pars …
To this day, when birdies prove elusive and a personal record quickly appears out of reach, for as unattractive as it might be, my focus frequently shifts from scoring to putting together a clean, catastrophe-free round. Or, in other words, avoiding any bogeys (or worse) for 18 holes.
In all seriousness, if given the choice between a drama-filled, up-and-down round with multiple birdies and bogeys or a “boring” round with nothing but (yawn) pars, I’m opting for the latter.
Every. Single. Time.
Scoring is fun, but clean golf is free of frustration.
Also, as an amateur disc golfer, this much I can tell you with the utmost confidence …
Clean golf wins tournaments.
And when it doesn’t, it at least puts you in contention. At a sanctioned event for which you’ve handed over your hard-earned cash, relevant disc golf is fun disc golf – that’s how I see it.
If you’re no stranger to profanity, temper tantrums, pulling your own hair out or coming back home from the disc golf course more stressed than when you left for it, hear me out …
Play for par.
SportsCenter won’t feature your game anytime soon. And those viral moments your YouTube channel needs to thrive won’t happen, but you’ll score better – and you’ll play smarter, too.
For me, that’s reason enough.
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Totally agree. Just finished a drama-filled round last night at my local 13 hole course, shooting -2 with 3 bogies and 5 birdies and it was far less satisfying than if I had simply shot a clean round with 2 birds. I recently shot three straight rounds with no bogies at all and while none of them were my personal course records, I don’t think I have ever been happier with my play.
Though on the flip side, there is a LOT to be said for keeping a cool head and pushing through adversity to salvage a decent game after starting off with a few sloppy holes. Learning how to keep your cool and stay focused is maybe even more important than playing a clean game.
Thanks for the great content!
Well-said, Ken!
There is totally an article in there …
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided the entire round was shot after a hole-one bogey …
So. Freaking. Dumb.
And mentally weak, too.
GREAT point.
So very true. One of the most satisfying things I can achieve on the course is a bogey-free round…that’s special.
There’s a 17 year old from my church that has started playing routinely with my son and I. He has legitimate raw ability…high 300s backhand, about 300 forehand. With slightly less power I still consistently beat him by 10-20 strokes. Two big reasons…
1. He lacks control.
2. He’s obsessed with what I call the “hero shots”. If there’s a crazy 370 foot s-line with a 5% success rate, he’s going to try it.
I try to be patient…he’s still a kid. But when he’s bummed about a +12…I wish he’d be more conservative.
Oh, man …
If I had a nickel for every round of “hero golf” I’ve attempted to play over the years …
Well, I’d still be poor.
But I could probably buy a grade-A hamburger or something.
That’s saying a lot.
It doesn’t work.
Long term tho…. He will be crushing you. He’s learning creativity. Learning shot shapes… Painfully. He’s learning disc management.
Well i hope he is…
Play for par, birdies are bonuses.
I recently tore up my shoulder, started to play Lefty. Now it’s play for bogey, pars are bonuses.
Played 18 holes of bogey golf today. 14 bogeys, 2 pars, 2 doubles.
Best round of my life? Kinda
Oh, man …
I’ve done the whole “lefty” thing during an injury …
HUMBLING.
It makes what Eagle’s able to do with his left hand that much more impressive. Haha.