The bounceback birdie: What it is, and why it matters in disc golf

Bogeys are brutal.

Don’t even get me started on doubles and triples.

If there’s anything that gets me in my head, it’s a bogey at the worst-possible time. Yes, they’re rough right from the get-go, but when momentum swings back in your favor, and you’re making a push at just the right time, it all seemingly goes sideways with a single bogey – it’s rough stuff.

Without fail, it’s at this point I usually self-implode, chalking up my previous success during the round to the proverbial “blind squirrel” miraculously finding a large nut every now and again.

Can you relate?

If you can, allow me to introduce you to a concept that’ll help you focus on something small en route to getting your once-positive round back on track following an ultra-untimely bogey …

The bounceback birdie.

A “bounceback birdie” is a birdie that’s carded on the hole following a bogey. You don’t need to be Columbo to pinpoint the value of this. Yes, birdies at any time are welcomed with open arms. But as a disc golfer, the bounceback birdie does just as much for your mental game as it does the state of your scorecard. Disc golf’s own Magic Eraser, it’s not a do-over, but it feels like one.

Sure, you lost a stroke to your fiercest competitors …

But it took only 10 minutes to atone for it.

You’re back to where you need to be, ready for another run.

Now let’s say you’re new to disc golf or playing a course on which birdie opportunities don’t present themselves all that often to mere mortals. No bother: The “perk-up par” serves a similar purpose. No matter your skill level, after a costly bogey, your sole focus should be the next hole.

Card something respectable. Keep the wheels from falling off.

Then, move onto the next hole with some spring in your step.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Bounceback birdies aren’t (yet) tracked on PDGA Live, which is an absolute shame. Seriously, whether from the MPO or FPO divisions, pick your favorite Pro Tour player. Watch them card a bogey (or worse) during the course of a tournament. Without fail, the guys you’ve admired for years waste no time with pouting, frequently carding a bounceback birdie on the next hole.

It’s THIS mental tenacity that makes them great.

You might never rival Simon Lizotte on the course, but the way you quickly respond to adversity is a sign you’re at least keen to follow in his footsteps. Especially on the amateur circuit …

This is lethal.

#BouncebackBetter

It sounds like a presidential slogan, but it works for disc golf, too.

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