Double Bogey and Blow-Up Holes
Also known as: blow-up hole, disaster hole
A double bogey is two strokes over par on a hole; a "blow-up hole" is the more casual term for any hole that goes much worse than that, and learning to limit blow-up holes is usually the single biggest lever a beginner has for lowering their score.
A double bogey is a specific, defined score: exactly two strokes over par on a given hole. "Blow-up hole" is a more casual, less precise term golfers use for any hole that goes significantly worse than their normal pattern — often triple bogey or higher — typically caused by a compounding sequence of small errors (a penalty stroke, followed by a rushed recovery attempt, followed by another mistake) rather than one single mistake alone.
Blow-up holes are the single biggest reason many beginners and intermediate golfers score noticeably worse than their swing quality alone would suggest, because one bad hole with a string of compounding mistakes can add several strokes at once — far more damage to a round's total than the difference between an ordinary bogey and an ordinary par on a ordinary hole.
The most effective way to limit blow-up holes is a simple, pre-committed rule: after a shot goes wrong (into a hazard, out of bounds, a lost ball), take the safe, simple option for the recovery shot rather than attempting an ambitious one to salvage the hole. Accepting a double or triple bogey and moving to the next tee protects the round far better than compounding one mistake with several more while chasing a lost cause.
Example
A golfer's tee shot finds a water hazard, and rather than attempting a low-percentage recovery to try to save par, they take the penalty drop, chip safely back to the fairway, and settle for a double bogey instead of risking a much worse blow-up hole.
Why it matters
Limiting blow-up holes, rather than chasing more birdies, is usually the fastest and most reliable way for a developing golfer to lower their overall score.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to avoid a blow-up hole after a bad shot?
Commit in advance to taking the safe recovery option — even if it means accepting a double or triple bogey — rather than attempting a risky shot to try to salvage par. Most blow-up holes come from compounding one mistake with a second and third, not from the original mistake alone.
Related terms
- Bogey Golf"Bogey golf" describes shooting roughly one over par on every hole — around 90 for an 18-hole, par-72 course — a common and respectable benchmark for a solidly developing recreational golfer.
- Birdie and Eagle ExplainedA birdie is a score of one stroke under par on a hole; an eagle is two strokes under par — both are notable, celebrated results that most golfers, even good ones, make only occasionally.
- Breaking 100Breaking 100 means finishing an 18-hole round in fewer than 100 total strokes — usually the first major scoring milestone a new golfer aims for, and it depends far more on avoiding disaster holes than on hitting great shots.
Related guides & benchmarks
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