Gripe No. 27: First-hole bogeys in disc golf

I don’t care if it’s a casual round or a full-blown tournament …

Few things fire me up quite like a first-hole bogey in disc golf.

If ever there was something to put my mental fragility on full display …

This is it.

As a woefully mediocre disc golfer, I’m big on clean slates – it’s all I have, really. As such, I’m not one of those guys who chases birdies like mad. As most amateurs should, I view carding a par as a mini victory of sorts. I know my ability on a disc golf course; I aim to play within it.

Having done the mature thing in accepting my flaws as a disc golfer, it’s all the more of an emotional groin-kick when I keep a clean card for a grand total of ZERO holes. Sure, I could rebound on the second and third holes with a pair of pars – maybe a timely birdie or two. But I’m equally as likely to bogey both, if being honest. Should that happen, things’ll get ugly …

And fast.

You’ve been there before …

You know the response:

• You get quiet.
• You opt for bag-on putts.
• You throw too many grenade upshots.
• You decide now’s the time to practice 360s off the tee.

Given your rough start, you couldn’t care less about the round …

And you want everyone to know it.

It sucks to golf with that guy.

And far too often, I AM that guy.

When I play casual rounds, I’m looking to relax, unwind and forget about the stresses of life. Rarely do I golf alone, so if I can work in a few laughs, all the better. When I play tournament rounds, I’m not hunting wins. The goal is to prove I belong – to feel good about my game.

You know what’s NOT relaxing?

Bogeying a parable hole right out of the gate.

You know what’s NOT good for competition confidence?

One up through one.

In my experience, the best way to combat a first-hole faceplant is to arrive early for a few practice throws and putts. Furthermore, with an arm (and brain) that’s ready to go, play for par. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Likewise, setting a new personal PR will require at least 18 holes.

Relax. Take a deep breath. Ease into your round.

Otherwise, you risk the dreaded double-bogey to kick things off …

Therein lies an article (and costly therapy session) for another day.

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