A double bogey is a score of two strokes over par on a single hole. That means a 5 on a par 3, a 6 on a par 4 or a 7 on a par 5. It's one worse than a bogey and one better than a triple bogey.
What does a double bogey look like on each hole?
- Par 3: 5 strokes
- Par 4: 6 strokes
- Par 5: 7 strokes
If you're new to scoring terms, start with what par means. Everything else (birdie, bogey, double bogey) is counted from par.
Is a double bogey a bad score?
It depends on who's playing. For a tour player it's a round-wrecker. For most weekend golfers it's a normal part of the card, and for a beginner a double bogey on a long par 4 is a decent hole. The goal for most of us isn't to never make one. It's to stop a double from turning into a triple or a snowman.
What is net double bogey?
Net double bogey is the most you can count on any hole when you post a score for your handicap under the World Handicap System, which the US adopted in 2020. The formula is:
Par of the hole + 2 + any handicap strokes you get on that hole
So if you get one stroke on a par 4, the most you'd post is 7, even if you actually took 9. This keeps one disaster hole from inflating your handicap. More on how that works in what is a handicap in golf.
How do most double bogeys happen?
Very few come from one awful swing. Usually it's two mistakes in a row: a tee shot into trouble, then a hero shot that doesn't come off. Common patterns:
- Driving into trees and trying to thread a gap instead of chipping back out
- Short-siding yourself, then leaving the next chip in the rough
- Staying in a greenside bunker on the first try
- Three-putting from long range
How can I make fewer double bogeys?
- Take your medicine. After a bad tee shot, get the ball back in play. Bogey is a fine result from the trees.
- Aim for the fat part of the green. A 30-foot putt beats a chip from a bad spot.
- Lag your long putts. Picture a three-foot circle around the hole and try to stop the ball inside it.
- Practice bunker shots. One clean exit saves a stroke right away. See the flop shot and the bump and run for two short game options.
- Use a putter you trust. Plenty of three-putts come down to a putter that doesn't fit your stroke or length. Our used putters are listed one by one with exact length and condition.
Where the term comes from
Double bogey grew out of the word bogey. In early British golf, the bogey score was the target a good amateur was expected to make on each hole, close to what we now call par. In the US, bogey shifted to mean one over par, and double bogey followed as two over. The full story of the Bogey Man is in our bogey page. We haven't found a reliable record of the first time "double bogey" appeared in print, so we won't guess at one.
FAQ
How many over par is a double bogey?
Two strokes over par on one hole.
What is a double bogey on a par 5?
A 7.
What comes after a double bogey?
Triple bogey (three over), then quadruple bogey. An 8 on any hole is often called a snowman.
Is a double bogey the max score for handicap?
Net double bogey is. It's par plus two plus any handicap strokes you receive on that hole.
More golf words in our golf terms glossary.
