The Tiger 5

The Tiger 5 is Tiger Woods’ rules to playing a mistake free round. They are simple and easy to follow and really help players understand where they can eliminate mistakes on the golf course. The

Rule #1: No bogeys on Par 5’s

A par 5 is a scoring hole and that’s even for regular mid-handicap golfers. For me scoring means something different for a mid-handicap golfer than it does lets say a scratch golfer. For a mid-handicap scoring on a par 5 means making a par and a relatively easy par. They may have a chance at a birdie if they hit several good shots but the goal should be a 5. For a scratch of better level golfer the goal should be to have a birdie chance on all the par 5’s and to have a scoring average under par.

If a player is able to go 18 holes and not have a bogey on a par 5 then they are well no their way to shooting a lower score.

Rule #2: No Double Bogey’s

Many golfers get upset and disgusted when they make a bogey but a bogey won’t derail a round. In fact many golfers if you shoot above a 90 should make bogey golf their par. Bogeys will happen in a round and it is okay if they do. Heck I just played my first tournament of 2024 and had 7 bogeys!! However a double bogey or worse definitely does ruin a round as now it takes 2 good holes to get you back into the round. I would say for me this is the biggest rule to track and follow. If a player can go out and play a round without a single double bogey or higher they will see their scores drop drastically.

Rule #3: No Three-Putts

This rule is a no-brainer. Far too many players have too many putts. Whether it be missed short putts or bad speed control on lag putts this is an area of the game all players need to improve. Three putts don’t just increase your score but they really get under a players skin and get on their nerves so now their mental focus is ruined for a while because they are disgusted with themselves. To help with this try adopting the following concepts based on the scores you shoot:

Shoot above a 90 - for every 3 putt you have to have 1 one-putt

Shoot 80-90 - for every 3 putt you have to have 2 one-putts

If you are able to follow this your will feel more confident with your putting knowing that for every mistake you had you were able to overcome it.

Rule #4: No Bogey’s With Scoring Clubs

This for Tiger meant no bogey’s with a 9 iron or less. Don’t get too greedy when we have those scoring clubs and play to the fat part of the green. If you have able to hit the green you will be picking up shots on your competition. Making a bogey with a 9 irons or shorter in your hands is a mental mistake because most players, even mid handicappers should be able to hit the green with their 9 irons or less. Many times I see mistakes happen in this range when players aim at the pin, hence why I said don’t get greedy earlier.

Rule #5: No Double Chips

This doesn’t mean a double hit chip but rather don’t take 2 chip shots to get the ball on the green. If you can within 15 yards of the green your only goal should be anywhere on the green, preferably the middle of the green. Even if the flag isn’t in the middle of the green that should be your target. This is because on most greens if your ball is in the middle the longest putt you may have is 40 feet.

Find a stock chip/pitch shot with a club you can rely on to make solid contact and get the ball to the middle of the green.

There you have it. Tiger’s 5 rules of scoring. If a player is able to do all 5 in a round they are having a remarkable day. But we don’t always need to complete all 5 to have a good scoring day. Find which ones give you the most trouble and focus on those. If you are able to eliminate a couple of these to where they rarely happen then you are well on your way to better golf.

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