Bogey Holes

Is it possible to have one or more "bogey holes" on a course; you know, the one that you know will wreck your scorecard everytime.  I have one on every course, and on one course (Pype Hayes) it's the par 3 16th (all 122 yards of it) AND the par 4 17th (454 yards).  No matter how well or badly I'm playing, my playing partners always mutter "it's OK, we'll get some shots off him when we get to the 16th".  Somehow it makes it worse that not only are these holes consecutive, but I only have one hole to recover it!

Is it psycological, or is it just that type of hole doesn't suit my game?  Am I on my own here? 

Thank god it's not just me!!!  I know it's a mental thing but it makes no difference.  I think we all have them but some of us are too proud to admit it. 

On the par 3 I mentioned there are two different pin positions about 30 yards apart but the same distance from the green.  From the alternative tee, I have no problems. 

Chris changing clubs is an idea that has worked for me and was sparked off by another thread on this site.  When I changed my membership to a different course all 4 of the par 3s became bogey holes and my scores jumped up. 

However I have cured it by over clubbing on the two short holes and using a three quarter swing.  On the long holes I lay up treating them as short par 4s.  I started averaging 21 shots for 4 holes in my first ten rounds but have got it down to a more managable 16 over the last ten. 

It's all in the mind!

I played with a guy a month or so ago and all the way around the course he was saying things like, "I hope I play the 16th OK today", or "The last three times I've played here I've messed up the 16th".

Now this was on the second and third holes! He's started putting it into his mind before he's even got there that he's not going to play the 16th hole well, and guess what? He didn't play it well. He talked himself into playing the hole badly.

My suggestion is to try not to worry about it too much.

Play the course until you get to your bogey hole, then play the right shot, if it's a full 8 iron then hit a full 8 iron.

Russ

Can't be all in the mind.  Played a course this week for only the second time with a member.  We came to a longish par 5 and I got a good tee shot away.  For the second I was confronted with a long shot over a large pond.  I laid up but failed to notice the ditch 15 yards in front of the pond.  Thinned it a litlle and my ball obligingly ran into the ditch but it can't have been psychological because I didn't know it was there unless my subconscious saw it and thought right lets hit it in the ditch.

Ones with flags in.