Kevin Na's 16 on One Hole: Why Beginners Need a Max Score

In the first round of the 2011 Valero Texas Open, PGA Tour pro Kevin Na made a 16 on the par-4 9th hole. It was the highest score on a par 4 in official PGA Tour records. He finished the round anyway, and he played the rest of it under par. The beginner lesson: give yourself a max score per hole, then move on.

Even the greats: one hole in the trees

The 9th at TPC San Antonio's Oaks Course was 474 yards that day. Na's tee shot went right into the woods. He found it, declared it unplayable, went back to the tee, and hit another one into the trees on the right.

From there it got tangled. One shot bounced off a tree and hit him. At one point he turned around and tried a left-handed swing and missed the ball. It took him six strokes just to get out of the wooded area. He finally holed a six-footer.

He wasn't even sure of his own number. "I think I made somewhere between a 10 and a 15," he told his playing partner, Ryuji Imada. Officials first had 15. Na went and watched the video himself and counted 16. "I just wanted to know exactly what I made," he said.

Here's the part beginners should hear: the other 17 holes, Na was four under par. He signed for an 80, and afterward he put it plainly: "One bad hole can basically shoot you out of the tournament." One hole. Not his game.

Your first-nine lesson: set a cap and keep walking

Pros have to hole out every shot in a tournament. You don't. In a casual round, the kind thing to do for yourself and the group behind you is set a limit.

• Pick a max score before you tee off. Double par is a common, friendly choice: 6 on a par 3. When you hit it, pick up, write it down and walk to the next tee.
• Trouble? Take the easy way out. If your ball is deep in trees, drop it back in the short grass and play on. Our pace of play guide explains when picking up is the polite move.
• Remember the other holes. Like Na, you'll usually find your "bad round" was really one or two bad holes.
• Big numbers are normal. Our double bogey guide shows why.

On a par-3 nine with The First 9 Method, a putter, a 52° and a 56° plus an alignment stick, there's less room to wander into the woods.

Related guides and stories

• Double bogey explained for beginners
• Pace of play for beginner golfers
• More “even the greats” stories
• Start here

Sources

• Golf Digest, "How Kevin Na made 16 on the par-4 ninth," Apr 14, 2011
• San Antonio Express-News (mysanantonio.com), "Na cards duodecuple bogey at Texas Open"
• The Guardian, "Kevin Na shoots PGA Tour record 12-over hole at Valero Texas Open," Apr 15, 2011
• Valero Texas Open (official), Year-by-Year 2010s

Facts are taken from the official and news sources above. Players are named with respect; no player photos or video are used on this page.