
They describe a golfer's performance on a hole in relation to the hole's par:
- A birdie is a score of 1-under par on a hole (for example, scoring 4 on a par-5).
- A bogey is 1-over par on a hole.
- An eagle is 2-under par on a hole.
- A double bogey is 2-over par on a hole.
- A double eagle (very rare) is 3-under par (also called an "albatross").
- A triple bogey is 3-over par.
Full Answer
How did bogey get its name in golf?
Tracing the Origins of Bogey as a Golf Term
- Yes, Golf's Bogey Is Related to 'the Bogey Man' According to the USGA Museum, the "Bogey Man" was a character in a British dancehall song of the late 19th Century, ...
- Hello, Colonel Bogey. ...
- When the Meanings of Bogey and Par Diverged. ...
What does the term Boggie mean in golf?
What Are the Types of Bogeys?
- A double bogey means you are two over par
- A triple bogey means you are three over par
- Birdy means you’re actually one under par
- An eagle means you’re two under par
- An albatross means you’re three under par
What is a good score in golf for a beginner?
What is a Good Golf Score for a Beginner?
- Lower Expectations. Being too concerned with scoring is a common mistake of beginner golfers. ...
- Par for the Course. A typical golf course plays to a par of 72, which means a highly skilled golfer should be able to shoot near or better than that ...
- Practice Practice Practice. ...
- Equipment and Expense. ...
How does bogey became a golf term?
- On a par 3, a score of 4 will be called a bogey
- On a par 4, a score of 5 will be called a bogey
- On a par 5, a score of 6 will be called a bogey
- On a par 6, a score of 7 will be called a bogey

What is bogey in golf mean?
one over parA Bogey means one over par. Birdie: In the 19th century, the term "bird" was the equivalent of "cool" or "excellent" - golf scholars believe this is where the term came from. An Atlantic City, New Jersey, course claims that the term originated there in 1903. The meaning being a score of one under par.
What is worse than a bogey?
A bogey is 1-over par on a hole. An eagle is 2-under par on a hole. A double bogey is 2-over par on a hole. A double eagle (very rare) is 3-under par (also called an "albatross").
Is a bogey in golf bad?
A bogey is typically considered to be a fairly bad score on a golf hole, as it is a single stroke above par. However, less experienced golfers may view a bogey as an average score since shooting par is not always an easy task. Bogeys are better than double bogeys, triple bogeys, quadruple bogeys.
What is 4 birdies in a row called?
1 = Strike. 2 = Double. 3 = Turkey or Gobbler. 4 = Hambone. 5 = Recently heard referred to as yatzee or five bagger.
What's a bougie in golf?
A player makes a “birdie” when he uses one fewer strokes than the par of the hole. If a player needs one stroke more than par to finish a hole, he makes a “bogey.” So, if you finish a par 4 with only 3 strokes, you make a “birdie”, but if you take 5 strokes to complete a par 4, you make a “bogey”.
What is a mulligan in golf?
The basic definition of mulligan, a term most associated with golf, is a "do-over," a second try after your first has gone awry. Every weekend golfer has taken a few mulligans in their lifetime, and there's no shame in that.
How many strokes is a bogey?
Bogey. A score of one stroke more than par (+1) for a hole is known as a bogey, e.g. 4 strokes to complete a par 3 hole or 6 strokes on a par 5 hole.
Is a birdie good in golf?
That means that an expert golfer should need three strokes, four strokes and five strokes, respectively, to play those holes. So a birdie is a very good score on a hole, one that mid-handicappers don't see often and high handicappers rarely see. For recreational golfers, making a birdie is a thing to celebrate.
What is considered an average golfer?
For the average amateur adult male, the average score is a 96. For a woman, the average score is shooting a 108. Other websites have found and claim the national average golf score is around 100 strokes which is close between the 96 and 108 cited above.
What does F F mean in golf?
What Does F Mean On A Golf Leaderboard? Sometimes, in the blue circle on the image above, you will see the letter “F” instead of a number like a 65 or 1-18. This simply means “Finished” and is another way of saying that player has completed their round for the day.
What is a golf Sandy?
In professional golf, a "sandy" happens when a golfer gets up-and-down in two strokes from a greenside bunker. Sandies are tracked in a statistic called sand save percentage.
What's a greenie in golf?
1 - Slang for a simple green-in-regulation. 2 - As a betting game for par three holes. Of all the players who reach the green on their tee shot, the player who is closest to the hole wins a "greenie point".
What does "bogey" mean in golf?
"Bogey" is one of the scoring terms used by golfers and the term "bogey" means the golfer made a score of 1-over par on an individual golf hole. Par, remember, is the expected number of strokes it should take an expert golfer to complete a hole. Golf holes are generally rated as par-3s, par-4s, and par-5s, ...
What is a bogey golfer?
A bogey golfer is a golfer whose average score is about 1-over par per hole (e.g., a golfer who usually shoots around 90), but that term also has a specific meaning within the USGA Handicap System. "Bogey rating" is another handicap term and refers to an estimate of a golf course's degree of difficulty for "average golfers.".
What is a triple bogey putt?
And so on. Although when you start getting up into the quintuple and sextuple bogeys, it's probably best not to put a label on it. A "bogey putt" is a putt that, if the golfer makes it, results in a score of bogey on the hole.
What is a bogey score on a par 5?
Here are the bogey scores for each respective par: A score of 6 on a par-5 hole is a bogey. Par-6 holes are uncommon, but golfers do occasionally encounter them. A bogey on a par-6 hole means the golfer used 7 strokes to play that hole.
What does "bogey putt" mean?
A "bogey putt" is a putt that, if the golfer makes it, results in a score of bogey on the hole. "Bogie" is a common misspelling of "bogey.". Bogey used as a verb means to play the hole in 1-over par: "I need to bogey the final hole to finish under 90.". The past tense is "bogeyed" (sometimes spelled "bogied"); the past participle is "bogeyed" ...
How does a bogey work?
Here is how it works: Bogey: 1-over par on a hole. Double bogey: 2-over par on a hole. Triple bogey: 3-over par on a hole.
How many bogeys are there in a golf round?
Also, keep in mind that even for the very best golfers - those that play the professional tours - bogeys are not rare. Most professional golfers score one or two bogeys during a round. (It's just that they also make lots of pars and birdies to offset their occasional bogeys.)
What Is A Bogey In Golf?
Bogey uses the player’s score when they use one more than the standard number of clubs specified. Bogey is not an uncommon term.
What Is An ACE In Golf?
Ace is a term used to refer to people who are good at golf. It is an important milestone that any player wants.
Triple vs. Quadruple vs. Double
Triple, quadruple, and double are just other versions with increased numbers to make naming and counting easier. These names are not too common because they often have pretty long names but are only replaced by numbers.
Is A Bogey Good Or Bad?
Bogey is not a good thing, especially for experienced players. Hitting more strokes directly affects the score in a game, and bogey is also a sign of deterioration of performance.
Match Play In Golf
Matchplay is a format that is not strange to longtime players but can create confusion for newcomers.
A Scramble In Golf
A scramble is a form often seen in groups of friends instead of appearing in large tournaments. Because this format has no clear rules, people participate with more entertainment and fun.
A Mulligan In Golf
Mulligan is a term for the second chance a player is given after failing or having trouble on the first stroke.
Why Is It Called a Bogey?
If you’re a newbie to golf, you must have wondered at some point why this scoring term is called a bogey. So, how did the term “bogey” originate from?
Is It Bad to Score a Bogey?
A common question in golf is if a bogey can be counted as a good score or a bad one. Let’s find out.
Final Words
We have reached the end, and as we’re sure you can tell, a bogey holds a lot of significance in each golf round. They are a common score on many golf scorecards. Without adequate knowledge of common golfing terms, you can’t expect to perfect yourself and play with better scores out on the course.
Are there any other types of bogeys?
There are a couple of other bogeys you can get when it comes to scoring in golf.
Is scoring a bogey good or bad?
Scoring a bogey is common among the average golfer, and it is not the worst thing that can happen.
How often do beginner golfers score bogey?
This is a tough question to answer because you have so many different levels of beginner golfers.
How often do average golfers score bogey?
If someone is not as gifted or experienced in the game, they will score bogeys more often than professionals do, whether they’re having an on or off day.
How often do pro golfers score bogey?
Pro golfers score bogeys, on average, 2-4 times per round depending on the conditions, their skillset, and how much they are playing.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, this article helped you better understand what a bogey is in golf.
What is the bogey score?
Here Comes the Bogey Man", which was popular at that time. So at Yarmouth and elsewhere the ground score became known as the bogey score. A 'bogle' was a Scottish goblin as far back as the 16th Century and a Bogey-man was a widely used term for a goblin or devil.
When were bogey competitions introduced?
This allowed the introduction of bogey competitions, which we would call handicap competitions or stablefords. On 2nd January 1892, The Field reported that 'a novelty was introduced in the shape of a bogey tournament for a prize. ... Fourteen couples started but the bogey defeated them all.'.
What is par in golf?
Par is derived from the stock exchange term that a stock may be above or below its normal or 'par' figure. In 1870, Mr AH Doleman, a golf writer, asked the golf professionals David Strath and James Anderson, what score would win 'The Belt', then the winning trophy for 'The Open', at Prestwick, where it was first held annually from 1861 to 1870. Strath and Anderson said that perfect play should produce a score of 49 for Prestwick's twelve holes. Mr Doleman called this 'par' for Prestwick and subsequently Young Tom Morris won with a score of two strokes 'over par' for the three rounds of 36 holes.
What are the three terms used in golf?
There is quite a history behind the golfing terms bogey, par, birdie, eagle and albatross. Bogey and par were central to the development of handicapping, pioneered by the LGU. The modern meaning of three of the terms - bogey, birdie and eagle - comes from their use in USA. Bogey Par Birdie Eagle Albatross.
What is the meaning of the eagle in golf?
Eagle. "Eagle", a score of two under par for a given hole, was clearly the extension of the theme of birds for good scores from a " birdie " . It would be natural for American golfers to think of the eagle, which is their national symbol and the term seems to have developed only shortly after the 'birdie'.
When was the first birdie hole?
The Atlantic City Club date the event to 1903. The First Birdie Hole, Courtesy of Atlantic City County Club. By 1913, the term had crossed the Atlantic and Bernard Darwin writing in the September 1913 issue of Country Life of a visit to the USA said.
What does "birdie" mean in golf?
Birdie. "Birdie", meaning a score of one stroke under Par, comes from the early 20th century American slang term "bird", meaning anything excellent. The September 1911 edition of Maclean Magazine described a golf shot as - '"bird" straight down the course, about two hundred and fifteen yards.'.
What is a bogey competition?
Bogey competitions incorporated the central feature of matchplay – the winning or losing of individual holes – into a strokeplay competition.
How many shots higher is a bogey score?
A few of the more traditional golf clubs to this day still have a bogey score and a par score on their scorecard, and the total bogey score will normally be around 5-6 shots a round higher than the par one. Bogey competitions can be played against par or bogey. Sometimes in the former case they are known as par competitions.
How many holes do you need to play to win a bogey?
At the end of the round you total up your nett matchplay score, so bogey competitions require that all 18 holes are played out, unlike matchplay ones which can finish before the 18 holes are played if the result is already determined.
When was the first bogey golf tournament?
According to the R&A, the first bogey competitions were played at Coventry GC in 1891 . The concept is similar to that of the competition later devised by Dr Frank Stableford and which now bears his name, in that on each hole you are rewarded on how you do against the course.
Can you play bogey against par?
Bogey competitions can be played against par or bogey. Sometimes in the former case they are known as par competitions. Just like in Stableford, the par is adjusted for each hole according to each player’s individual handicap and the stroke index.
Is bogey par a matchplay?
Bogey and par competitions are played as strokeplay competitions not matchplay ones, so all the rule and penalites are the strokeplay ones. The winner of the competition is the player who wins the most nett holes. For all the latest from the golf world, follow our social media channels Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Specific Scores That Result in A Bogey
How Did 'Bogey' Become A Golf term?
- Yes, the golf term "bogey" is related to the Bogey Man. And golfers definitely don't enjoy letting the Bogey Man get us! But you might be surprised to learn that when bogey first entered the golf lexicon, in the 1890s, its meaning was different than the way we use it today. It was closer to the modern definition of "par" in meaning.
Other Forms and Uses of 'Bogey' in Golf
- The term "bogey" shows up in several other golf terms. A bogey golferis a golfer whose average score is about 1-over par per hole (e.g., a golfer who usually shoots around 90), but that term also has a specific meaning within the USGA Handicap System. "Bogey rating" is another handicap term and refers to an estimate of a golf course's degree of dif...
What Is A Bogey in Golf?
- “Bogey” is one of the most significant golf terms practiced among golfers. To understand what a bogey is, a golfer needs to have an idea about a par. So, what exactly is a par? Par is a golf term used to denote the total of strokes expected to be scored by a skilled golf player for a definite hole. Golfers usually make par-3s, 4s, and 5s, implying ...
Why Is It called A Bogey?
- If you’re a newbie to golf, you must have wondered at some point why this scoring term is called a bogey. So, how did the term “bogey” originate from? Whenever you hear the word “bogey,” the first thing that comes to mind is the “Bogey man” song. And the fascinating part is, they’re related! Usually, this term denotes a terrifying person or someone you need to keep yourself safe from. I…
Is It Bad to Score A Bogey?
- A common question in golf is if a bogey can be counted as a good score or a bad one. Let’s find out. When it comes to scoring in golf, a bogey can be both a good and a bad score for different players. It depends on what kind of a player you are. With the same score, a player can get the title of an “expert” or someone “average.” If you’re learning golf or have been an average player for qu…
Final Words
- We have reached the end, and as we’re sure you can tell, a bogey holds a lot of significance in each golf round. They are a common score on many golf scorecards. Without adequate knowledge of common golfing terms, you can’t expect to perfect yourself and play with better scores out on the course. We hope our discussion on bogeys was able to answer your essential …