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. ...
Is it bad to get a bogey in golf?
To an average golfer a bogey is good. According to the National Golf Foundation, the average 18-hole score for a round of golf is about 100, almost 10 strokes more than a round with 18 bogeys. The purpose of golf is to get the ball into the hole in the fewest amount of strokes. Just because a bogey is a score one stroke higher than par doesn’t mean it is inherently a bad score. The average golfer strives to make a bogey or better on each hole.
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
Is a bogey good in golf?
For the beginner golfer, bogey golf is good. Overtime, the golfer can continue to build his or her skill and improve, eventually striving to make more pars or even birdies. For the more advanced golfer, a bogey is often a disappointing score on a hole. The best golfers might only make 1-2 bogeys per round.
Why do they call it bogey in golf?
The term 'bogey' comes from a song that was popular in the British Isles in the early 1890s, called "The Bogey Man" (later known as "The Colonel Bogey March"). The character of the song was an elusive figure who hid in the shadows: "I'm the Bogey Man, catch me if you can."
Did par used to be called bogey?
But the origins of "bogey" include the fact that it was originally used by golfers similar to the way that we use "par" today. Par and bogey were not necessarily interchangeable terms, but a golf hole's par rating and bogey rating were often the same.
Why do they say bird in golf?
'Birdie' Based on Early American Slang "Bird" was the "cool" of its time. So on the golf course, a great shot — one that led to an under-par score — came to be known as a "bird," which was then transformed into "birdie." The term birdie was in worldwide use by the 1910s.
Why is 3 birdies in a row called a turkey?
During the late 1700s and into the early years of the 1800s, bowling tournaments were a popular diversion for all, from the working class to the aristocracy. The prizes typically awarded at these tournaments were gift baskets of food, often containing coveted items like a large ham or, you guessed it, a turkey!
What is a ostrich in golf?
Supposedly, this is the name assigned to completing a hole having struck the ball five fewer times than par. In other words, this is what happens when you hole-out a Par 7 with two strokes or shoot a Hole-In-One on a Par Six.
Where did the term scratch golfer come from?
A runner starting from scratch was not given a head start; applying the same idea to other sports, a scratch golfer or scratch bowler is one good enough to play without having their score adjusted with a handicap.
Why is it called a mulligan?
Theory: 'Mulligan' Is Named After a Golfer Mulligan probably originated when the golf do-over was christened mulligan after the name of a golfer who kept replaying shots. That's the most likely explanation, and according to Occam's Razor the simplest explanation is more likely to be the true one.
Why do right handed golfers wear a glove on their left hand?
The main reason golfers wear a glove is because of the added grip. If you're a right-handed golfer you'll wear a glove on your left hand. The reason golfers only wear one glove is that you won't get any added benefit from wearing two.
What is a condor in golf terms?
Condor is an unofficial name for a hole score of four strokes fewer than par (four under par, −4). A condor is also known as a double albatross, or a triple eagle. This is the lowest individual hole score ever made, relative to par.
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.
Why is 4 strikes called a Hambone?
Consecutive strikes Any longer string of strikes is referred to by a number affixed to the word "bagger," as in "four-bagger" for four straight strikes, also known as a "hambone", likely derived from bowling's early days when foodstuffs were awarded to winners of competitions.
Why is it called a Brooklyn strike?
Brooklyn strike This refers to shots that "crosses over" the 1-3 pocket for right-handers and 1-2 for left-handers and produces a strike. It originated in New York where people would "cross over" to Brooklyn from Manhattan.
Where did the term "bogey" come from?
But the origins of "bogey" include the fact that it was originally used by golfers similar to the way that we use "par" today. Par and bogey were not necessarily interchangeable terms, but a golf hole's par rating and bogey rating were often the same. We must go back to British golf in the late 1800s to see how bogey emerged as a golf term.
What is a bogey man?
At least, that's what the golf scoring term "bogey" means today: the definition of bogey is a stroke total on a single gole that is one stroke higher than that hole's par rating.
What is the meaning of "par" in golf?
The USGA thus defined "par" as the score an expert golfer, playing the hole well, should be expected to achieve. So in the first years in which par and bogey were both in use in the United States, their meanings began to diverge.
When was the Colonel Bogey March published?
That character appeared in song in the Colonel Bogey March, published in 1913, and, as the photo on this page shows, appeared on golf products. (The Colonel Bogey March, by the way, was later made instantly recognizable as the famous music in the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai .)
When did the meaning of "bogey" and "par" diverge?
When the Meanings of Bogey and Par Diverged. While that was happening in British golf in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in American golf the term "par" was just entering the golf lexicon in the early 1900s.
When was the ground score first called par?
British golfers by at least the 1880s developed a way of rating golf holes: how many strokes should it take to play the hole? This is what we call "par" today, but at that time, when scores were much higher throughout golf than they are today, the number was originally called the "ground score.".
Who said the ground score was a Bogey Man?
Around 1890, according to The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms, a certain Charles Wellman, playing golf at Great Yarmouth in England, exclaimed one day on the links that the ground score was "a regular Bogey Man," referring to the song.
What does "bogey" mean in golf?
If you ask golfers what a bogey means, many will respond with the 1-over par explanation, but few will be able to explain the origins and how it relates to par. Bogey, like so many other golfing terms, has 2 connotations dependent on the period in history and context that you refer to. To put the term in perspective, ...
When was bogey invented?
What Exactly Is A Bogey? The concept of bogey was invented in 1890 by Mr. Hugh Rotherham, then secretary of the Coventry Golf Club. The idea behind this was to set a standard score for good golfers on every hole. This was called the “ground score”.
What is a bogey on a par 5?
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. Unlike scores below par having different avian terms, the bogey remains the only term used for scores over par. Some golfers have tried to get the term “buzzard” accepted for a double bogey, but this has not become common use.
How many shots higher is a bogey score than a par?
Generally, the bogey score for a round will be approximately 5-6 shots higher than par. When developing the frequently used Stableford scoring system, Dr.
What is the meaning of the song "I'm the Bogey Man"?
Other versions suggest that the term is derived from an English dance hall song titled “The Bogey Man” which included the lyrics, “I’m the Bogey Man, catch me if you can .”.
How to record a bogey?
To record a bogey, you have to score 1 shot more than the regular par score set by the golf club for the specific hole. 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 a buzzard in golf?
Some golfers have tried to get the term “buzzard” accepted for a double bogey, but this has not become common use. Scoring 2 over par is called a “double bogey”, 3 over par a triple bogey, 4 over par a quadruple bogey, 5 over par a quintuple bogey, and higher scores, which you are unlikely to score, follows the trend.
Why is it called a bogey in golf?
This term has stayed with the game and now a bogey refers to any time a player scores one over par. Bogey golfers are the most common in the sport, with an average of 70 bogeys per 100 holes.
History of Bogey
The phrase “bogey” was used in British folklore in the early 1890s to describe a hideous or terrible figure that moved about at night. In Britain, during this era, a song called “The Bogey Man” (later known as “The Colonel Bogey March”) became popular. I’m the Bogey Man; if you can, try and capture me.
What Is A Bogey?
A bogey, or bogie, is a score of one stroke over par, but what is the difference between bogeys and birdies?
How Is Par Determined?
Golf holes are assigned numerical values that reflect the maximum number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete that hole.
Is Bogey Golf Good?
Bogey golfers (those who score one stroke over par on a hole) make up the majority of players. A bogey represents an excellent round of golf, and if you shoot a bogey on every hole or even on most holes, there’s nothing wrong with that.
What Counts As A Bogey?
There are many scoring combinations possible in golf that produce the same result of one over par, including double-bogey (score of two strokes above par on a hole), triple-bogey (three strokes above par on a hole), etc. In this sense, it is better to think of ‘bogey’ as shorthand for “one above par” rather than strictly meaning one stroke over.
Why Are Bogey Golfers The Majority Of Players?
There are many possible reasons for this including more holes on average in an 18-hole course means that there is a greater chance to have bad luck. There are also physical and experience limitations that may prevent you from scoring better than par.
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 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.'.
When did golf clubs start assigning scratch scores?
By 1914, British golf magazines were agitating for a ratings system similar to the US. However the Great War 1914-18 intervened and it was not until 1925 that a Golf Unions' Joint Advisory Committee of the British Isles was formed to assign Standard Scratch Scores (SSS), to golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland.
What Does Par Mean in Golf?
When it comes to golf, a par can refer to the number of strokes a golfer should make to get the ball inside the hole.
Origins of Bogey in Golf
Several different stories or versions can be attributed to the origin of bogey or its use in golf. You can go through some of these below:
Impact on Score
A bogey can certainly impact your overall score in a golf tournament, which can then also affect your ranking.
Is a Bogey Considered to Be Good?
Since a bogey is one stroke more than the par, it is not exactly good since it can reduce your overall score. However, bogeys are also unavoidable, even by professional players.
How Does a Bogey Golfer Rank in Terms of Handicap?
The United States Golf Association has a handicap system in place to rate professional golfers based on their scores and abilities. Generally, bogey golfers tend to score a bogey quite often while golfing.
Final Remarks
To sum up, a bogey in the sport of golf relates to the number of strokes required to complete a hole, plus one additional stroke.
What is the bird in golf?
An American magazine frequently used the word bird to refer to something good in the early 20th century and in 1911, Maclean Magazine described a golf shot as: “Bird, straight down the course, about two hundred and fifteen yards .” ( ScottishGolfHistory)
What does par mean in golf?
Par (0) Par. Average for a top class golfer. This Latin term for equality dates back to the 16th century ( OxfordDictionaries) and is still used today to describe something ordinary. It was first used by golfers in the 1890’s when originally it was the standard for professionals whilst amateurs aimed for a bogey.