The term “bogey” was initially used in golf to describe a specific score that golfers would use as their benchmark for success. For example, if the player’s goal is to shoot an even 100, shooting a bogey would mean they achieved their goal.
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.
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
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 is the meaning of bogey in golf?
In golf, “Bogey” is a scoring term meaning a golfer made a score of one stroke over par on a particular hole. Examples of Bogeys include 4 strokes on a par-3 hole, 5 strokes on a par-4 hole, and 6 strokes on a par-5 hole.
Where did the golf terms birdie and bogey come from?
Birdie comes from the American slang 'bird' which meant something wonderful. The term birdie, to describe a score that is one under par for the hole, became widespread in the 1910s. Whereas bogey is a British contribution to the language of golf, birdie is pure American.
Is a bogey in golf good?
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.
Is a bogey better than par?
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.
When did bogey become par?
The USGA began officially using par to rate golf holes and golf courses in 1911. But golf scores had improved in the years since "bogey" first appeared. The USGA thus defined "par" as the score an expert golfer, playing the hole well, should be expected to achieve.
Is 89 a good golf score?
For the average golfer, a good score is considered to be 90 on a par-72 course. Many amateur golfers will score below 100 on a regular basis, and some even below 90.
Why are golf scores named after birds?
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 does E stand for in golf?
even parMost 18-hole golf courses range from par 70 to 72. When the number of strokes taken matches par, it's considered even par, signified with an "E" on most scoreboards. ADVERTISEMENT. If a player completes the hole in one shot less par, or birdie, minus 1 is calculated on the scoreboard.
What is the best score in golf called?
aceAn ace, commonly known as a hole-in-one, is the best score out there.
What is a turkey in golf?
Its origin is almost certainly American in nature. In ten-pin bowling, a trio of consecutive strikes is called a turkey, while six in a row is known as a wild, or golden, turkey. It wouldn't be the first time golf has borrowed from another sport to expand its lexicon.
Why is it called a bogie?
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."
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 are bogies called bogies?
Bogey, according to Eric Partridge's slang dictionary, is Royal Air Force usage from early in World War II meaning ''an aircraft suspected to be hostile. '' American aviators picked it up from the R.A.F. veterans; in 1945, Newsweek used the term to mean ''in radar code, an unidentified enemy aircraft.
Is a bogey golfer average?
A bogey golfer averages about a bogey for each hole -- around 90 for 18 holes. According to the USGA Handicap Manual, a male bogey golfer has a handicap of about 20, while a female bogey golfer plays to about a 24 handicap. Male and female bogey golfers hit the ball about 200 and 150 yards, respectively, off the tee.
Is double bogey golf bad?
If you're a total beginner golfer, double bogey is actually a good score on the golf course. As you get better, you will try to eliminate double bogey as a score. For professional golfers, scores of bogey or double bogey are pretty disastrous for their score.
Is 18 handicap a bogey in golf?
'Bogey Golfer' in the USGA Handicap System In rating the difficulty of golf courses through course rating and slope rating, the USGA defines a bogey golfer this way: "A player with a USGA Handicap Index of 17.5 to 22.4 strokes for men and 21.5 to 26.4 for women.
What score would be bogey golf?
(A bogey is a golf score of 1 over par on an individual hole. If the hole's par rating is 4 and a golfer scores 5 on the hole, that golfer has made a bogey.) Do that on a par-72 golf course and the bogey golfer's average score is around 90.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Who worked out the Bogey?
In 1892, Colonel Seely-Vidal, the Hon Secretary of the United Servic es Club at Gosport, also worked out the 'bogey' for his course. The United Club was a services club and all the members had a military rank.
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'.
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 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.'.
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 difficulty for "average golfers." That …