Jackson Reid
Golf has a rich history of unique terminology, with words like birdie, eagle, albatross, and bogey filling up an entire dictionary. Bogey, in particular, refers to a score of one over par on a hole, with a double bogey being two over par, and so on. The term's origins can be traced back to a popular song in the British Isles in the early 1890s called The Bogey Man (later known as The Colonel Bogey March). It was first used to refer to the ideal score a proficient golfer should achieve under perfect conditions. Today, it's used to describe a golfer's performance relative to par, with a bogey indicating a score of one stroke more than the par for that hole.
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What You'll Learn
Bogey is a score of one over par on a hole
Bogey is indeed a golf term. It is used to describe a score of one over par on a hole. In other words, a golfer scores a bogey when they complete a hole in one stroke more than the par listed for that hole. For example, on a par three, a golfer would score a bogey if they completed the hole in four strokes, giving them a score of one-over par.
The term 'bogey' was first used in England at the end of the 19th century as the first stroke system. In 1890, Hugh Rotherham, the secretary of the Coventry Golf Club, conceived the idea of standardising the number of shots at each hole that a proficient golfer should take, which he called the 'ground score'. This idea was adopted by Dr Browne, the secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, and during one competition, a player exclaimed to Dr Browne, "This player of yours is a regular Bogey man". The term 'bogey' was also the name of a popular song in the British Isles in the early 1890s, called "The Bogey Man" (later known as "The Colonel Bogey March").
By the mid to late 1890s, the term 'bogey score' referred to the ideal score a good player could be expected to make on a hole under perfect conditions. It was used to describe stroke play tournaments, and the term was included in early rule books in a section detailing the regulations for 'Bogey Competitions'. In the late 1900s to early 1910s, the concept of 'par' emerged as the designated number of strokes a scratch player could be expected to take on a hole in ideal conditions. This distinguished 'par' from 'bogey'.
Today, a ''bogey golfer' is someone who averages one over par per hole throughout their round, ending either 9 over par on nine holes or 18 over par on a full 18-hole round. If a golfer goes more than one stroke over par, they score a double bogey (2-over par), triple bogey, or even higher. The term 'bogey' is also used in calculating the 'slope' of a golf course, which measures the difficulty of the course for an average bogey golfer.
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Bogey is the first stroke system, developed in England in the 19th century
"Bogey" was the first stroke system, developed in England at the end of the 19th century. The full history is given in Robert Browning's 1955 book, *History of Golf*. In 1890, Hugh Rotherham, the secretary of the Coventry Golf Club, conceived the idea of standardising the number of shots at each hole that a proficient golfer should take, which he called the 'ground score'.
Dr Browne, secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, adopted the idea, and with the assent of the club's golfers, this style of competition was introduced for match play. During one such competition, a Mr CA Wellman (possibly Major Charles Wellman) exclaimed to Dr Browne that, "This player of yours is a regular Bogey man". This was probably a reference to the eponymous subject of an Edwardian music hall song, "Hush! Hush! Hush! Here Comes the Bogey Man", which was popular at the time. So, at Yarmouth and elsewhere, the ground score became known as the bogey score.
Golfers of the time considered they were playing a "Mister Bogey" when measuring themselves against the bogey score. This allowed the introduction of bogey competitions, which we would now 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."
In 1892, Colonel Seely-Vidal, the Hon Secretary of the United Services 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. They could not measure themselves against a 'Mister' Bogey or have him as a member, so 'he' was given the honorary rank of Colonel. Thus, the term "Colonel Bogey" was born.
In the modern game, a bogey is when a golfer completes a hole in one stroke more than the par listed for the hole. For example, on a par three, a golfer would score a bogey if they completed the hole in four strokes, giving them a score of 1-over par. A bogey golfer is someone who averages one over par per hole throughout their round, ending either 9 over par on nine holes or 18 over par on a full 18-hole round. If a golfer goes more than one stroke over par, they score a double bogey (2-over par), triple bogey, or even quadruple, quintuple bogey, and so on.
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Bogey competitions are what we now call handicap competitions
Bogey is a golf term that refers to when a golfer completes a hole in one stroke more than the par listed for that hole. For instance, on a par three, a golfer would score a bogey if they completed the hole in four strokes, giving them a score of 1-over par. The term "bogey" was first used in golf in England at the end of the 19th century.
Bogey competitions, which date back to 1891, are a way of playing matchplay against the course. The course scores bogey on each hole, and the player who wins the most nett holes is the winner of the competition. Bogey competitions are what we now call handicap competitions. In these competitions, the par is adjusted for each hole according to a player's course handicap and the stroke index of the hole. Bogey competitions allow players to abandon a hole when it becomes too challenging.
The term "bogey" comes from the word ""bogey-man",", which was used to describe a goblin or devil in Scotland as far back as the 16th century. Golfers considered themselves to be playing against a "Mister Bogey" when measuring their performance against the bogey score. This led to the introduction of bogey competitions, which are now referred to as handicap competitions or stablefords.
In the context of golf, "handicap" refers to a numerical measure of a golfer's potential that is used to enable players of different abilities to compete against each other. The lower the handicap, the better the golfer is expected to perform. Handicaps are calculated based on a player's scoring history and are used to adjust their score during a round of golf.
The concept of a bogey competition is similar to the competition devised by Dr. Frank Stableford, in which players are rewarded based on their performance against the course. Bogey and Stableford competitions are both forms of stroke play, where players compete against a fixed score at each hole.
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Bogey is used to describe stroke play tournaments
Bogey is a golf term that refers to a score of one over par on a hole. If a golfer goes more than one stroke over par, they score a double bogey (2-over par), triple bogey, or quadruple bogey, and so on. The term is also used to describe a golfer who averages one over per hole throughout their round, ending either 9 over par on nine holes or 18 over par on a full 18-hole round.
The term "bogey" was first used in England in the late 19th century to refer to the ideal score a good player could be expected to make on a hole under perfect conditions. It was the first stroke system, conceived by Mr Hugh Rotherham, Secretary of the Coventry Golf Club, who called it the 'ground score'. The idea was then adopted by Dr Browne, Secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, and this style of competition was introduced for match play. During one such competition, a player exclaimed to Dr Browne that "This player of yours is a regular Bogey man", in reference to the player's skill.
By the mid to late 1890s, the term "bogey score" was commonly used to refer to the ideal score, and it was also used to describe stroke play tournaments. In early rule books, there were sections detailing the regulations for "Bogey Competitions". However, it wasn't until the late 1900s to early 1910s that the concept of "par" emerged, referring to the designated number of strokes a scratch player could be expected to take on a hole in ideal conditions.
Today, the term "bogey" is commonly used in stroke play tournaments, which is a form of competition based on the cumulative score of the number of strokes played in a given round or multiple rounds. For example, in the Olympics, golf is played in a stroke play format. Bogey is also used in the calculation of the "slope" rating of a golf course, which measures the difficulty of the course for the average bogey golfer, or a golfer who averages one over par per hole.
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A double bogey is a score of two over par on a hole
Bogey is indeed a golf term. The original meaning of the term in golf was the number of strokes a good golfer should take at each hole. It was first used at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England in about 1890, inspired by the phrase "bogey man" and a popular music hall song "Here Comes the Bogey Man". Players would compete against an imaginary player,
Today, a bogey is when a golfer completes a hole in one stroke more than the par listed for the hole. For example, on a par three, a golfer would score a bogey if they completed the hole in four strokes, giving them a score of 1-over par. A double bogey, then, is a score of two strokes over par on a hole. So, if a golfer took six strokes to complete a par-4 hole, they would have scored a double bogey.
Golfers can keep track of their cumulative score for an entire round by tracking how many shots over or under they are relative to par. If a golfer makes two pars to start a round, they are "even par" for the round. If a golfer makes two bogeys to start a round, they are "two over".
A “birdie” is a score of one stroke under par on a hole, while an “eagle” is a score of two strokes under par on a hole. An "albatross" or "double eagle" is a score of three strokes under par on a hole. A "condor" is an unofficial name for a score of four strokes under par on a hole.
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Frequently asked questions
A "bogey" is a score of one over par on a hole. For example, on a par three, a golfer would score a bogey if they completed the hole in four strokes.
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"). Golfers in Scotland and England equated the quest for the elusive Bogey Man with the quest for the elusive perfect score.
Today, "bogey" is used to refer to a score of one over par. A double bogey is a score of two over par, a triple bogey is three over par, and so on. A bogey golfer is someone who averages one over par per hole.
