Why is birdie bogie and eagle called that on golf?

Answer 1

Great question.
I found these 2 sources for your answers.

Enjoy!

How Did "Bogey" Enter the Golf Lexicon?

You better watch out or the Bogey Man's gonna get you! The Bogey Man must have been a golfer, because he lent his name to a golf score of 1-over par.

According to the USGA Museum, the "Bogey Man" was a character in a British song of the late 19th Century. He lived in the shadows and said in song, "I'm the Bogey Man, catch me if you can."

The USGA writes that British golfers of the era began chasing the Bogey Man on the golf course, meaning chasing after the perfect score (catch me if you can).

An aside: Sure is strange how some words develop, isn't it? Now back to the program ...

Over time, the term "bogey score" came into usage - but it denoted a great score, not a poor one. In other words, it was interchangeable, at that time, with the word "par."

In the early part of the 20th Century, however, par began to be applied to the ideal score of professional golfers, while bogey gradually became applied to recreational golfers. As "par" became the accepted term for a good score on a hole, "bogey" was applied to the higher score recreational golfers might expect to achieve.

Sources: USGA, R&A

Which came first, the birdie or the eagle? The birdie, and the eagle followed and continued the feathered theme.

In American slang of the 19th Century, the term "bird" was applied to anything particularly great. "Bird" was the "cool" of the 1800s in the U.S.

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, and it's believed it debuted in the U.S. in 1899.

An "eagle" simply followed "birdie," being added to the lexicon in keeping with the avian image of birdie. And "albatross" later came along for the same reason.

Source: USGA Museum

Answer 2

Thanks for the question! I quit golf abruptly 10 years ago - sailing accident, but I still love the game. You've given me new life! 1. Gross score - count EVERY shot; net score - your gross score minus your handicap established by a mathematical formula that never seems fair. 2. Bogie - one shot over par; Birdie - one shot under par on any given hole. 3. Par - the desired number of shots to get the ball in the hole based on yardage and sometimes exceptional difficulty. Par is figured differently for men and women. Women get a few more shots. An Eagle occurs when you get the ball in the hole in two shots less than Par...i.e. it takes you 2 strokes to sink the ball on a Par 4 hole. Thrilling. 4. Fade - if you're a lefty, you fade the ball to the left. A righty, the ball fades to the right, meaning it bends in that direction and usually ends up in the trees or river. Same is true in bowling...gutter ball. A draw is the opposite. A fade will roll further in the wrong direction than a draw - for some reason. 5. Pitch vs. Chip shot: When you "pitch" a ball to the green you are fairly close and make a sweep of your clubhead through the ball, getting it slightly in the air and dropping it near enough to the pin so that it will "run" up to the cup. A chip shot is more dramatic. You take the clubhead back and come down hard behind the ball, imparting backspin on it and lofting it higher than a pitch. It will land on the green with backspin, still going toward the cup (hopefully). This shot takes a lot more guts than a pitch. Usually you hear the phrase "pitch and run" - takes practice. 6. Push vs. Pull is much like Fade and Draw. You push a ball to the right (if you're right handed) and pull a ball to the left. Straight is the best policy. 7. The loft of the club is the angle of the clubhead to the shaft. The more upright the clubhead, the lower the number and the further the ball will go...and the harder to hit it straight. The "driver" can be anywhere from a #1 to #3 club. The pitching wedge is usually equal to a 10 or 11. I had a sand wedge called a "Sure Out" - Too bad they didn't have a "Sure In." If you want to please your teacher, this should help. If you want to please yourself, keep your head down and stay behind the ball. Good luck...it's a great sport. I miss it.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why is birdie bogie and eagle called that on golf?

Answer 4

Which came first, the birdie or the eagle? The birdie, and the eagle followed and continued the feathered theme.
In American slang of the 19th Century, the term "bird" was applied to anything particularly great. "Bird" was the "cool" of the 1800s in the U.S.

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, and it's believed it debuted in the U.S. in 1899.

An "eagle" simply followed "birdie," being added to the lexicon in keeping with the avian image of birdie. And "albatross" later came along for the same reason.

Source: USGA Museum
sorry couldnt find anything for bogey or bogie

Answer 5

Bogey, cas its rubbish! then it goes on how rare the birds are 4 sum reason! why do ya need to know,cas you can't anything else but them?? !! haha!

Answer 6

"Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden".