Why is it called bogey in golf-Explained

I am an Avid Golfer now, however When I Started Golfing few Years ago I was wondering What is Bogey in golf . I did a lot of research and look what I found for your Information.

The concept of a number of shots a golfer should take on a hole was devised in 1890 and was dubbed the “ground score.” 

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This became known as the bogey score, purportedly in allusion to the popular song at the time, “Hush! Hush! Hush! Here Comes the Bogey Man.” In 1890 Mr Hugh Rotherham Secretary of the Coventry Golf Club conceived the idea of standardising the number of shots at each hole that a good golfer should take, which he called the ‘ground score.’

 The USGA established a list of distances for determining par on a hole in 1911. Because the pars in Scotland were not updated to these distances, skilled players began shooting under the bogey score. 

Find out where the term “bogey” originated in golf and why it’s used to refer to a certain score by researching its origins.

This ubiquitous term in golf has a long and illustrious history, reaching all the way back to the latter half of the 19th century, and it is still used today.

But why exactly is a bogey a specific score, and how did the phrase come to be linked with golf in the first place? We investigate where the term comes from and the path it took to become ingrained in the lexicon of the sport of golf.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned golfer or just starting out—learning what a bogey is and how it works will help you improve your game and make you more satisfied playing the sport.

Continue reading to learn about the origins of the term “bogey” in the sport of golf and take your knowledge of the game to the next level.

As a result, a bogey became defined as a score one higher than the hole’s par.

“Mistakes are part of the game. It’s how well you recover from them, that’s the mark of a great player.” Alice Cooper

How did the word “bogey” originate in golfing?

The first stroke system, “Bogey,” was invented in England at the end of the nineteenth century. 

The complete history can be found in Robert Browning’s History of Golf, published in 1955.

Mr Hugh Rotherham, Secretary of the Coventry Golf Club, came up with the idea of standardising the number of strokes a good golfer should take at each hole in 1890, which he named the ‘ground score.’

The term “Bogey” was initially used in Great Yarmouth. Dr Browne, Secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, took up the concept and, with the approval of the club’s golfers, this method of competition was approved for use in match play (Source)

During one competition, Mr CA Wellman (perhaps Major Charles Wellman) screamed to Dr Browne that 

“This player of yours is a Bogey man.”

This Was possibly an allusion to a song by the same name from the Edwardian music hall period ” We are about to meet the bogeyman “Popular at the time was. Yarmouth’s ground score became known as the “bogey score” as a result.

In the 16th century, there was a Scottish goblin called a bogle and a Bogey-man was a name for a devil or goblin. 

They felt themselves to be playing Mister Bogey while comparing themselves to the score of bogey.

As a result, the first bogey golf events were introduced, which we now call handicap golf or stableford competitions.

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What is par, bogey, birdie in golf?

In Golf, your score going up after a hole is bad, going down after a hole is good and staying the same after a hole is Par.

Birdie – your total score goes down by one. This is one shot less than the Par for a hole.

Bogey – your total score goes up by one. This is one shot more than the Par for a hole.

Par – Your total score remains the same. This is the same amount of shots taken as the Par designated for the hole.

The whole purpose and challenge of Golf is to take as few shots as possible to complete the course. In tournament play, the golfer who takes the least amount of shots is the winner.

Par is predetermined for every hole and is the defined as the amount of shots a skilled player will need to get the ball from the tee into the hole for that particular hole.

On a Par 4 hole, for example, a player will hit a tee shot onto the fairway (shot 1), they will hit an approach shot to the green (shot 2). When on the green they expect to only require two putts (Shots 3 & 4) to get the ball into the hole. If they do then they’ve Parred the hole. 

Obviously, it’s not as straight forward as that as players can miss the fairway, they can miss the green, they might need three putts to get it in the hole etc.

Par for the course is the cumulative total of the Par’s for 18 holes on a particular course. Augusta National, for example, has a Par of 72. 72 shots is thus what a skilled player will expect to take to complete 18 holes of Golf.

Is a bogey good in golf?

A bogey is a score of one over par on a single hole in golf. A double bogey is a score of two strokes over par for one hole. As a result, a bogey is always preferable to a double bogey.

However, there are times when scoring a double bogey has the same impact as shooting a bogey. In match play, for example, if one player shoots a par, it makes no difference whether his opponent shoots a bogie or a double bogey; he loses the hole either way.

Bogey’s etymology:

Hugh Rotherham, secretary of the Coventry Golf Club, coined the term “bogey” in 1890 in order to set a standard amount of strokes a skilled player should take on each hole. 

The score we now call a par was originally referred to as a bogey in the system that was devised. The term was derived from the words of an English dance hall song titled “The Bogey Man.” 

Other Forms and Applications of ‘Bogey’ in Golf

The term “bogey” appears in a number of other golf phrases. For example, in the USGA Handicap System. 

This term has a definite meaning, and it is accompanied by one more word, “Bogey rating.” Bogey rating is a handicap phrase that refers to an estimation of the degree of difficulty of a golf course for “average golfers.” Isn’t it fascinating?

Another example of what is a bogey in golf is when it is referred to as a “bogey putt.” 

The circumstance is that if the golfer makes it, he or she will receive a bogey on the hole. That is, without a doubt, a putt.

Why is a bogey considered bad in golf?

For an expert golfer, a bogey is considered a poor score. This is because a bogey is a score of one stroke over par (+1), implying that the player needed one stroke more than the average to complete the hole.

Fun facts about Golf Bogeys

Fun Facts:

Don’t get yourself mixed up. The word “bogey” is frequently misspelt as “bogie.”

Bogey simply refers to a golfer’s score of one over par on a single golf hole. It is one of several scoring terms used by golfers.

Yes, there is more for you to discover. We’ll start by learning what a bogey is in golf and why it’s advantageous.

In golf, the term ‘Bogey’ has a history. A fun fact about the term “bogey” is that it refers to the Bogey Man.

The golfers who devised this appear to despise letting the Bogey Man get the best of them!

About the Author: Craig Maerki has much experience in all aspects of the golf industry.

Has Launched three successful retail golf businesses, a not-for-profit servicing junior golfers, field operations director for a leading golf association, college coach, assistant golf professional, instructor and competitive player

Craig Maerki
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