What is a birdie, eagle and albatross? Golf terms explained

BBC News

14-05-2025

In golf, the term 'par' is pivotal to how we understand the sport.It refers to how a player's score is measured on each hole and across their round.There are three different levels of par for golf holes - the shortest holes are usually par threes, mid-length holes are typically par fours, and the longest holes are par fives.A highly skilled golfer, who plays off a scratch (0.0) handicap, should be capable of achieving an average of par on a golf course, meaning they should usually be able to complete a par three in three shots, a par four in four shots, and so on.But the golfer's dream is never par - the aim is to beat par.A birdie is achieved when a player completes a hole in one shot under par.For instance, taking just three shots to finish a par four would mean the golfer scores a birdie.An eagle is when a player completes a hole in two shots below (or under) par - making a three on a par five, for example.An albatross, where a player completes a hole in three shots under par, is not often achieved. This can only take place on par four or par five holes.There is also a term for the extremely unusual instance in which a player scores four shots under par on a single hole. This is a condor. Given that would involve a hole in one (also known as an ace) on a par five, very few cases of this have ever been recorded because reaching the putting surface in one shot is not usually achievable.When a player completes a hole in one over par, such as when taking four shots to complete a par three, it is known as a bogey.Two over par is known as a double bogey and three over is called a triple bogey. Quadruple and quintuple bogeys (and so on, numerically) exist too, and can be fairly common at amateur level.Any professional golfer posting such a score would have done something awfully wrong.
The origins of golf's scoring terms
The term par, a Latin word meaning equal, has regularly been used as a golf scoring term since 1911, according to the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA).In 1870, golf writer AH Doleman asked golf professionals David Strath and James Anderson what score should win The Open. That score was labelled as a ground score or perfect score, and eventually would be known as par.The term bogey was applied in golf more than 20 years before the use of par became popular - but it initially had a different meaning.It has been widely stated that a Charles Wellman first used "bogey man" as a golfing term in 1890 at Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England when describing efforts to match the course's ground score - the term we now refer to as par.Players setting out to achieve a golfing ground score would be said to be trying to catch the bogey man.There was also a popular 1890s song called The Bogey Man.By 1911, when par was introduced, a score of one over par was then referred to as a bogey.Birdie originates from an American slang term for bird, meaning anything excellent.The United States Golf Association dates its first use as 1899, and by 1913 the term had also started being used in England.Eagle - with the bird being an American national symbol - was first introduced as a golf concept in the United States shortly after the birdie, recognising scores of two under par for a single hole.The term albatross was actually introduced in Britain. Scoring an albatross is a rare event, as is the sighting of the bird it is named after.
How does scoring work in golf?
A player's score for a round of golf is always referred to in terms of the par score for that course.The overall course par is often 72, averaging out at four shots per hole, but this can fluctuate. For professional golf events, the par is almost always 70, 71 or 72.Golfers are competing for the best score to par. Going under par means they are completing holes in fewer shots than expected.A player with a score of five under par would be three shots better off than a player two under par.If a player's round is being referred to as over par, it means they are performing worse than the course par suggests they should be.A player who is described as being at level par, or even par, is someone whose score is equal to the par score for their round.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. The question was sent to us by Fred in London. Thanks, Paul!
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