Why Are Golf Scores Named After Birds?

Ever found yourself on the course wondering why a great shot is called a birdie and a terrible one feels like, well, just a number? Golf has a unique language all its own, and its scoring terms are some of the most colorful. This guide will walk you through exactly where these feathered friends of the fairway came from, explaining the history behind the birdie, eagle, albatross, and even their less-celebrated cousin, the bogey.

The Original Bird: So, What Is a Birdie?

First things first, a birdie is a score of one stroke under par on a single hole. If you're playing a par 4, a score of 3 is a birdie. The story behind this term is one of the clearest and most widely accepted legends in golf's history, taking us back to the Atlantic City Country Club in 1903.

The term didn't just appear out of nowhere. Around the turn of the 20th century, American slang was quite different. The word "bird" was commonly used to describe something excellent, cool, or outstanding. Think of it as the era's version of saying something was "awesome" or "fire."

The legend revolves around a foursome playing at the club: brothers Ab (Abner) and William Smith, along with their friend George A. Crump, who would later design the famous Pine Valley Golf Club. On the par-4 second hole, Ab Smith hit his second shot incredibly close to the pin.

Excited by his fantastic shot, he supposedly exclaimed, "That was a bird of a shot!" He then suggested that if he won the hole with a score one better than his opponents, he should get double the money they were betting. His partners agreed. Smith calmly sank his putt for a 3, won the hole, and his partners paid up.

From that day forward, the group of friends started calling a score of one-under-par a "birdie." It was a local term at first, but Crump and the Smith brothers told the story to other golfers, and its usage began to spread. The term was catchy, simple, and perfectly aligned with the playful slang of the time. Soon enough, golfers all over the East Coast were celebrating their own "birdies," and a core piece of golf's vocabulary was born.

Flying Higher: The Rise of the Eagle

Once "birdie" was firmly established, it was only natural for golfers to look for a name for an even better score. An eagle represents a score of two strokes under par on a single hole - for example, making a 2 on a par 4, or holeing out your second shot on a par 5.

Unlike the specific, documented story of the birdie, the origin of the "eagle" is less of a single event and more of a logical evolution. Golfers simply continued the avian theme. What’s bigger, more majestic, and rarer than a regular bird? An eagle.

The eagle, a symbol of power and representing the national bird of the United States, was the perfect candidate. It made sense within the established "bird" hierarchy:

• A good shot ("birdie") was a small bird.
• A fantastic shot ("eagle") was a large, powerful bird.

This extension of the metaphor took hold quickly. It felt natural and fit a pattern that golfers already understood. While there isn't a clubhouse plaque commemorating the first a̶̶n̶n̶o̶u̶n̶c̶e̶d̶ eagle, its widespread adoption by the 1920s shows that the golf community collectively agreed that this was the right name for such a remarkable achievement.

The Rarest of Them All: Albatross and Double Eagle

Now we get into truly spectacular territory. A score of three strokes under par is one of the rarest feats in golf. This typically happens in one of two ways a hole-in-one on a par 4 or, more commonly, making a 2 on a par 5. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than you do of making one.

Interestingly, this score has two names, depending on where you are in the world.

The Albatross

Following the bird theme, the golf world needed a name for a score that was even more rare and impressive than an eagle. Enter the albatross. The albatross is a magnificent seabird known for its massive wingspan and its ability to fly for extraordinary distances with little effort - a fitting tribute to a golf shot that covers the length of a par 5 in just two strokes.

The term reportedly first appeared in print in 1929 and is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, Europe, and many other parts of the world. Just like the eagle before it, the albatross simply continues the progression: big bird, bigger bird, biggest and rarest bird.

The Double Eagle

In the United States, you are much more likely to hear this incredible score called a "double eagle." While this might seem mathematically confusing at first (an eagle is -2, so a double eagle should be -4, right?), the logic is a bit different. It’s not meant in a multiplicative sense. Instead, it’s viewed as being twice as good or twice as rare as an eagle. Some have suggested the thought process was that getting two under par is an eagle, so "double" that accomplishment makes sense for three under par.

Perhaps the most famous double eagle in golf history cemented the term in the American lexicon. At the 1935 Masters, Gene Sarazen stepped up to the 15th hole at Augusta National a par 5. He was trailing the leader by three shots. He pulled a 4-wood from 235 yards away and struck it perfectly. The ball flew onto the green, bounced, and rolled right into the hole for a 2. Newspapers called it "the shot heard 'round the world," and it propelled him into a tie for the lead, which he went on to win in a playoff the next day. This single, iconic moment made "double eagle" a household phrase for American golfers.

An (Even) Rarer Bird: The Condor

Believe it or not, there's a term for four-under-par: a condor. This is a score of 1 on a par 5. It's the ultimate golfing rarest-of-the-rare achievement, and is often considered the "holy grail" of golf shots, though mostly theoretical. It requires an exceptionally long par 5, likely one with a significant dogleg over which a player can cut the corner, combined with a fortuitious bounce and a whole lot of luck.

There are only a handful of verified condors in history, none of which happened during a professional tournament. Still, it’s fun to know that if you ever find yourself in that once-in-a-multitude-of-lifetimes situation, there’s a magnificent bird-themed name waiting for you.

But What About Bogey? The One That Doesn't Fit

So if good scores are birds, where does "bogey" come from? A bogey, a score of one-over-par, breaks the avian theme entirely. Its story starts not in America with slang, but in Great Britain during the late 19th century with a song.

Back in the 1890s, a popular British music hall tune was "Here Comes the Bogey Man." The "Bogey Man" was a phantom figure who would "catch you if he can." Meanwhile, golfers at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England were trying to create a standardized scoring system. They started playing against an imaginary, perfect opponent - a "ground score" that represented the score a very good player should make on each hole. This was, in essence, the very first version of what we now call "par."

Combining these two ideas, a club member named Dr. Thomas Browne suggested they call this perfect ground score the "Bogey Man." The golfers were playing against "Colonel Bogey," trying to match his score on every hole. If you matched it, you made a bogey.

So, at its birth, a bogey was a good thing! It meant you were playing to the ideal standard. However, as rubber-core golf balls were introduced and players' skills improved dramatically, the game evolved. In the United States, golfers started consistently beating "Colonel Bogey's" score. A new term was needed for a truly excellent standard: par. Par became the target score for an expert player.

Since par had now taken the spot once held by bogey, the meaning of "bogey" shifted. No longer the standard to aim for, it became the term for a score of one *over* par. And that's how it has remained ever since.

Final Thoughts

From early 20th-century slang to the mythical British "Bogey Man," golf's scoring names are a big part of what makes the game’s culture so unique. Knowing why a birdie is a birdie or why an albatross is a truly special feat makes celebrating them on the course way more fun.

I know that understanding golf's history is one thing, but actually putting an impressive number on your own scorecard is something else entirely. As cool as the story of the "birdie" is, making more of them is the real goal. To help with this, I'm building Caddie AI to act as your personal course expert, giving you smart, simple strategies for every shot. You can ask for club recommendations, get help reading a tricky situation by taking a quick photo, or receive a clear plan for a tough hole, all of which helps you build confidence and play smarter. It's built to take the guesswork out of your game so you can focus on hitting great shots and hopefully, rack up a few birds of your own.