Key takeaways
- Golf scoring terms name your score on one hole relative to par, the score a scratch player is expected to make there.
- Under par runs birdie (one under), eagle (two under), albatross or double eagle (three under) and condor (four under).
- Over par runs bogey (one over), double bogey (two over) and triple bogey (three over), and the names stop there.
- A hole in one is an ace on any hole, so it can also be an eagle, an albatross or a condor depending on the par.
- Bogey is the oldest word of the set. It began in 1890s England as the target score itself, not one over it.
Golf scoring terms sound like a birdwatcher's notebook stapled to a ledger, and that is roughly how they came about. Par came from the stock exchange, bogey came from a music hall song, and birdie came from American slang for anything excellent. Each word now means one exact thing: how many strokes you took on a hole compared with what was expected.
Below is every term from condor to triple bogey, with the arithmetic and the history. Definitions come from the rule books published by The R&A, which writes the Rules with the USGA, and the history comes from the research archive at Scottish Golf History.
What are golf scoring terms?
Golf scoring terms are names for your score on a single hole, measured as strokes above or below that hole's par. They describe holes, not rounds, which is why a scorecard can hold a birdie and a double bogey side by side.
Every term starts from a count of strokes. The Rules of Golf define a stroke as the forward movement of the club made to strike the ball, and your score for a hole includes both the strokes you made and any penalty strokes. A swing that misses the ball completely still counts if you meant to hit it. A practice swing that clips the ball by accident does not.
Compare the count with par and the name follows. One under is a birdie whether the hole is 150 yards or 550.
What is par in golf?
Par is the score a scratch player would generally be expected to make on a hole, allowing two strokes on the putting green.
That wording comes from the Rules of Handicapping, which add "under normal course and weather conditions" and define a scratch player as someone with a Handicap Index of 0.0. Par is set mostly by length. A par 3 is short enough to reach from the tee, a par 4 needs two shots to reach the green, and a par 5 needs three, with two putts added to each.
Distance bands have changed over time. In 1911 the USGA set par 3 at up to 225 yards and par 4 at 225 to 425 yards. Par 5 ran from 426 to 600 yards, with anything longer a par 6. Add the pars of all 18 holes and you have par for the course. Our guide to why a round of golf has 18 holes explains how that hole count was settled.
What do birdie, eagle and albatross mean?
A birdie is one under par, an eagle is two under, and an albatross, called a double eagle in the United States, is three under.
On a par 4, that means a 3 is a birdie, a 2 is an eagle and a hole in one is an albatross. On a par 5 each score moves up by one stroke. Britannica's golf glossary gives the same three definitions, listing the three-under score under its American name, double eagle.
| Term | Strokes relative to par | Score on a par 4 | Score on a par 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condor | 4 under (-4) | Not possible | 1 (a hole in one) |
| Albatross or double eagle | 3 under (-3) | 1 (a hole in one) | 2 |
| Eagle | 2 under (-2) | 2 | 3 |
| Birdie | 1 under (-1) | 3 | 4 |
| Par | Even (E) | 4 | 5 |
| Bogey | 1 over (+1) | 5 | 6 |
| Double bogey | 2 over (+2) | 6 | 7 |
| Triple bogey | 3 over (+3) | 7 | 8 |
The bird theme is deliberate: eagle and albatross were coined as bigger birds for better scores.
What is a condor, and where does a hole in one fit?
A condor is four under par on one hole: a hole in one on a par 5, or a 2 on a par 6.
It is the rarest named score in the game. Scottish Golf History counts only a handful recorded worldwide over about 60 years, and until 2020 every one of them was a hole in one on a par 5.
A hole in one, also called an ace, is the one term that ignores par. It simply means the ball went in with your first stroke. On a par 3 an ace is also an eagle, on a par 4 it is an albatross, and on a par 5 it is a condor.
What is a bogey, and what comes after it?
A bogey is one stroke over par, a double bogey is two over, and a triple bogey is three over.
After that the vocabulary runs out. Scottish Golf History notes that no standard terms have emerged for higher scores, so a 9 on a par 4 is simply a quintuple bogey or, more honestly, a disaster. Golfers shorten these to "double" and "triple" on the course.
Bogey matters more than its modest meaning suggests, because it sits inside the handicap system. Under the Rules of Handicapping, a net double bogey is par plus two strokes, adjusted for any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. It is also the most you can post on a hole for handicap purposes. Our explainer on how a golf handicap is calculated walks through that cap and the rest of the formula.
Where did birdie, eagle and bogey come from?
Par and bogey are British words from 1870 to the 1890s, while birdie and eagle were coined in the United States around 1900.
Par came first. In 1870 the golf writer A. H. Doleman asked two professionals, David Strath and James Anderson, what score would win the Open at Prestwick. They answered 49 for the twelve holes, Doleman called it par, and Young Tom Morris won at two over par across three rounds. The word itself was borrowed from the stock exchange, where a share trades above or below par.
Bogey followed in 1890, when Hugh Rotherham of Coventry Golf Club proposed a standard "ground score" for each hole. At Great Yarmouth a golfer reportedly described a strong player as a regular "Bogey man," after a popular music hall song, and the name stuck. Bogey meant the target score itself, and only later did American golfers start using it for one over par.
Birdie is the commonly told Atlantic City story. As Ab Smith recounted it decades later, he hit his second shot to within inches on a par 4 around 1898 or 1899 and called it a bird of a shot, slang for an excellent one. His group then named a one-under score a birdie, though the club itself dates the round to 1903. Smith's group also used eagle for two under and double eagle for three under. Albatross is a later British coinage, with the first known reference in 1929.
What do under par, over par and even mean on a scoreboard?
They are running totals: under par means fewer strokes than par so far, over par means more, and even means exactly level with par.
A scoreboard reading -3 after nine holes might hide three birdies, an eagle and two bogeys. Even is often written as E.
Two related words describe golfers rather than scores. A scratch golfer, as defined in the Rules of Handicapping, has a Handicap Index of 0.0 and is the player par is built around. A bogey player, in the same rules, has a Handicap Index of approximately 20.0 for men and 24.0 for women.
How do you work out the right golf scoring term on any hole?
Count every stroke including penalties, subtract the hole's par, then match the difference to its name.
- Count each stroke you made, including any swing that missed the ball when you meant to hit it.
- Add penalty strokes, such as the one-stroke penalty for taking relief from a penalty area.
- Check the par for that hole on the scorecard, since it can differ between sets of tees.
- Subtract par from your total: minus one is a birdie, zero is par, plus one is a bogey.
- If you are posting the round for a handicap, cap any hole at net double bogey before you enter it.
The format of the game changes what the names are worth. The Rules of Golf define stroke play as the total strokes across the round, while in match play you win a hole by taking fewer strokes than your opponent. In Stableford, points are awarded by comparing your strokes with a fixed target score on each hole, so a birdie earns more than a par.
Which golf imagery works on a wall?
Golf art works best when it carries one clear idea, a scorecard, a ball, a single gesture, rather than a crowded course scene.
Scoring vocabulary makes good wall material, because golfers recognize it instantly. A scorecard-style canvas suits a home office, while a surreal or witty piece fits a den. Hang it at eye level where you actually spend time.
The full range sits in the golf wall art collection. Every piece is one gallery-wrapped canvas on organic cotton over a solid pine frame, ready to hang and made to order in Europe, with a floating frame as an optional upgrade.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a hole in one on a par 3 an eagle?
Yes. A hole in one on a par 3 is two strokes under par, which is the definition of an eagle. Golfers almost always call it an ace instead, but on the scorecard it counts the same way. On a par 4 an ace is an albatross, and on a par 5 it is a condor.
Is an albatross the same as a double eagle?
Yes. Both mean three strokes under par on a single hole, such as a 2 on a par 5. Albatross is a British coinage, while double eagle is the American name, which Ab Smith's group was already using around 1900.
What is a double bogey in golf?
A double bogey is two strokes over par on a hole, such as a 6 on a par 4. It also matters for handicaps: the most you can post on any hole is a net double bogey, meaning par plus two strokes plus any handicap strokes you receive there.
Why is it called a birdie?
The commonly told story places it at Atlantic City around 1898 to 1903. Ab Smith called a near-perfect approach a bird of a shot, using American slang for anything excellent. His group then named a one-under score a birdie, and eagle followed as the bigger bird for two under.
