In the sport of golf, a bogey is the same as a score of one over par. The term has been used for over a century, though originally, it was used for a round of golf shot at par rather than one over. In both professional and recreational golf, par is the standard number of shots, or swings, that it should take to complete a given hole or course. If a par 4 hole is completed in 5 swings, the player has scored a bogey. Similarly, on a course with a par 52, a score of 53 would be considered a bogey.
A bogey is not an uncommon score in professional golf. Recreational golfers consequentially are pleased with such a score. The term also goes beyond one swing over par to two and three. A score of two strokes over par is called a double bogey and three strokes over is referred to as a triple bogey. Though the term could increase to quadruple, quintuple, and so forth, general golfing terms halt the use of the word at triple and simply refer to any higher score by the number of shots taken.
In professional golf, most players complete a normal hole at or below par. However, it is not uncommon for a player to bogey if he or she miscalculates a swing, lands in a hazard, or misses a long put. In competitions where several rounds are played out, the score may be considered good, if not great.
Many people confuse the term bogey with birdie, which is the golfing term used to indicate one stroke under par rather than over. A birdie does not double when a player is two under par. The golfing term indicating two under par is eagle and the term for three under par, which is generally a term reserved for an overall score rather than the score for an individual hole, is albatross or double eagle.
