Bogey
A bogey is one stroke over par on a hole.
The bogey belongs to the most frequent results in amateur golf. It lies exactly one stroke over the par specification of the hole. On a par 4 that means five strokes, on a par 3 four strokes. The term stems from England and was originally a target value for good players. Only later par prevailed as standard, and bogey slipped one stroke upwards. Whoever plays consistently bogeys comes on a par-72 round to 90 strokes. Therefore the common expression “bogey golfer” for players with a handicap around 18.
In practice a bogey arises mostly from a single mistake that is repaired cleanly. Example: on a par 4 your tee shot lands in the semi-rough. The second stroke remains lying in front of the green. You chip onto two metres and hole with two putts. Five strokes, one bogey. Exactly therein lies the quality of this result: a pulled ball costs you only one stroke, not a whole score. Many golfers instead lose strokes because they look for the hero stroke after a mistake.
A widespread misconception: bogeys were automatically bad. According to the Stableford system a bogey brings a player with a handicap stroke on this hole still two points. For most handicap classes that is a solid result. Calculate before the round where you are entitled to handicap strokes. That takes pressure from the heavy holes.
How the results hang together you see in the comparison with birdie and double bogey.
FAQ
Is a bogey automatically a bad result?
No, for most amateurs a bogey is a perfectly solid result. In Stableford a bogey with a handicap stroke on the hole still brings you two points. Whoever plays bogey on all 18 holes lands at 90 strokes on a par-72 course — many recreational golfers dream of that.
What does the expression bogey golfer mean?
Players are meant who play on average one stroke over par per hole, so about with a handicap around 18. The term has nothing derogatory — it simply describes a very widespread playing strength. Whoever plays bogey consistently already belongs to the better recreational golfers.
How do I prevent a bogey from becoming a double bogey?
The answer lies almost never in the perfect stroke but in the decision afterwards. After a pulled ball take the safe option back into play instead of looking for the hero stroke through the tree gap. Whoever limits damage consistently to one stroke makes out of almost every mistake only a bogey instead of a double bogey.