Blog · Basics
What Is a Birdie in Golf?
A birdie is a score of one stroke under par on a single hole. If a hole is a par 4 and you finish it in 3 strokes, you've made a birdie.
That's the short answer. Here's what it looks like in practice, where the odd name comes from, and how hard one is to make.
Birdie on each type of hole
Every hole has a par, the number of strokes a good golfer is expected to need. A birdie is one fewer.
| Hole | Par | A birdie is |
|---|---|---|
| Par 3 | 3 strokes | 2 strokes |
| Par 4 | 4 strokes | 3 strokes |
| Par 5 | 5 strokes | 4 strokes |
On a scorecard, a birdie is usually marked by drawing a circle around the number. On a leaderboard it counts as −1 against par.
How a birdie usually happens
Par assumes two putts on every green. So the most common birdie is reaching the green in one fewer shot than par expects, then holing the putt:
- Par 3: hit the green from the tee, then hole the first putt.
- Par 4: drive, hit the green with the second shot, one putt.
- Par 5: reach the green in two (or get close in three) and hole out.
The other way is to chip in or hole a long putt after a missed green. Plenty of birdies come from a lucky bounce.
Where does the word "birdie" come from?
The most-told story dates to 1899 at the Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey. A player named Ab Smith hit his second shot on a par 4 to inches from the hole and called it "a bird of a shot". In American slang at the time, "bird" meant something excellent. The group agreed that a hole played one under par should be called a "birdie", and the name spread.
It also started golf's bird theme: two under par is an eagle, and three under is an albatross.
The full family of golf scores
| Score | Name |
|---|---|
| −3 | Albatross (double eagle) |
| −2 | Eagle |
| −1 | Birdie |
| 0 | Par |
| +1 | Bogey |
| +2 | Double bogey |
| +3 | Triple bogey |
How common are birdies?
It depends on how good you are:
- Tour professionals make around three to four birdies in a typical 18-hole round.
- Low-handicap amateurs might make one or two in a good round.
- Average club golfers might make a handful in a whole season, and a beginner's first birdie is a big moment.
For most golfers, a birdie is the best score they'll make all day.
Birdie vs birdie putt
You'll hear commentators say someone has a "birdie putt". It just means a putt that would give them a birdie if it drops. A par-4 green hit in two leaves a birdie putt. Hole it and it's a birdie; two-putt and it's a par.
Try for a birdie now
Making one in real golf can take years. In Mashy, you can chase one in two minutes. Every hole shows its par, and a birdie lights up yellow on your scorecard and in the grid you share. The short par 3s at Mashy Park are a good place to start: find the green from the tee, read the slope, and drag back for the putt.
Next up: what is an eagle in golf? For the full basics, see golf scoring explained.