What Is a Bogey in Golf?
A bogey is a score of one stroke over par on a single hole. If a hole is a par 4 and you take 5 strokes, you've made a bogey.
Take two over and it's a double bogey; three over is a triple bogey. These are the scores most amateur golfers make most often, so they're worth understanding.
Bogey scores at a glance
| Name | Strokes over par | On a par 3 | On a par 4 | On a par 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogey | +1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Double bogey | +2 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Triple bogey | +3 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Quadruple bogey | +4 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Beyond triple, golfers rarely bother with names and just say the number: "I made an 8."
The bogey
A bogey usually comes from one small mistake: a missed green, a poor chip, or three putts instead of two. It's not a disaster. Even the best professionals make several bogeys in a round.
For a beginner, a bogey is a good result. A golfer who makes bogey on every hole of a par 72 course shoots 90, which many club golfers would be happy with. That's why you'll hear the phrase bogey golfer: someone who averages about one over par per hole.
The double bogey
A double bogey, often shortened to "double", is two over par. It usually means two things went wrong: a tee shot into trouble followed by a missed green, or a bunker shot that stayed in the sand.
Doubles hurt more than bogeys because they're hard to win back. You'd need two birdies to cancel one out. Many coaches say the quickest way to lower your score isn't more birdies but fewer doubles.
The triple bogey
A triple bogey is three over par: a 6 on a par 3, a 7 on a par 4. Triples tend to involve a penalty stroke, a lost ball, a ball in a penalty area, or a couple of shots that went nowhere.
When you make one, the best thing is to forget it quickly. One bad hole is a small part of a round.
How to avoid the big numbers
- Take your medicine. If you're in the trees, chip back to the fairway rather than trying a miracle shot.
- Aim for the middle of the green, not a pin tucked behind a bunker.
- Get your first putt close. Most three-putts start with a long first putt left well short or knocked well past.
- Play to your strengths. If a par 4 is too long to reach in two, plan to reach it in three and two-putt for bogey.
Bogeys and handicaps
Under the World Handicap System, there's a limit on how bad a single hole can count when your score is used for your handicap. It's called net double bogey: double bogey plus any handicap strokes you get on that hole. So one awful hole doesn't wreck your handicap. In Stableford, a bogey scores 1 point and a double bogey or worse scores 0.
Why is it called a bogey?
The word comes from Britain in the 1890s. Golfers imagined an opponent, the "Bogey Man", who played every hole in a steady, good score, and they tried to beat him. In those days "bogey" was close to what we now call par. As players and equipment improved and "par" became the standard target, bogey came to mean one over it.
Bogeys in Mashy
In Mashy, the scorecard shows each hole against par, so bogeys and doubles stand out straight away. They usually come from the same places as in real golf: a ball in the water, a tee shot into the woods, or a long putt left short. Practice mode lets you replay any hole on a course as often as you like until it stops costing you a shot.
For the other side of the scorecard, read what is a birdie in golf?
Frequently asked questions
Is a bogey good or bad in golf?
It depends on your level. For a professional, a bogey is a dropped shot. For most amateurs, a bogey is a solid score, and making bogey on every hole would mean a round of around 90 on a par 72 course, which many club golfers aim for.
What is a bogey golfer?
A bogey golfer is a player who averages about one over par on each hole, shooting around 90 on a par 72 course. Handicap systems use the bogey golfer as a reference point when rating how difficult a course is for an average player.
What is worse than a triple bogey?
After triple bogey comes quadruple bogey, four over par, then quintuple bogey at five over. In practice golfers rarely use those names and simply say the number of strokes they took, such as an 8 or a 9 on a par 4.
What is a double bogey on a par 3?
A double bogey on a par 3 is a score of 5, two strokes over the par of 3. It often happens when the tee shot misses the green, the chip doesn't finish close, and it then takes two putts.
What is the opposite of a bogey?
The opposite of a bogey is a birdie, which is one stroke under par. A bogey on a par 4 is 5, while a birdie on the same hole is 3. A birdie and a bogey together leave you level par over those two holes.