Birdie, bogey, eagle: Basic golf terms you should know

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok is in contention for a historic Olympic medal in golf with the 23-year-old among the podium places in the ongoing round 4 of the women’s individual event at the Tokyo Games on Saturday. American golfer Nelly Korda is currently leading the standings, with Japan’s Inami Mone joint second with Ashok. 

With Ashok on the verge of creating history, a lot of people must be curious about the specific terminology used to describe the state of play, like par, birdie, bogey, etc. 

Here are some golf terms you should know, so you can stay engrossed in the action and celebrate Ashok’s win, if she prevails:

Par

Par is the number of strokes a golfer is expected to complete the play for a given hole in a golf course. Par is represented as par-3, par-4, par-5.

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Birdie

Birdie is the term used when a golfer completes the play for a given hole with one stroke remaining. 

Eagle

When a golfer completes the play for a hole with two strokes remaining. 

Double Eagle or Albatross

When a golfer completes the play for a hole with three strokes remaining. It is a very rare occurance. 

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Ace

When a golfer completes the play for a hole in his/her first shot, irrespective of the par. 

Bogey

When a golfer requires one stroke more than par to complete a hole. 

Double Bogey

When a golfer requires two strokes more than par to complete a hole. 

Handicap

A system used to rate the average number of strokes a player scores above par in a round of golf. 

Fore!

A warning call for a person if the ball is heading towards them. 

Fairway

A long stretch of smooth grassy area that runs between the green and the tee box. 

Green

The smooth grassy area at the end of a fairway prepared for putting and positioning the hole.

Putt

Any kind of shot taken by a putter when they are on the green.