In golf, bogey is a scoring term meaning the golfer had a score of one over par.
What exactly does that mean?
Well, to put it simply, if you were playing a hole of golf on a par 3, and you scored a 4, it would be a bogey.
All examples of bogeys include:
- 4 strokes on a Par 3
- 5 strokes on a Par 4
- 6 strokes on a Par 5
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Are there any other types of bogeys?
There are a couple of other bogeys you can get when it comes to scoring in golf.
For starters, there is the double-bogey, which is when you score a two over par.
Another is the triple-bogey, which is three strokes over par.
And lastly, there is the quadruple-bogey, which is four strokes over par.
So if you are playing a Par Four and score an eight or worse, you would be awarded a quadruple-bogey.
Not the most creative names in the world, but they get the job done.
Is scoring a bogey good or bad?
Scoring a bogey is common among the average golfer, and it is not the worst thing that can happen.
For scratch or low handicap golfers, and especially pro golfers, they are used to scoring under par, so a bogey is actually considered bad for them.
Golfers who are not as experienced or confident in their game will usually score many more bogeys than birdies (which is one under par).
However, if you are looking to lower your scores and try for a better score than par on every hole, then bogeys will cost you dearly in the long run.
How often do beginner golfers score bogey?
This is a tough question to answer because you have so many different levels of beginner golfers.
However, if we’re talking about someone who has never even played the game before but wants to give it a try, then they would probably end up scoring more bogeys than anything else simply because they are unfamiliar with the game.
As you get better, bogeys become less common and perhaps even rare depending on how serious of a golfer you want to be.
If your ultimate goal is to shoot under par every time, then eventually you will have to put in the work it takes so that they happen only a few times per round.
How often do average golfers score bogey?
If someone is not as gifted or experienced in the game, they will score bogeys more often than professionals do, whether they’re having an on or off day.
That’s why the average golfer scores between 6-10 bogeys per round, while the average professional is much lower.
But it’s not like golf pros are scoring birdies every single time either.
Scoring under par is extremely difficult in this game because you need to be almost perfect on most shots if you want your score to show that.
How often do pro golfers score bogey?
Pro golfers score bogeys, on average, 2-4 times per round depending on the conditions, their skillset, and how much they are playing.
But, you have to remember that these are some very talented individuals who were born with an incredible amount of natural talent for playing golf.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, this article helped you better understand what a bogey is in golf.
While a bogey isn’t bad for the average golfer, if you really want to start scoring, you will want to try and avoid them as much as possible.
