A score of one over the designated par for a hole is called a bogey. For example, taking four strokes on a par-three hole produces a bogey.
Golf scoring terms describe the relationship between a player’s strokes and the hole’s par. A birdie is one under par, an eagle is two under, and a double bogey is two over. The word “bogey” therefore represents a specific one-stroke difference, not simply any disappointing score.
The term has an unusual history. In late-19th-century England, golfers referred to the ideal score for a hole as the “ground score” or “bogey score,” associated with the playful bogey man of popular culture. As golf standards became more formalised, “par” became the standard benchmark, while bogey shifted to its modern meaning of one over par.
A bogey is common even among skilled players, especially on long or difficult holes. On a par-five, for instance, six strokes is a bogey; on a par-four, five strokes is one.