Bogey Golf
"Bogey golf" describes shooting roughly one over par on every hole — around 90 for an 18-hole, par-72 course — a common and respectable benchmark for a solidly developing recreational golfer.
A bogey is a score of one stroke over par on a given hole. "Bogey golf" describes a round, or a general skill level, where a golfer averages roughly a bogey per hole across the round — meaning a total score around 90 on a typical par-72 course. This is a widely used shorthand benchmark in golf conversation for a solidly competent, if not highly skilled, recreational player.
Bogey golf represents genuine consistency: a golfer shooting bogey golf isn't making many disaster holes, but also isn't regularly matching or beating par. It sits comfortably between the beginner range (scores well over 100) and the more advanced single-digit handicap range, making it a realistic and satisfying intermediate milestone for a large share of golfers who play regularly but not competitively.
The term is sometimes used loosely (a golfer might say "I play bogey golf" as shorthand for "I generally shoot around 90"), and it is a useful mental anchor precisely because it does not require occasional pars or birdies to offset occasional blow-up holes — steady, consistent bogeys are enough to reach it.
Example
A golfer who scores a 5 on nearly every par-4, a 4 on par-3s, and a 6 on par-5s is playing bogey golf — roughly one over par per hole, totaling around 90 for the round.
Frequently asked questions
Is bogey golf a good level to play at?
Yes — shooting around 90 consistently, which is what "bogey golf" describes, is a solid, respectable level that plenty of golfers who play regularly for years are happy to reach and maintain.
Related terms
- Understanding ParPar is the number of strokes an accomplished golfer is expected to need to complete a hole, including two putts — most holes are par 3, 4, or 5, based primarily on the hole's length.
- Breaking 100Breaking 100 means finishing an 18-hole round in fewer than 100 total strokes — usually the first major scoring milestone a new golfer aims for, and it depends far more on avoiding disaster holes than on hitting great shots.
- Double Bogey and Blow-Up HolesA double bogey is two strokes over par on a hole; a "blow-up hole" is the more casual term for any hole that goes much worse than that, and learning to limit blow-up holes is usually the single biggest lever a beginner has for lowering their score.
Related guides & benchmarks
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