The Story Behind the Word “Birdie”

In golf, a score of one under par is called a birdie. It is such a familiar word today that most golfers probably never stop to ask where it came from.

The story takes us back to the United States in the early 20th century.

At the time, “bird” was American slang for something excellent or impressive. According to the commonly told origin of the term, during a game at Atlantic City Country Club, a player made an unusually good score after saying he had made a “bird of a shot.” The group agreed that one under par should be called a birdie.

The name stayed.

As golf grew, the language expanded. A score of two under par became an eagle, and three under par became an albatross.

What began as a casual expression eventually became part of golf's international language.

Today, golfers from different countries may speak different languages, but birdie needs no translation on a golf course.

It is a small reminder that some of golf's most familiar traditions did not begin with a formal decision. Sometimes, they simply began with someone saying something memorable at the right moment.