Everyone chases birdies in golf.
But almost nobody knows why they’re actually called that.
And strangely… it has basically nothing to do with birds.
The story behind the word “birdie” goes all the way back to the early 1900s — and starts with one golfer, one slang phrase, and one great shot.
Before Birdies Existed
When golf was first played in Scotland during the 1400s, scoring terms like birdie, eagle, and albatross didn’t exist at all.
Golfers simply described the score itself:
- “Four on the hole”
- “One under par”
- “Level par”
That was it.
In fact, the concept of par itself wasn’t even fully standardised until the late 1800s, as golf courses became more organised and competitive.
So for hundreds of years, golfers played without any of the scoring language we use today.
The Shot That Changed Golf Vocabulary Forever
The term “birdie” is believed to have originated in 1903 at Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey.
During a round, a golfer named Ab Smith hit an incredible approach shot that finished right next to the hole.
At the time, Americans commonly used the word “bird” as slang for something excellent or impressive — similar to saying something is “class”, “elite”, or “unreal” today.
So after hitting the shot, Smith reportedly turned to his playing partners and said:
“That was a bird of a shot.”
Smith then holed the putt for one under par.
Following that sequence of events, the group jokingly agreed that one under par should be called a “birdie” based on Smith’s comment.
And somehow… it stuck.
How Birdie Spread Across the Golf World
Golf was exploding in popularity across America during the early 1900s.
As golfers travelled between clubs and tournaments, the term “birdie” quickly spread through the American golf scene before eventually reaching the UK and the rest of the world.
And once birdie became established, golf leaned fully into the bird theme.
- Two under par became an eagle
- Three under par became an albatross
- Four under par became the ultra-rare condor
Basically, the better the score, the bigger the bird.
What’s the Rarest Bird in Golf?
Most golfers will make a birdie at some point.
An eagle is far less common.
An albatross is extraordinarily rare.
But a condor?
That’s almost mythical.
A condor is four under par on a single hole, usually achieved by making a hole-in-one on a par 5. Only a handful have ever been officially recorded in golf history.
So yes… technically, there’s a golf score rarer than a hole-in-one.
Final Thought
So next time you make a birdie, remember Ab Smith.
One brilliant piece of golf banter that changed the game forever.
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