For most fathers, Father’s Day is a special weekend. My family celebrated on Saturday and it was a wonderful day. The celebration continued into Sunday like it does every year for me because that is when the US Open Golf Championship is decided.
Much of the time when I play these days, it is in a charity tournament. Ninety-percent of the time the format of the tournament is a “scramble”. This means after everyone hits, your group takes the best shot and everyone plays from there. That process continues until the ball is in the hole. Because we are always playing the best shot, it is not unusual, unlike when one plays their own ball, to get pars and birdies. This allows one’s team to get scores much like the pros.
So Sunday, I am camped in my recliner watching the golf and being amazed by the shots of eventual winner Brooks Koepka. He is making birdie after birdie on the back nine and he even threw in an eagle. My wife, supposedly reading the Sunday paper and playing games on her phone, seemed to become very interested in the leader. “He certainly goes to the gym”, she offered up and I now realize she is suddenly interested in golf. This is as rare as a snowstorm in July.
Then she opines, “Why do they call the scores pars, birdies, or eagles?” No one ever asked me that before. I know what they are; I do not know their origin. So I decided to find out. I’m not sure she really wanted to know, but now I did.
It turns out a man named Hugh Rotherham in 1890 standardized the number of shots a golfer should take at each hole. This score eventually became a “bogey” named after the Bogey man, a goblin or devil.
Par was derived from the American stock exchange term which is a stock’s normal figure. Par was actually used before bogey, but Americans did not like the British system and began referring to one over par as a bogey.
“Birdie” was an American slang term meaning excellent. It originated at the Atlantic City Country Club in 1903 and meant one under par. A stone on the course signifies the origin (I’ve played there and have seen the rock below):
“Eagle” just became an extension of the bird theme and came about shortly after “birdie” came into vogue. It meant two under par. The extremely rare three under par was named after a very rare bird – an “albatross”.
So now I know the origin of the terms and I will tell my wife to read this blog. I just have a feeling that if the blog does not include a picture of Brooks Koepka, she might not be all that interested.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- I’ve had it with the pace of Major League baseball. Pitchers take too much time; batters step out of the box too often; managers make too many trips to the mound and there are too many pitching changes. Throw in a 17-inning game from time to time and baseball becomes excruciatingly slow. I hope the rules “they are a-changin’”.
- It looks like the “76ers” are going to get a first-round draft pick. It appears that Washington point guard Markelle Fultz will be the selection. A great point guard could actually make them competitive. Dare a Philadelphia fan get one’s hopes up?
- Ever since her UConn days, I always loved watching Diana Taurasi play basketball. Her talent and enthusiasm were what made her stand out. She just seemed to love the game. This past Sunday she became the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history. After Sunday’s game, she had scored 7,504 points. Amazing!
- Watching golf on FOX is still not the same as the Golf Channel, NBC, or CBS. Joe Buck had an awkward moment when Brooks Koepka kissed a girl after he won the US Open and Buck incorrectly identified her as Koepka’s former girlfriend. The young lady was his new girlfriend. It was later corrected.
P.S. FOX is much better than they were the first two years. However, there is still room for growth.
- Watch the Blue Mountain League Game of the Week every Tuesday night at 9:30 PM. On Friday, June 23, you can watch the Senior Baseball League on RCN at 9:30 PM. That game will be from Sam Balliet Stadium. It’s always nice to go back there.
