Origin of The Golf Term Birdie

n golf, a “birdie” is a score of one under par on a particular hole.

The Country Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has long laid claim to the first use of the term “birdie” in golf. Several versions of the story are extant, but all agree on key points. In 1898, 1899 or 1903 three golfers—George Crump (of Pine Valley fame), and brothers William and Ab Smith—were playing the par 4 second at The Country Club when one of the players hit his second to within inches of the hole, a shot which the others said was a “bird of a shot.” He finished in one under.

From there, facts diverge. One version says that it was Ab Smith who nearly holed out, while another says it was Crump. Calling the shot a “bird” either refers to the fact that the shot literally hit a bird before hitting the green, or to 19th century slang, in which calling something a “bird” supposedly meant anything excellent.

I’m actually skeptical of both of these. The hitting a bird in flight story is just too convenient. And to my knowledge (from reading a lot of late 19th century literature), a “bird” in 19th century slang was a young female—particularly a promiscuous one. I suppose, however, that the players might have been comparing a pretty shot to a pretty female.