What is the origin of the terms 'Birdie', 'Bogey and 'Eagle' in golf?

Question

I know a 'birdie' is any shot under par, except for a hole in one (an 'eagle') and a bogey is any shot over par up to the third shot (triple bogey), but what are their origins?

And, heck, out of curiosity, where did do the origin's of golf lie, Scotland, England, where?

Answer 1

A 'bogle' was a Scottish goblin as far back as the 16th Century and a Bogey-man was a widely used term for a goblin or devil.  Golfers of the time considered they were playing a Mister Bogey when measuring themselves against the bogey score.

In common with others, the Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms (1993) believes that "Birdie", meaning a score of one stroke under Par on a given hole comes from the 19th century American slang term "bird", meaning anything excellent.

"Eagle", a score of two under par for a given hole, was clearly the extension of the theme of birds for good scores from a "Birdie".  It would be natural for American golfers to think of the Eagle, which is their national symbol.

Three under Par is a very rare score and an Albatross is a very rare bird, and now three under Par is generally referred to an "Albatross".  However nobody knows exactly when the term was coined and it appears to be quite recent.